Articles tagged with "solar-technology"
New Supersized Floating Solar System Puts Catamarans To Work
The article highlights significant advancements in the floating solar industry, focusing on the French company Ciel & Terre’s new large-scale floating solar system called Fusio®. Building on years of experience—including projects ranging from a 252 kW array in California to a 4.4 MW installation in New Jersey, the largest in the US and Canada—Ciel & Terre has developed a pyramid-inspired triangular substructure designed for enhanced durability and adaptability to various solar panels. This design improves structural resistance to environmental forces, increases airflow to cool panels and boost efficiency, and reduces manufacturing and transportation costs due to its compact form. A notable innovation accompanying the Fusio® system is the use of specialized catamarans for maintenance. These boats navigate directly over the floating arrays, enabling safer, faster, and more efficient access to panels, inverters, and cabling without requiring workers to walk on the installations or carry heavy equipment. This approach reduces maintenance costs and safety risks, potentially increasing the long-term yield of floating solar power
energyfloating-solarrenewable-energysolar-powerclean-energysolar-technologysustainable-energyHoneycomb floating solar system offers 30 years of durability
French company Ciel & Terre has developed a new honeycomb-inspired floating solar platform called Fusio, designed to improve performance and efficiency in large-scale floating photovoltaic (FPV) projects. Drawing on structural engineering principles from bridges and skyscrapers, Fusio uses a triangular honeycomb geometry to enhance stability and load distribution. The elevated solar panels increase airflow beneath the modules, providing a natural cooling effect that can boost energy output by up to 2% in warm climates. The system supports PV modules up to 800 watts-peak with adjustable tilt angles, allowing adaptability to diverse environmental conditions and scalable deployment from small reservoirs to utility-scale water bodies. Fusio’s compact triangular float design reduces transportation and installation costs, while an optimized production process and streamlined on-site assembly enable faster deployment and lower project downtime. Maintenance is simplified through a catamaran-based navigation system that allows safe operator access without walking on the array, complemented by integrated cleaning systems to sustain performance. The floats are made from UV-stabilized
energysolar-energyfloating-solarphotovoltaicrenewable-energyenergy-efficiencysolar-technologyStartup To Erect Solar Power Towers Here, There, And Everywhere
The article highlights the progress of Janta Power, a Texas-based startup founded in 2021 that is developing modular, three-dimensional solar power towers designed to maximize space efficiency and optimize solar exposure through azimuthal tracking and integrated energy storage. Janta’s technology aims to deliver up to three times the efficiency of traditional solar panels while occupying a much smaller footprint, making it especially suitable for land-constrained environments such as industrial, commercial, and utility-scale applications. The company has attracted significant investor interest, recently closing a $5.5 million seed funding round led by MaC Venture Capital and Collab Capital, adding to previous investments from Shell’s venture studio, Mansah Capital, and Ideaship. Janta Power’s innovative approach has also gained attention from airport authorities looking to incorporate solar energy without compromising operational space or causing glare issues. The startup was selected as one of five winners in the Airports for Innovation contest, securing trial deployments at Munich Airport and others within a network of ten major international airports
energysolar-powerrenewable-energysolar-technologyenergy-storageclean-energysustainable-energyQuantum entanglement offers clues to nature’s fast energy flow
Researchers at Rice University have found evidence that quantum entanglement can accelerate energy transfer in natural processes such as photosynthesis. Their simulations demonstrated that when energy starts in an entangled, delocalized state across multiple molecular sites, it moves faster to the acceptor site compared to starting localized at a single site. This speed advantage persisted even in the presence of environmental noise and across various parameters, suggesting that nature may exploit quantum coherence and entanglement to enhance the efficiency and robustness of energy flow in biological systems. The study used a simplified molecular model with donor and acceptor regions and included environmental effects like vibrations that influence energy transfer. The findings imply that natural systems might use quantum effects as a blueprint to optimize energy transfer speed, which could inspire new design principles for artificial light-harvesting technologies, such as more efficient solar cells. The researchers propose that experimental tests on controllable quantum platforms, like trapped-ion systems, could further validate their results. Overall, the work bridges quantum physics and biology, highlighting
energyquantum-entanglementphotosynthesisenergy-transfersolar-technologyquantum-physicsartificial-light-harvesting-systems'Sweet spot' helps solar device store more energy, thrive in heat
A recent study from Loughborough University reveals that certain emerging solar technologies, specifically photoelectrochemical (PEC) flow cells, perform better at elevated temperatures, challenging the conventional understanding that heat degrades solar device efficiency. Unlike traditional silicon-based photovoltaic panels, which lose 0.3% to 0.5% of their power output per degree Celsius above 25°C due to increased electrical resistance, PEC flow cells benefit from heat. The study found an optimal operating temperature around 45°C (113°F), where the internal electrochemical reactions are accelerated by the heat, enhancing ion movement and conductivity in the liquid electrolyte. This reduces internal resistance and enables faster, more efficient energy storage within the device. This discovery has significant implications for the design and cost of solar-plus-storage systems. Engineers can now develop integrated solar devices that intentionally operate in hotter conditions, eliminating the need for costly and complex active cooling systems such as fans or fluid circulation. By harnessing heat rather than combating it, these systems could
energysolar-energyenergy-storagephotoelectrochemical-cellsrenewable-energysolar-technologyheat-managementNew Solar Panel Hail Resiliency Curve Test - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the introduction of the Hail Resiliency Curve (HRC) Test, a new rigorous protocol developed by VDE Americas and the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) to evaluate solar panel durability against real-world hailstorm conditions. Unlike existing hail certification tests, the HRC Test subjects solar panels to multiple impacts from varying hailstone sizes and speeds until glass fracture occurs, providing detailed data on a panel’s breaking point. This approach offers more accurate and statistically representative information on hail damage resistance, enabling manufacturers to optimize hail-hardened designs, project developers to assess cost-benefit trade-offs, and insurers to set coverage and premiums based on empirical evidence rather than estimates. The test results reveal a significant difference in performance between standard bifacial solar panels and hail-hardened panels. Standard panels tend to fail rapidly at impact energies between 40-80 joules, whereas hail-hardened panels maintain low failure rates up to 120+ joules, making them more suitable for installations
energysolar-panelshail-resiliencerenewable-energysolar-technologyimpact-testingpower-infrastructurePhotos: High-tech solar cars set off on endurance race in Australia
The 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a prestigious 3,000-kilometer solar car race across the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide, kicked off with 34 teams from 17 countries competing. Germany’s Sonnenwagen Aachen led the starting grid after posting the fastest pre-race lap, followed closely by Dutch teams Green Falcon and Brunel’s Nuna 13. Other notable contenders included Hungary’s John Von Neumann team, featuring innovative shark fin designs, and Australia’s Western Sydney University with their Unlimited 6.0 car. The event serves as both a test of endurance and a showcase for cutting-edge solar technology, emphasizing the potential of clean energy in future transportation. The race also features a Cruiser Class focusing on sustainable mobility designs, with Australia’s Solaride earning a design award that grants a time advantage, followed by Sunswift Racing and Italy’s Onda Solare. Event Ambassador Chris Selwood highlighted the high quality and resilience of participants, noting the race’s unique
energysolar-carsrenewable-energysolar-technologysustainable-mobilityendurance-raceclean-energyNASA Holds The Key To Global Space Solar Race
The article discusses the emerging field of space-based solar power, which has the potential to provide continuous, 24/7 baseload energy by beaming solar power collected in space down to Earth. This technology is gaining traction globally, with significant interest and government support from Europe, China, and Japan. In the U.S., while the Department of Energy and NASA have been involved in related research—such as perovskite solar cells and wireless power beaming—federal efforts remain fragmented and face uncertainty due to political distractions and shifting priorities at the White House. Historically, the U.S. was a leader in space solar research, notably boosted by a $12.5 million donation to CalTech in 2011 and ongoing DOE support. However, current political and funding challenges threaten continued progress. A recent study from King’s College London highlights space solar’s potential to reduce Europe’s reliance on terrestrial renewables by 80% by 2050, but it emphasizes that two key NASA technologies
energyspace-solar-powerNASArenewable-energywireless-power-beamingDepartment-of-Energysolar-technologyShapeshifting perovskites can help make solar devices, LEDs more efficient
Researchers from the University of Utah have demonstrated that wafer-thin Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) metal-halide hybrid perovskites, a class of two-dimensional layered materials composed of alternating inorganic and organic sheets, exhibit temperature-dependent phase transitions that significantly influence their optical properties. These phase transitions, akin to changes between different solid states as seen in water, alter the structure of the inorganic layers through the melting and disordering of organic chains, thereby modulating the material’s light emission wavelength and intensity. This dynamic tunability enables the emission wavelength to be adjusted across a broad spectrum from ultraviolet to near-infrared, offering valuable control for optoelectronic applications such as LEDs and thermal energy storage. The study highlights that these perovskites’ optical properties shift continuously with temperature due to subtle structural distortions, revealing a strong interplay between organic and inorganic components that can be manipulated at the molecular level. Importantly, perovskites present a promising alternative to traditional silicon in solar cell
perovskitesmaterials-sciencerenewable-energysolar-technologyLEDsthermal-energy-storageoptoelectronicsWhy Balcony Solar Panels Haven’t Taken Off in the US
solar-panelsrenewable-energyenergy-efficiencyelectricity-generationbalcony-solarclean-energysolar-technology