Santerno Introduces New PV Power Plant Controller that Provides Single Point of Control at Solar Power International

New Power Plant Controller Reduces Cost of PV System Management By Eliminating Need for Multiple Controllers and Includes Self-tuning POI to Accommodate International Grid Codes
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) aims at making organic photovoltaics

 
The new project coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) aims at making organic photovoltaics competitive to their inorganic counterparts by enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells, reducing their production costs and increasing their life-time. “Green” processes for materials synthesis and coating play a key role. “MatHero” is funded by the European Commission with an amount of EUR 3.5 million.

Concentrating Solar Power - Video

Rajasthan Sun Technique 100 MW linear Fresnel project in India

•• It is one of the nearest to completion of
the CSP projects tendered under the 20
GW Indian Solar Mission, which is among
the largest renewable energy policies
passed by an emerging economy in the
last few years. The seven other CSP plants
under the first phase of the Indian Solar
Mission allow for comparative analysis
across different technology specifications
and financing solutions.
•• By awarding subsidized Power Purchase
Agreements through a competitive
reverse auction, the Government of India
was able to deploy CSP plants in a very
cost-effective way. However, it may also
have reduced margins so far that some
winning bidders will ultimately be unable
to build CSP plants.
•• It is highly innovative. It will be the largest ever plant using compact linear Fresnel, a potentially lower cost CSP technology.
•• The project is financed through a combination of private sector resources and development bank funding on non-concessional terms, which is unique for CSP.

India's JNNSM Program - High Lights

The Indian government launched the Indian Solar Mission in 2010 (GoI, 2013). Targeting 20 GW in CSP and solar PV investments by 2022, it is one of the most ambitious expansion plans for renewable energy in any emerging economy. The government faces a significant challenge to bring it to completion on time while avoiding excessive burden on the public budget.

Panasonic HIT Photovoltaic Module

The HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cell is composed of a mono thin crystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. This product provides industry-leading performance and value using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques.

Heat-Conducting Polymer Cools Hot Electronic Devices at 200 Degrees Celsius

Polymer materials are usually thermal insulators. But by harnessing an electropolymerization process to produce aligned arrays of polymer nanofibers, researchers have developed a thermal interface material able to conduct heat 20 times better than the original polymer. The modified material can reliably operate at temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius.
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New type of Graphene-based Electronics

Using electrons more like photons could provide the foundation for a new type of electronic device that would capitalize on the ability of graphene to carry electrons with almost no resistance even at room temperature – a property known as ballistic transport.
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Light Splitting Solar Panels

Silicon cells embedded in the solar panels today can absorb only the long wave radiation emitted by the sun.  This leaves the short wave radiation of the solar spectrum unused. Using dichromatic mirrors, the latest solar panel technology splits the white light of the sun into short wave and long wave radiation. As different semiconductor material respond to light of different wavelengths, the short wave radiation is routed to gallium or indium based solar cells for power generation. While the long wave radiation is utilized by silicon based solar cells. Using this solar panel technology, an efficiency of 40 % has been achieved during the research phase. The cost per watt of solar power generation can drop down to less than U.S $3, with the use of this technology .
                             

Diamond Film Based Solar Cells

Diamond films made up of tiny microscopic diamond crystals can behave as solar cells reaching an efficiency of up to 50 %.  These films absorb heat instead of visible light to produce electricity. This phenomenon is known as thermionic emissions & no other material other than diamond is better at it.  A reflective dish would be required to focus sunlight onto a combination of two diamond films separated by a very thin layer of vacuum to produce high energy electrons which contribute to generating electricity.  Unlike silicon solar cells that degrade after 10 years, diamond film based cells can withstand high levels of radiation & have a very slow degradation rate. Also, the diamond film cells can withstand high temperature without any loss in efficiency, which affects the performance of conventional solar cells. Although the technology sounds expensive, at a bulk manufacturing level, the material could be made at $1 per square centimetre. The technology is at a Research & Development phase, but holds great promise to greatly improvise solar panel technology .