Abstract Synergies between technology flows is essential to balance the consumption of their related critical materials and promote a sustainable green economy transition. Using dynamics modelling, a comprehensive analysis of silicon flows applied in green energy technologies such as photovoltaic…
Tag: Solar Panels
GW Expert Available: Lawmakers vote to repeal President Biden’s suspension of solar tariffs
On Wednesday, Senate lawmakers voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s two-year suspension of tariffs on solar imports from countries in Southeast Asia, according to The Hill. The measure has already been approved by the House. The White House has said President Biden…
Solar industry feeling the heat over disposal of 80 million panels
Renewable energy experts have come up with an environmentally-friendly plan to dispose of solar panels at the end of their life.
Growing crops at solar farms can boost panel performance, longevity
Growing commercial crops on solar farms can both increase commercial food production and improve solar panel performance and longevity, according to new Cornell University research published in the journal Applied Energy.
Harnessing Plant Molecules to Harvest Solar Energy
ROCKVILLE, MD – Our current solar panels aren’t very efficient; they are only able to convert up to about 20 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. As a result, to generate a lot of electricity, the panels require a lot of space—sometimes leading forests to be cut down or farms to be replaced by solar.
Cooling Down Solar Cells, Naturally
Too much sun and too much heat can reduce the efficiency of photovoltaics. A solar farm with optimally spaced panels facing the correct direction could cool itself through convection using the surrounding wind. Researchers explored how to exploit the geometry of solar farms to enhance natural cooling mechanisms.
UAlbany Renewables Researcher Creates Interactive Map for Solar Panel Deployment Across the U.S.
The numbers show that solar power can firmly and affordably meet the bulk of U.S. energy demands.
Is it worth investing in solar PV with batteries at home?
Researchers looked into some of the issues that hamper the uptake of residential solar energy and proposed different policies to encourage the use of this technology.
Materials developed at Sandia help extinguish solar panel fires before they ignite
Sandia National Laboratories has spent 10 years working alongside local company Guardian Sensors Inc. to understand and characterize hazardous arc-faults. Their work led to development of electrical in-line connectors that automatically predict and prevent photovoltaic arc-faults before they can ignite fires.
E-waste eating protein creates rare earth elements
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers, in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have designed a new process, based on a naturally occurring protein, that could extract and purify rare earth elements (REE) from low-grade sources. It could offer a new avenue toward a more diversified and sustainable REE sector for the United States. The protein, lanmodulin, enables a one-step extraction and purification of (REE)s from complex metal mixtures, including electronic waste and coal byproducts.
Gift will fund solar panel, electrical research
Thanks to a generous gift from utility company Evergy, students in the College of Engineering at Wichita State University can learn about and conduct research on solar power technology, as well as how to protect an electric grid from short circuiting.