A researcher in Haryana has revealed a revolutionary manufacturing process for silicon solar cells that has the potential to drastically reduce the price of these cells. Swasti Bhatia, a PhD student at IIT Bombay at the time, demonstrated a silicon solar cell with 12% efficiency, fabricated entirely at below 100C. By using new, non-toxic materials such as TiO2, these low-temperature solar cells replace predominantly high-temperature processes that also use harmful gases such as phosphine.
Rezolv Energy has acquired a 51% stake in two new wind farms in Constanta County, Romania. The Adamclisi and Deleni wind farms are expected to complete financing in 2023. The two wind farms will generate enough clean energy to power more than 332,000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 220,000 tons per year. Rezolv was founded in 2020 with €500 million backing from Actis, a global investor in sustainable infrastructure.
Babcock International's Rosyth Shipyard has been awarded a £45 million ($56.6 million) contract to maintain three research vessels. The initial three-year contract was announced earlier this month by UK Industry and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani. The state-of-the-art facility will be programmed for planned maintenance and upgrade work.
The 2023 Annual Conference will bring together more than 2,500 leaders from government, business and civil society. The areas of climate and clean energy will require the greatest collaboration. India has taken several initiatives, including the formation of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), to increase its domestic renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030. Hydrocarbon-rich countries can use their hydrocarbon resources to turn this challenge into an opportunity.
German utility Uniper has teamed up with United Arab Emirates (UAE) clean energy company Masdar to produce green hydrogen. Uniper declined to provide further details at this stage. Masdar and Uniper will build a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar plant that they hope will produce clean hydrogen through electrolysis starting in 2026, Bloomberg reported.
Tim Hannon of Futureproof Clare is taking on Ireland's fast-growing data center industry and its growing carbon footprint. The proposed 450 million-euro data center on the outskirts of Ennis would require 200 megawatts of electricity, "the equivalent of 200,000 homes," he said. According to planning documents, the center's electricity use will generate 657,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions per year. Ireland has experienced unprecedented growth in the data center industry, accelerating from a blip on the international radar a decade ago to become the largest data center market in Europe. The traditional advantages of setting up shop in Ireland, such as political stability and a well-educated, English-speaking workforce, are combined with Dublin's key advantages - the transatlantic cable system and 44km fiber ring linking all major business parks.
The global portable generator market size is expected to reach USD 5.87 billion by 2026 from USD 3.88 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 5.4%. The need for backup power during power outages is one of the key factors driving the growth of the portable generator market. Increasing adoption of dual fuel and variable frequency generators offers lucrative opportunities for manufacturers. The portable generator market size was valued at USD 1.33 billion in 2018 and Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the portable generator market share over the forecast period. Poor energy infrastructure in most African countries is creating multiple growth opportunities for the market in the Middle East and Africa region. Emerging economies occupy an important position in emerging economies, and their energy demand continues to grow.
Perovskite solar cells are thin-film devices made of multiple layers of materials that can be printed or coated with liquid ink, or deposited in a vacuum. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Roorkee) say they have succeeded in developing high-quality, efficient and low-cost perovskites. The developed perovskite solar cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 17.05%.
Waaree Energies said it is increasing its manufacturing capacity for 650W modules to 12 gigawatts (GW) from its current 9 GW operating capacity. It will become the world's largest component manufacturing capacity outside of China. With the addition of Indosolar, the modules will be produced in Greater Noida, NCR for the domestic market in 2022. Chief executive officer Hitesh Doshi said the implementation of basic tariffs and ALMM has transformed the import-oriented market to domestic manufacturing.
Gujarat-based membrane technology company Permionics has secured an order for water management systems to serve 10 GW of capacity in the solar wafer and ingot/wafer fabrication industries. Solar cell manufacturers are looking to integrate backwards and take control of their supply chains. To produce just 1 GW of wafer capacity requires approximately 1 million liters of purified water per day.