National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL

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2022

30-Year Perovskite Solar Cells, New Approach to Testing

Researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, marking a major milestone for an emerging class of renewable energy technology. The team projects their device can perform above industry standards for around 30 years, far more than the 20 years used as a threshold for viability for solar cells.

Developing a Toolchain to Assess Performance of Wind Energy Systems

The goal of the project is to achieve a better understanding of the unsteady inflow conditions at altitudes above the first layer of air above the ground (the surface layer). The aim is to develop a toolchain to efficiently and effectively assess the performance and reliability of airborne wind energy devices and conventional wind turbines. This is important to site evaluation but also for increasing the wind plant efficiency and making the operation of airborne wind energy systems safer.

Highest Efficiency 1-Sun Solar Cell

Researchers have created a solar cell with a record 39.5% efficiency under 1-sun global illumination. This is the highest efficiency solar cell of any type, measured using standard 1-sun conditions.

Swift Solar

Swift Solar is a company that works on perovskite PV. It was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in California, USA. This profile is based on a discussion with the CEO and co-founder, Dr Joel Jean.

Heat Engine Design Could Enable Fully Decarbonized Grid in the Future

Engineers have designed a heat engine with no moving parts. Their new demonstrations show that it converts heat to electricity with over 40 percent efficiency — a performance better than that of traditional steam turbines.

Mars Materials

Mars Materials is an American start-up developing a new pathway for carbon fibers production and wastewater treatment chemicals using carbon dioxide as a raw material. In November 2021, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Hydra Rodrigues spoke to Aaron Fitzgerald, CEO and Co-Founder of Mars Materials.

Rethinking Wave Energy Converters Using Variable-Geometry

A major challenge currently facing wave energy technology is the achievement of cost competitiveness. Because they must be designed to be robust enough to withstand large wave loads and unforgiving sea states, about 35%-50% of wave energy converter costs can be attributed to device structural costs alone. Reducing the structural cost and increasing energy capture are two paths toward reducing wave energy's levelized cost of energy, thereby increasing its attractiveness as a major renewable energy source.

Device Wraps Around Hot Surfaces, Turns Wasted Heat to Electricity

The energy systems that power our lives also produce wasted heat — like heat that radiates off hot water pipes in buildings and exhaust pipes on vehicles. A new flexible thermoelectric generator can wrap around pipes and other hot surfaces and convert wasted heat into electricity more efficiently than previously possible.

Funding for Megawatt Truck Charging Along California Freight Corridors

The Electric Power Research Institute and CALSTART have been awarded $13 million from the California Energy Commission to jump start California's high-power charging infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The two organizations will lead a first-of-its-kind collaboration to launch the country's first zero-emission, freight-charging corridor network.

2021

Lead Absorbing Tape to Boost Viability of Perovskite Solar Cells

Researchers are reporting a potential breakthrough that could help speed commercialization of highly promising perovskite solar cells for use in solar panels.

New Record of 25.8% Conversion Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

A research team has set a new efficiency record for a perovskite solar cell at 25.8% by forming an interlayer between electron-transporting and perovskite layers to minimize interfacial defects, contributing to the decrease in the power conversion efficiencies.

CalWave Successfully Commissions Open Water Wave Energy Pilot

CalWave successfully commissioned its CalWave x1 off the coast of San Diego. This milestone event marks the beginning of California's first at-sea, long-duration wave energy pilot operating fully submerged.

US Solar Energy to Generate More Power in 2035 Than All Homes Use Now

The Solar Futures Study details the significant role solar will play in decarbonizing the nation's power grid. The study shows that by 2035, solar energy has the potential to power 40% of the nation's electricity, drive deep decarbonization of the grid, and employ as much as 1.5 million people—without raising electricity prices.

NREL's Thermoplastic Blade Research Dives Deep

National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers have been exploring the use of thermoplastic composite materials for wind turbines for several years, but they have only just begun to scrape the surface of how these materials perform underwater. For the first time in history, thermoplastic composite blades, which have the potential to revolutionize the marine energy industry, are being tested on a large-scale tidal power turbine.

Swift Solar USA

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar PV technology company Swift Solar announced today that it secured more than $8 million in Series Seed 2 funding, with an additional $1.5 million expected to close soon, for a total of $9.6 million.

GE Unveils 12 MW Floating Wind Turbine Concept

GE researchers unveiled details of an ongoing two-year, $4 MM project to design and develop advanced controls to support a 12 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbine.

SolarWindow Sets New Record, Doubling Its Power Conversion Efficiency

SolarWindow Technologies Inc has more than doubled its prior certified performance, also achieving the highest independently-certified power conversion efficiency of previous organic photovoltaic devices fabricated at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

2020

Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells on Threshold of 30% Efficiency

An HZB team has published a report in the journal Science on the development of its current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours - even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the group headed by Prof. Steve Albrecht investigated physical processes at the interfaces to improve the transport of the charge carriers.

Oxford PV Hits New World Record for Solar Cell

Revolutionary perovskite solar technology has set a new world record for the amount of the sun's energy that can be converted into electricity by a single solar cell.

Transparent Electronics: $20 Billion Market Comes into Sight

The new IDTechEx report, "Transparent Electronics Materials, Applications, Markets 2021-2041" describes a market that will be well above $20 billion in 2041 with a substantial possible upside.

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