In an advance that could dramatically improve the productivity of solar panels in cold climates, a University of Michigan-led team has demonstrated an inexpensive, clear coating that reduced snow and ice accumulation on solar panels, enabling them to generate up to 85% more energy in early testing.&nbsp;<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/osUwmeb5aZs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 768px; height: 430px;"></iframe>The coating is made chiefly of PVC or PDMS plastic and silicon or vegetable-based oils. It can be sprayed or brushed on in cold weather and, in its current iteration, can keep shedding snow and ice for up to a year.“Renewable energy is really taking off right now, but snow is a huge problem in northern climates,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://tuteja.engin.umich.edu/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Anish Tuteja</a>, U-M professor of materials science and engineering, who led the study in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Alaska.&nbsp;“Solar panels might lose 80 or 90% of their generating capacity in the winter. So figuring out a way for them to continue generating energy throughout the year was an exciting challenge,” he said.While Tuteja’s lab has developed a number of effective ice-shedding coatings in the past, he explains that designing a coating that can passively shed both snow and ice represents a special challenge.“Ice is relatively dense and heavy, and our previous coatings used its own weight against it,” Tuteja said. “But snow can be 10 times less dense than ice, so we weren’t at all certain that the tricks we use on ice would translate to snow.”To find the right coating, Tuteja and his team turned to two key properties that have powered ice-shedding coatings in the past: low interfacial toughness and low adhesion strength. Low surface adhesion is basically slipperiness. Slipperiness alone works well on small areas, but the bigger the surface, the more force is needed to slide snow and ice off it. For larger areas, you need a way to break up the adhesion entirely. This is what low interfacial toughness does—it creates cracks between the ice and the panel. These propagate along the panel, regardless of its size, breaking the ice and snow free.&nbsp;The team worked to strike precisely the right balance of low surface adhesion and low interfacial toughness that would repel both ice and snow from small and large surfaces alike. They started with very rigid PVC plastic, for low interfacial toughness, and mixed in a small amount of vegetable oil that gave the PVC a low enough surface adhesion to provide the best of both worlds. They also devised a second material that works equally well using PDMS plastic and silicon-based oil.The U-M researchers collaborated with the University of Alaska to test the material on a solar field in Fairbanks, Alaska, applying the coatings to a subset of panels that were monitored by automated cameras for a period of about two weeks. The tests showed that the coated panels had an average snow and ice coverage of approximately 28% over an entire winter season, in comparison to about 59% for the uncoated panels.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1641301440415-maxresdefault.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The coating was developed as part of a project led by Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy research and development lab, with funding provided by the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office“As the cost of solar energy has dropped and profitability has climbed, much of the growth in solar energy in recent years has been in northern states, where snow is common,” said Laurie Burnham, the project’s principal investigator.“Snow-phobic coatings, if we can demonstrate their long-term efficacy, will make solar power more reliable and more affordable in snowy regions, helping accelerate our nation’s transition to a more solar-dominated energy economy.”Tuteja says that, while the current iteration of the coating could be used immediately, the team plans to tweak it further with the aim of developing a coating that can last at least five years.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202101032" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">study is published in Advanced Materials Technologies</a>. Other researchers on the project were former U-M materials science and engineering graduate researcher Abhishek Dhyani; Christopher Pike and Erin Whitney at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska; and Jennifer Braid at the Photovoltaics and Materials Technology Department of Sandia National Laboratories.

U-M materials science and engineering graduate researcher Abhishek Dhyani applies ice-and-snow-repellent coating to a solar panel in Fairbanks, Alaska. Credit: Laurie Burnham, Sandia National Laboratory

Cold-weather-friendly formula foils snow/ice accumulation in Alaska test.

Spray-on coating could make solar panels snow-resistant

<article id="isPasted">Together with European research partners, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has developed a process that can generate electricity in a climate-neutral way using sulphur and solar energy. Initial tests with a pilot-scale plant have now been successfully completed.This process is based on a chemical cycle. It involves burning sulphur in special power plant turbines and converting the exhaust gases into sulphuric acid. Using solar energy, the sulphuric acid can then be converted back into pure sulphur, without producing carbon dioxide; this sulphur can then be reused as fuel.<div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1639791561389-sulphuric-acid-decomposition-in-the-laboratory.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Sulphuric acid decomposition in the laboratory. Credit: © DLR. All rights reserved</div><h2>Why sulphur?</h2>Sulphur can be used as fuel for gas or steam turbines in power plants. In addition, sulphur is a promising energy storage medium for solar thermal power plants. Combining these two power plant technologies is a further step towards climate-neutral electricity production.The energy density of sulphur is 30 times higher than that of molten salt, which is currently used in solar thermal power plants to absorb, transport and store solar energy as high-temperature heat. Because sulphur can be stored in powder or liquid form, it can easily be transported and stored over long periods of time.Due to limited geological deposits and decreasing fossil fuel production volumes, it will become more economical in the future to sustainably integrate sulphur into processes that involve the recycling of their materials. In such cycles, sulphur can be repeatedly used as fuel. As demonstrated in the PEGASUS project, this can be achieved with the help of renewable energy sources.<h2>Potential for power from renewable energy sources around the clock</h2>A solar thermal plant can provide the high temperatures required for the decomposition of sulphuric acid using concentrated solar radiation. The resulting products, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and water (H2O), can then be reused to obtain sulphur in a process referred to as disproportionation. This can then either be stored or burnt in a gas turbine to generate electricity. The resulting gas is sulphur dioxide (SO2), which can be fed into a conventional sulphuric acid plant to produce sulphuric acid and large amounts of heat. This heat then drives a steam turbine that generates additional electricity. The cycle can then begin again with the decomposition of the sulphuric acid.When strong solar radiation is available, a sulphur-based power plant can even produce more sulphur than is necessary for its daytime operations, thus enabling the plant to operate continuously. The resulting surplus of sulphuric acid can then be converted into sulphur by solar thermal means at a later stage.Solar thermal plants with sulphur production can be operated effectively, especially in sunny regions. The sulphur produced can then be easily transported to regions with less sunlight.<div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1639791580479-simplified-representation-of-the-sulphur-storage-cycle.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Simplified representation of the sulphur storage cycle. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)</div><h2>Pilot operation of the solar power plant using DLR's Synlight artificial Sun</h2>The aim of the <a href="https://www.pegasus-project.eu/" target="_blank" title="External link Pegasus project">PEGASUS</a> project is to test the sub-processes of sulphuric acid decomposition using solar energy and the use of the resulting sulphur as a fuel in gas turbine power plants. To achieve the high temperatures required for the decomposition, the researchers combined a newly developed reactor to split sulphuric acid with a solar radiation receiver previously developed at DLR that uses ceramic particles as the heat transfer and storage medium.In a particle receiver, small ceramic particles absorb and transport the incoming thermal energy to generate electricity and industrial process heat. Molten salt, currently used as a heat transfer medium in state-of-the-art solar power plants, can only be used at temperatures of up to approximately 550 degrees Celsius. Using heated ceramic particles, power plants can be operated at significantly higher process temperatures of over 900 degrees, resulting in higher efficiency and thus lowering the cost of energy production. For the demonstration, scientists from the DLR institutes of <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/institutes/institute-of-future-fuels.html" target="_blank" title="Institute of Future Fuels">Future Fuels</a> and of <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/institutes/institute-of-future-fuels.html" target="_blank" title="Institute of Future Fuels">Solar Research</a> installed a variant of the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2018/2/20180614_solar-receiver-centrec-passes-test-at-over-900-degrees-celsius_28352.html" target="_blank" title="Solar receiver CentRec passes test at over 900 degrees Celsius">CentRec</a> particle receiver developed for the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/content/en/research-facilities/synlight.html" target="_blank" title="Synlight">Synlight</a> artificial Sun in Jülich. At the same time, they investigated the sub-process of integrating sulphuric acid decomposition into the sulphur cycle in a laboratory.Due to their high degree of innovation, the two sub-processes studied in PEGASUS placed high demands on the researchers. Solar-heated particles have never been used to split sulphuric acid before, for example. The combustion of sulphur at elevated pressure for use in gas turbines had also not been investigated before. Researchers at the DLR Institute of Future Fuels are working on the disproportionation reaction in the associated <a href="https://www.dlr.de/ff/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-15591/27719_read-71701/" target="_blank" title="External link Project BaSiS (On-demand Solar Power Generation using Sulphur Storage Technology)">BaSiS</a> project, funded by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.</article>

Researchers test a solar reactor using the world’s largest artificial Sun. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Together with European research partners, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has developed a process that can generate electricity in a climate-neutral way using sulphur and solar energy. Initial tests with a pilot-scale plant have now been successfully completed.

Solar energy storage using sulphur

Energy harvesting will reduce the constant battery replacements in IoT sensors, benefitting maintenance engineers and future generations alike.Billions of wireless IoT sensors will connect tomorrow's world. Network equipment provider Cisco suggests that in as little as a decade, that number could exceed 50 billion. Many of those will be powered by batteries. Apart from the maintenance issues—even if each cell lasts for a decade, technicians across the globe would still be faced with changing millions of batteries every day—in a world striving for sustainability, those batteries represent a problem.Exotic materials such as lithium must be mined, the cells must be fabricated, then distributed around the world, and then there's the major problem of safely disposing of them once exhausted.To overcome this challenge, tomorrow's wireless sensors will need to harvest energy from the environment, employ clever chips to frugally manage the power budget, and ensure that the short-range- or cellular IoT connectivity makes the most of every microwatt.<h2>The power of the sun</h2>Photovoltaic (PV) cells (or "solar panels") are currently the best option for the energy harvesting task. This is because they achieve the highest power density and output compared to other typical energy harvesting options. The source of that power is the sun which bathes the planet with an average power of 1100 W/m. Solar panels use the PV effect to convert those photons into electricity.Most commercial PV panels for small-scale energy harvesting are fabricated using a non-crystalline form of silicon. They work better under lower light conditions—such as those experienced indoors—than the crystalline panels commonly seen on building roofs. Theoretically, a small amorphous silicon panel of this type can convert a maximum of 33 percent of incident sunlight into electricity.<h2>Managing variability</h2>However, for a significant proportion of the day, the sun is below the horizon. And even during daylight hours, the difference between a cloudless summer day and an overcast winter one is dramatic. Depending on the latitude, clouds might reduce solar output by as much as 75 percent.To smooth out this variability, today's designs typically include an energy reservoir such as a rechargeable Li-Poly battery or a supercapacitor. The sensor draws power directly from this reservoir, ensuring a clean and uninterrupted supply while the energy harvester continuously tops the reservoir up. Of course, this does mean manufacturing and disposal of a battery or supercapacitor. Still, energy harvesting extends the cell's life to match that of the sensor, eliminating constant replacement and cutting the environmental impact.<h2>Built for energy harvesting</h2>Even with an energy reservoir, managing the harvested energy while ensuring high sensor availability is not trivial. It demands power management ICs (PMICs) customized for energy harvesting devices. PMICs that stabilize the sustainable energy source play a significant part in making harvesting IoT applications viable.For its part, Nordic has a long history of "making the most of every microwatt." For example, its cellular IoT solution, the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF9160?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF9160 SiP</a>, was designed from the ground up to minimize power consumption, and some of the design decisions guiding the product's specification were made with energy harvesting in mind. And while energy harvesting significantly extends the battery life of an application, it doesn't place any constraints on the chip's capability.However, the energy-harvesting implementation may put some restrictions on the application's duty cycle, which must be carefully considered at the design phase. Fortunately, the flexibility built into Nordic products makes it easy to customize the trade-off between duty cycle, throughput, and battery life.<h2>A sustainable future</h2>Today's combination of energy harvesting and a battery is a good start towards sustainability and is already making its way into commercial products. But continued development could see every IoT device completely battery-free.For example, multilayer solar panels, comprising three or four layers of different semiconductors, will soak up more sunrays and promise to turn nearly 50 percent of incident sunlight into electricity. And Nordic's next generation of PMICs will handle that power more carefully. At the same time, the company's future wireless chips will do even more work with even less energy than the existing products.That will make energy harvesting a significant contributor towards ensuring a sustainable IoT. That's good news for not only maintenance technicians across the world but also the planet's future generations.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic's&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>.

Energy harvesting will reduce the constant battery replacements in IoT sensors, benefitting maintenance engineers and future generations alike.

Towards a battery-free IoT-world

According to the World Economic Forum, the oil and gas industry could save up to $30 billion in additional value because of 3D printing. The oil and gas industry stands to benefit from guaranteed quality standards, greater flexibility of design parts, less product development time, reduced costs and rapid turnaround from order receipt to product delivery.<a href="https://event.webinarjam.com/register/1/nyk85a7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The panel discussion</a>, which features experts from Shell, DNV and Protolabs, will explore the 3D printing technologies that can support the oil and gas sector and discuss how independent certification of these technologies can help provide confidence in product safety and production optimisation. As an attendee, you’ll also receive a free copy of Protolabs’ "Designing the Future: the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing to Oil and gas" white paper. Guest Speakers<ul><li>Angeline Goh - Digital Supply Chain Manager, Shell</li><li>Dr. Sastry Kandukuri- Senior Principal Consultant Materials Advisory - Additive Manufacturing Energy Systems, DNV</li><li>Tasos Pantelis - Application Engineer and Additive Manufacturing Champion, Protolabs EMEA</li></ul>&nbsp;Join this panel discussion and learn:<ul><li>The benefits 3D printing brings to the Oil &amp; Gas sector</li><li>How certification of 3D printing technologies can provide confidence</li><li>How digital manufacturers can support and be a reliable component of the Oil &amp; Gas supply chain</li><li>How ‘supermajors’, like Shell, are working together with the oilfield services sector to create a new energy sector that is more sustainable</li><li>Free copy of "Designing the Future: the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing to Oil and Gas" white paper</li></ul> Event Details23rd September10AM - 11AM BST<a href="https://event.webinarjam.com/register/1/nyk85a7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Register here</a>

This compelling, one-of-a-kind, webinar will focus on the fledgling relationship between the additive manufacturing and oil and gas industries.

Future Thinking - How 3D Printing and Certification Will Change the Oil and Gas Industry

In this episode, we talk about how Australian National University researchers broke the world record for solar cell efficiency and a new AI-powered device coming out of MIT that can help you determine if the material you want to use for laser cutting is safe + what settings to use. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/c804ffff-8729-468e-ba2e-c8ce075f61d4?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>&nbsp;<h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(1:09) - Scientists Set New Record With Bifacial Solar Cells:&nbsp;Australian National University just broke a world record for solar efficiency by harvesting solar energy reflected from the ground behind a solar panel using their novel double sided approach.(7:27) - Smart Laser Cutter System Detects Different Materials:&nbsp;Have you ever wanted to use a laser cutter without needing to research the right settings for the material you want to cut? Well, MIT has developed an AI powered optical sensor that can determine whether your material is safe and if so, it’ll tell you the exact parameters to use!--About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!Take a few seconds to leave us a review. It really helps!&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2" target="_blank">https://apple.co/2RIsbZ2</a>if you do it and send us proof, we’ll give you a shoutout on the show.

Image: Eric Byler/The Autralian National University

In this episode, we talk about how Australian National University researchers broke the world record for solar cell efficiency and a new AI-powered device coming out of MIT that can help you determine if the material you want to use for laser cutting is safe + what settings to use.

Podcast: The Solar Panel That Broke The World Record

Offshore wind represents a key renewable energy source to meet the Europe’s carbon neutrality target and help tackle climate change. The pace of development for new wind farms is accelerating, with deeper water installations being increasingly sought to unlock the full market potential of European waters.For these deeper water installations, foundation structures are moving away from traditional monopiles towards jacket-type lattices, with designs adapted from the oil and gas industry. These structures contain many more welded joints than monopiles, with over 1km of total weld length per jacket. The quality of the welds is critical to ensure the long-term integrity of the structure, particularly given its harsh, underwater service environment with complex fatigue loading conditions.<h2>Welding Inspection and NDT</h2><a href="https://de.innerspec.com/" target="_blank">Innerspec</a> is a manufacturer of Non-Destructive Testing solutions and uses mainly their own proprietary technology. Their products include integrated systems for manufacturing plants, and portable solutions for in-service applications. Innerspec pioneered commercial applications of Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT) in the mid-90s becoming the world leader in this technology with hundreds of systems installed worldwide. More recently, Innerspec has added other techniques to their portfolio to serve their customers with all their advanced non-destructive testing needs. Amongst other things, Innerspec invested in two&nbsp;<a href="https://www.creaform3d.com/en/ndt-solutions/ndt-pipeline-inspection-oil-and-gas-industry" target="_blank">Go!SCAN 3D scanners and the pipeline integrity software Pipecheck from Creaform</a>, a NDT 3D scanning technology solutions for corrosion and mechanical damage.Recently, Innerpsec worked on a project which objective was to provide quality control (QC) after welding fabrication of offshore wind jackets. To do so, quality control was defined as welding inspection tasks. NDT methods were required to ensure that welding processes have been executed accordingly, and that the NDT inspections provided by a subcontractor was accurate. For this project, Innerspec provided experienced personnel qualified in Welding Inspection and NDT.According to engineers, conducting an analysis requires that it is possible to identify what kind of defects the company is dealing with and also the scale of the problem in the studied period of time.Main activities and project steps:<ul><li>Design and pre-qualification of calibration blocks in conjunction with SPR personnel</li><li>Develop NDT procedures in Phased Array Ultrasonic, ToFD, ACFM and visual inspection using the Creaform 3D NDT technology.</li><li>Phased Array Ultrasonic NDT inspection crosscheck and witness/train/consult other parties on PAUT execution.</li><li>Time of Flight Diffraction NDT inspection crosscheck and witness/train/consult other parties on ToFD execution.</li><li>ACFM/ECA NDT inspection crosscheck and comparison results with subcontractor penetrant testing or magnetic testing results.</li><li>Geometrical and dimensional assessment with Creaform 3D scanner and Pipecheck software (Visual Welding Inspection).</li><li>Full daily reports on weldments tested (it includes progress report according to initial planning or expected percentage for crosschecking).</li><li>Weekly dashboards showing defect rates per weld type, weld process, workshop, and welder.</li><li>Fortnightly report on project analysis with proposals, conclusions, and recommendations to tackle any process issues are expected.</li></ul><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1628588235871-IMG_5659.jpeg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1628588308784-2-2-1024x516.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h2 id="isPasted">Benefits of advanced NDT technologies</h2>Prior of using the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.creaform3d.com/en/ndt-solutions/ndt-pipeline-inspection-oil-and-gas-industry" target="_blank">Creaform NDT technology</a>, Innerspec was using for visual welding inspection, welding gauges and photo cameras. For surface breaking flaws, conventional NDT methods were used as magnetic particle and liquid penetrant. The main problem was that these methodologies don’t provide accuracy. They are too human error dependent and do not provide digital footprint for further analysis by third party engineers. With them, NDT inspection is quality compromised and if quality needs to be critical productivity is very low, hence, too expensive.By applying advanced NDT techniques and technology, like Creaform is providing, productivity can be improved significantly, and the data can be used for further purposes such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and/or fracture mechanics calculations. The accuracy cannot be matched with conventional NDT techniques during normal inspection. When applied correctly by trained staff, it has been proved that productivity is five times higher, and cost can be cut by minimum of 40%. Hence, a competitive advantage is created, and the company builds a market moat.The Creaform technology was especially for the above-described project a perfect fit. It’s proved to be unmatchable when providing welding angle, weld measurements and pipe dimensionality. Thanks to its use, Innerspec been able to provide extra data even when the welding items are not available anymore as when it is already placed subsea. It allows us to create a baseline for further inspections to compare degradation or damage mechanisms.<h2>How did the Creaform NDT technologies affect, change, or improve the practices and processes at Innerspec?</h2>Welding engineers have increased their productivity and they have enhanced their quality reporting. They are less exposed to site hazards and, hence, production facilities can carry out their business with no delays produced by inspection. No delays have been reported to client due to their presence and applying the advanced NDT methods.Main customers have found that the availability of the inspection results is basically immediate regardless of where they are based. This is due to the fact that all reports and files obtained are uploaded to servers where results can be check at the same time by them and our engineers. Also, the fact that the scans are so realistic, everybody can understand easily written reports just by reviewing the data.

Offshore wind represents a key renewable energy source to meet the Europe’s carbon neutrality target and help tackle climate change.

Welding Inspection And Non-Destructive Testing Of Offshore Wind Jackets

Written by Alexander Diggins, Cofounder &amp; CTO, Nimbus Engineering, Inc.The Photon Battery is a new phosphor-based technology which rapidly absorbs and stores light energy for later use. The system offers very exciting potentials over chemical battery technologies: dramatically faster charging times, higher cycle life, and a nonflammable bill of materials. The invention, patented by Nimbus Engineering, Inc., comes at a time where development of alternative energy storage solutions is critical to achieving a cleaner and more sustainable future as energy generation and transportation markets transition towards pure electric power systems.Phosphors absorb photons and store their energy in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorescence" target="_blank">electron traps</a>, or molecular lattice defects. These traps effectively store excited charged particles in the form of metastable electrons, which then recombine to emit photons at a later time. Light is then collected by photovoltaic cells designed to match the phosphor’s emission frequency; the system will produce useful power for a variety of electrical loads for several hours after charging.Put simply, if we shine light on phosphor, we can store that energy within the material. Over time, this material glows and emits photons which power adjacent photovoltaic cells. The system may easily be stacked to create larger-scale batteries, or ‘buffer’ storage, which are capable of taking in high specific power bursts of (light) energy, and then more slowly reproduce dimmer light to power a system.<h2>Photon Battery vs. Lithium-Ion: What Are The Tradeoffs?</h2>This conceptual approach provides an efficient method of transmitting and storing light within a material without incurring the same energy losses one would experience by shining light onto photovoltaic cells to charge a cycle-limited lithium-ion battery. Additionally, typical energy storage systems only endure a few hundred full (100% depth of discharge) charge cycles before needing replacement or becoming obsolete for its intended application.A Photon Battery can be fully charged in seconds with sufficient input power, as opposed to hours, and is capable of doing so over 1 million times without experiencing significant degradation (&lt;1%) because of its solid-state construction. The catch? Today, phosphors are not as energy dense as state-of-the-art lithium-ion technologies and are not meant for long-term (&gt;24 hours) storage.<div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjI0MzAwNTUyMTA5LVBob3RvbiBCYXR0ZXJ5IFByb3RvdHlwZTIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></div><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjI0MzAwNTY2MTUzLVBob3RvbiBCYXR0ZXJ5IFByb3RvdHlwZTMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Top: Multi-cell Photon Battery prototype comprised of 75-unit cells. Bottom: Photon Battery unit cell prototype.</div>Instead, they are well-suited to function as temporary energy storage for mobile or remote applications. For example, an autonomous robot carting goods from one side of a warehouse to another could receive a [wireless] photonic charge for approximately 10 seconds and proceed to perform tasks for several minutes using the on-board Photon Battery power before receiving a subsequent photonic charge.&nbsp;The obvious benefit is that this is achievable using a relatively small storage capacity that would seldom need replacing, if ever; this combination of rapid charging and high cycle life positions the Photon Battery to be uniquely valuable in the age of mobility and automation.<h2>Power Relays &amp; Photon Batteries</h2>Nimbus Engineering offers <a href="https://nimbus.energy/technology/" target="_blank">Power Relay Technologies</a> capable of receiving photonic energy from a distant transmitter to wirelessly power automated or remote systems. A Photon Battery may be easily integrated within these receivers, providing ‘buffer’ storage. Receiving periodic bursts of photonic energy which is immediately stored enables systems to break the optical link (or line-of-sight) to the light transmitter and proceed to perform several tasks before requiring additional energy.Photoluminescent materials may just be the perfect optical receiver technology. And with a distributed network of Relay &amp; Photon Battery powered systems, it will be possible to use light as a means of powering industrial scale operations: autonomous robotic systems, electric vehicles, and beyond.

Automated systems can run on pulses of light which are absorbed and stored in phosphorescent material.

Photon Battery Allows for Wireless Power With Temporary Energy Storage

Community-scale batteries are already achievable in Australia, will complement existing household batteries and will allow more solar energy to be stored in our suburbs, analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. &nbsp;&nbsp;With the move towards community-scale batteries gathering pace across the nation, two new reports from ANU show the best way forward when it comes to their rollout.&nbsp;The batteries have power capacity of around one megawatt (MW), or enough to power around 100 houses. They help "soak up" solar power generated during the day, improving reliability.&nbsp;"They have the potential to play an integral role in Australia's transition to a decentralised grid by keeping generated energy close to where it will be used," project lead Dr Marnie Shaw from the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program (BSGIP) said.&nbsp;"A key finding of our research is that current regulations could do more to encourage local management of rooftop solar and community battery uptake."As such, we propose a tariff that incentivises the use of energy, close to where that energy is produced."This 'Local Use of Service tariff' is essentially a price signal to customers, allowing them to benefit monetarily for storing and using energy locally."The reports examined social aspects that drive the uptake of community batteries - including why people are either willing or unwilling to us them."We weighed up potential benefits and drawbacks of community-scale batteries," co-author Dr Hedda Ransan-Cooper said."Some risks are relatively easy to overcome, like ensuring safety measures in the event of a fire, while others, such as ensuring the benefits are fairly distributed, are more complicated."Several community-scale battery projects are already underway across Australia.The guidelines set out in the ANU reports will be applied in the Melbourne CBD as part of a partnership with the Yarra Energy Foundation and electricity network CitiPower. ANU will also be delivering tailored software for this trial."This will enable a trial of community batteries, or 'solar sponges' to be established in the CBD and inner-city suburbs of Melbourne," Dr Shaw said."It's clear that complex challenges around transitioning from a centralised to a decentralised energy system can really benefit from engineers and social scientists working together."The ANU reports are available <a href="https://arena.gov.au/assets/2020/12/bsgip-regulatory-technical-and-logistical-considerations.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://arena.gov.au/assets/2020/12/implementing-community-scale-batteries-bsgip.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npwhuildLGg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 789px; height: 447px;"></iframe>

Western Power has been trialling community batteries in WA that integrate bulk solar battery storage into the existing electricity grid, while also prviding customers with an option to virtually store excess rooftop solar energy. Credit: Western Power

Community-scale batteries are already achievable in Australia, will complement existing household batteries and will allow more solar energy to be stored in our suburbs, analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

Powering ahead with community batteries

In this episode, we talk about MIT’s lobster inspired armor, wireless charging of electric vehicles, and a joint effort between RE2 Robotics and the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to reduce the set up time/cost of solar farms. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/fa44d108-9844-4ca7-87eb-afaec05e0160?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>&nbsp;<h3>EPISODE NOTES</h3>(0:45) Lobster Inspired Armor:&nbsp;MIT’s mechanical engineering department faculty had a breakthrough caused by lobster dinner: lobster underbelly membrane is the strongest known natural hydrogel. The team wants to use synthetic forms of this membrane to create flexible body armor with many properties that surpass that of kevlars.&nbsp;(5:50) Wireless EV Charging:&nbsp;Research from Cornell University displays one of the first promising steps towards wireless charging of electric vehicles using electric fields. The team hopes to deploy this technology underneath roads to give drivers the ability to charge as they drive.(13:15) Autonomous Solar Farm Setup:&nbsp;Green energy is becoming increasingly more important with the United States goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030 and the key is driving down the cost of these energy harvesting technologies. RE2 robotics hopes to contribute to this goal by creating robots that can set up solar farms autonomously and reduce setup time by 40%.--About the podcast:Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;To learn more about this show, please visit the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

The wireless charging project combines two very different communities – high-frequency electronics and high-power electronics – to create a new field and enable new applications. John Munson/Cornell University

In this episode, we talk about MIT’s lobster inspired armor, wireless charging of electric vehicles, and a joint effort between RE2 Robotics and the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to reduce the set up time/cost of solar farms.

Podcast: Lobster Inspired Armor, Wireless EV Charging, Autonomous Solar Farm Setup

Energy systems are increasingly becoming systems of variable power demand. From large-scale smart grids to small personal electronic devices; the variety of functions and use cases require different power requirements. Supercapacitors are devices that can charge and discharge energy very quickly and are becoming increasingly important to meet this demand. However, traditional supercapacitors are square-shaped devices that can take up to as much as 50% of printed circuit board real estate, reducing their ability to be broadly applied in small and weight-conscious devices. Usually, the industry responds to similar problems by sacrificing the value added by supercapacitors and using the space to add new capabilities, but an alternative approach has been taken with the delivery of an entirely new form factor so that sacrifice is a thing of the past.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">A new supercapacitor</h1>Cable-Based Capacitors (CBC), a proprietary technology of Orlando-based <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/flexible-supercapacitors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/flexible-supercapacitors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Capacitech Energy</a>, are wire-shaped, flexible power storage devices with supercapacitor performance. CBC’s are designed to deliver energy very quickly and in a thin enough wire shape that they can be used in entirely new ways. For example, the CBC can be built inside of a wiring harness, incorporating distributed power storage capability into a product’s wiring infrastructure.&nbsp;The unique form offers numerous space and aesthetic advantages, perfect for adding redundancy or offsetting components from printed circuit boards. Supercapacitance means they have a higher energy density than standard capacitors do and a higher power density than batteries. This flexibility and increased utility could have widespread implications in industries such as IoT, electronics, particularly portable and wearable devices, energy storage, and the automotive industry.<h2 dir="ltr">IoT market</h2>With the IoT market growing rapidly and millions of devices installed each year, questions of infrastructure maintenance are looming. Rechargeable or not, batteries represent a single point of failure and one with a short service life. For this reason, energy harvesting technologies are gaining a foothold in battery-powered IoT devices, although they lack the ability to provide enough power to replace the battery altogether. The size and flexibility of the CBC allow it to be incorporated into small enclosures—increasing the ability to keep IoT devices tucked away discretely. Energy harvesting technologies can be used with the CBC to replace batteries, which would be a money saver over the total service life of a device, thanks to the <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/internet-of-things" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC’s long service life.</a>The industry may be on the precipice of massive expansion in connectivity. Leveraging the supercapacitor’s power density can help extend the range of communication, reducing the limitations imposed on connectivity by how far a signal can travel. Given that the distance a signal can travel is proportional to the power applied to the signal, doubling the peak power of the device by using the CBC can also double the range the signal could travel. For a Smart Building IoT system with 200 battery-powered devices, pairing a CBC with an energy harvesting module will save thousands of dollars over its service life.<h2 dir="ltr">Wearables</h2>Also benefitting from the form factor of the CBC are portable devices and wearable electronics. The cutting edge of phones, cameras, and fitness trackers, and other smart wearables is always how they can be smaller, lighter, more flexible. This development has been bottlenecked by the size of the electronic components in a circuit. While the CBC is not any smaller than a traditional supercapacitor that might be used in any of these devices, they are able to be folded into small enclosures and used off the circuit board. For example, the CBC could be incorporated into shoes to create smart running equipment. On top of reducing overall size, saved space can be used to add features or increase the performance of existing features.<h2 dir="ltr">Energy Storage systems</h2>The <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/energy-storage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">high density of the CBC&nbsp;</a>can also serve as a complement to energy storage systems and even extend energy storage infrastructure. There are devices designed for sustained delivery of energy, and there are devices for quick delivery, but an ideal energy storage system will accomplish both. Capacitech’s supercapacitors can alleviate what is often a design tradeoff when they are built into the cabling that connects the power source to load. This can inject additional capacity into the system, protect batteries from fluctuations in power, and address other common tradeoffs such as size, weight, and power constraints.As it stands, these supercapacitors are poised to deliver over ten times the power than even the best batteries on the market—and more power means the ability to turn on a larger load than batteries of fuel cells can on their own. The flexibility of the CBC design means that there is no need to eliminate batteries in order to adopt supercapacitors. They’re designed to be added to the existing infrastructures of both solar panels and batteries; anywhere the system already uses cabling, supercapacitors can be added to store energy, deliver more power, and expand design possibilities. And with the solar industry pressed to produce more with less, the inclusion of CBCs can do a lot to increase peak power and deliver the initial rush of power needed to turn on loads in off-grid panels.<h2 dir="ltr"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NTg2MjQzMTk1LWJtdyBzdG9yYWdlLmpwZWciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">BMW's battery storage farm at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. Image credit: BMWTransportation</h2>The transportation industry is rapidly adding electrification to everything. The expanded design options posed by CBC could increase possibilities by leaps and bounds. The automotive industry has always made use of capacitors in its systems, but their role has been expanding as the management of electrical current and circuits has become integral to alternative propulsion techniques. Supercapacitors have been used to supplement and even replace batteries in both electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.2 Similar to its addition to energy storage infrastructure, the CBC can run within the existing wiring to improve performance and extend operating life. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NTg2MzU0MjQ0LWF1ZGkuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">CBC’s offer potential for new wiring harnesses in electric vehicles that can reduce weight and increase efficiency. Image: Audi AG.This integration into the wiring harness creates the advantage of storing energy closer to the load. This means increased power filtering to remove noise between systems and power supply and increased means to address the unique automotive challenge of reliably regulating the voltage from the battery to power sensors and processors. Ability to utilize the entire existing wiring system—again, anywhere you already have wires, you can have a supercapacitor—also means increased potential for enabling a connected car and all of the remote sensors that have become the trend in automotive design. This is not to mention cost benefits and the potential for electric cars to become lighter, roomier, and more affordable.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Inside the world’s wiring infrastructure.&nbsp;</h2>Capacitech, has built this technology with the belief that the future hinges on energy storage—and this incomplete list of exciting use cases may serve as some proof. They are working to build energy storage into existing wiring infrastructure and enable next-gen technologies. To this end, CBC components will be available direct and through <a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/capacitech/capacitech-cable-based-capacitor/" target="_blank">component suppliers</a> as they work to offer more industries the potential for compact design and increased power.<h1 dir="ltr">Summary&nbsp;</h1>This supercapacitor design comes at a time when many industries are poised for the next generation of technology and could be one of the pushes that gets them there. One of their most attractive features is that it comes with no engineering tradeoffs in existing designs—it is not intended to replace but to augment and expand upon. As technologies push for increased connectivity, sleeker designs, and increased capabilities and features without giving up space or convenience, the CBC presents numerous solutions and possibilities: peak power assistance, backup power, reduced EMF/EMI, miniaturization, and ultimately a discrete and distributed network of power storage.&nbsp;Complete information on product specs, as well as ordering and delivery, can be found on the <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/" target="_blank">Capacitech site</a>.References and further reading1. G Gautham Prasad et al 2019 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 561 0121052. Oyama, H. &amp; Shinzato, T. &amp; Hayashi, K. &amp; Kitajima, K. &amp; Ariyoshi, T. &amp; Sawai, T.. (2008). Application of superconductors for automobiles. 22-26.

A supercapacitor that utilizes form takes energy storage ‘off board.’

Wire-shaped flexible capacitors deliver innovation by freeing size and location restrictions.

Article 1 of our Energy Storage Solutions series: State-of-the-art battery monitoring systems can exploit the benefits of new lithium battery chemistries.

Higher Reliability and Longer Lifetimes with Advanced Battery Management in Healthcare Energy Storage Systems

Energy storage systems, often referred to as ESS, play a fundamental role in helping with the intermittent nature of renewable energy and provide reliable supply of energy. In the recent year, the most commonplace energy storage technology has been battery energy storage (BESS) due to its shrinking costs and technological advances. However, ESS types do not end there. Although the majority of other such technologies are not currently commercially feasible and still developing, it is important to take stock of their progress and limitations.&nbsp;When it comes to renewable energy production, wind and solar applications have become more ubiquitous in the last decade, accounting for a bigger chunk of the renewable energy mix. Due to the upward trend in global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and technological progress, this article is mainly focused on relevant energy storage systems to solar and its applications, which can be divided into three main categories of:<ul><li dir="ltr">Utility: These systems are also referred to as grid-connected and they facilitate the backup of excess renewable energy through the grid, using an inverter. The inverter converts the DC output of the system to AC electricity in phase with the grid of the local power company. In case of shortage of renewable energy production, the local power company supplements the difference.</li><li dir="ltr">Standalone: This is more of a common application in the industrial and residential context i.e.traffic lighting, remote site electricity generation, electric vehicle (EV), etc. This system directly deploys the energy generated without feeding the surplus back into the grid. The excess energy then is stored in an energy storage system, commonly a battery bank.</li><li dir="ltr">Hybrid: The hybrid system, touted as the future of energy production, combines the integration of the above systems with other sources, for instance solar, wind and storage. Not only does this help create greater efficiency but also greater balance in supply. &nbsp;</li></ul><h1 dir="ltr">Energy Storage System (ESS) Technology Types</h1>The generated energy from the solar initially comes in the form of electricity and can either be stored directly in that form or converted to another form then stored. Now, what are some of the important ESS systems?<h2 dir="ltr">Mechanical Storage&nbsp;</h2>As the name suggests, this ESS converts renewable energy into mechanical energy, which is then stored in one of the following forms: pumped hydro (PHS), flywheel energy (FESS) or compressed air energy (AES). Mechanical energy storage relies on kinetic forces to store the energy i.e. spinning a flywheel. As simple as the physics mechanical ESS sounds, the technologies enabling this type of storage is made up of advanced computer control systems and high-tech materials.&nbsp;<ul><li dir="ltr">Pumped hydro storage: PHS uses the potential energy of water in order to store electrical energy. When demand is low and the electrical energy output high, the water is pumped and stored in an upper body of water (i.e. pond or reservoir). This energy can then be released on demand and converted into electrical energy within a short span of time.The stored water volume in the upper body of water and the height of the waterfall directly influence the energy that is stored in PHS.</li><li dir="ltr">Flywheel energy storage: Employing kinetic energy stored in a spinning mass (rotor), FESS accounts for low frictional losses. The flywheel acts as a motor and accelerates in a rotary motion, transferring its (rotational) kinetic energy into the storage. The amount of stored energy is proportional to the square of its rotating speed and inertia. The process that accelerates and decelerates the flywheel utilizes electricity, which can be provided by the renewable energy source.&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Compressed air energy storage: CAES is quite similar to pumped-hydro storage in its application. However, instead of pumping water to an upper reservoir in instances of power surplus, CAES deploys compressed ambient air or another type of gas and stores it in an underground container. The compressed air is heated when electricity is needed and expanded in a turbine, which drives a power production generator.</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr"><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1611783480608-air_comprime.jpg" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Image courtesy of Planete Energies.Electrical Storage</div></h2>As suggested by the name, electrical storage systems store energy in electrical form instead of mechanical form, which was explained earlier. Some of the examples of this technology are supercapacitor ESS and superconducting magnet storage systems (SMES). Supercapacitor energy storage systems utilize one or more supercapacitors, which are defined as electrostatic capacitors with an energy density of roughly 10 to 100 times larger than electrolytic capacitors. Therefore, supercapacitor ESS is most suitable when a lot of charge-discharge cycles are required and not so much for long-term energy storage. Superconducting magnet storage system stores electrical energy in a magnetic field, and the electrical energy is produced via passing a direct current through superconducting materials (i.e. mercury) coil. SMES is more appropriate for short-term energy storage and their large capital cost makes them not economically viable for utility-scale projects.<h2 dir="ltr">Electrochemical Energy Storage System</h2>Electrochemical storage systems are commonly known as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as they rely on rechargeable batteries to store energy. Overall, the rechargeable batteries with current applications fall into the following categories: lead acid, alkaline, silver, lithium, sodium-sulphur and flow batteries. The solar plus storage industry has been mainly dominated by lithium-ion batteries due to the accessibility and budget-friendly nature of the technology. However, other battery technologies such as flow batteries have made big strides.&nbsp;All in all, the application of battery energy storage systems has witnessed an uprise, aided by their technological improvement and growing use cases. The research to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/researchers.look.at.novel.methods.to.enhance.battery.performance" target="_blank">improve the performance of these batteries</a> will only continue to expand as they play a crucial role in realizing a clean energy future.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">Sources &amp; Further Reading</h1>Review of energy storage services, applications, limitations, and benefits, October 2020,<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub#!" target="_blank">Dharik S.Mallapragadaa, Nestor A.Sepulvedaa, Jesse D.Jenkins</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub</a>Energy storage emerging: A perspective from the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, June 2020, Lynn Trahey, Fikile R. Brushett, Nitash P. Balsara, Gerbrand Ceder, LeiCheng, Yet-Ming Chiang, Nathan T. Hahn, Brian J. Ingram, Shelley D.Minteer, Jeffrey S. Moore, Karl T. Mueller, Linda F. Nazar, Kristin A.Persson, Donald J. Siegel, Kang Xu, Kevin R. Zavadil, Venkat Srinivasan, George W. Crabtree, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/12550" target="_blank">https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/12550</a>

Optimum solutions to store the clean energy generated by renewable sources has never been more accessible.

Energy Storage System (ESS) Technologies Most Suitable for Renewable Energy Usage

The clean energy transition has only been gaining momentum in order to meet the growing energy demands all over the world. In particular, the usage of solar technology has become more popular due to its shrinking levelized cost of energy (LCOE) over the last decade. There have been many research studies on increasing the efficiency of solar PV modules. Bifacial solar technology has been a proven way to achieve a higher energy yield. This has led to an uprise in the deployment of bifacial modules in the solar sector.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwNTQ1OTE2OTcwLUJpZmFjaWFsLVNvbGFyLVBhbmVscy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19">Image courtesy of Paradise Energy SolutionsThis concept is not particularly a new phenomenon as in essence all solar cells are bifacial when uncoated on both sides. However, due to uncertain performance prediction and lack of optimum installation options, this technology has not been commonly used until the last few years. Historically, monofacial cells have been the dominant solar cell technology. These cells are coated on the rear side with material such as aluminium (AKA aluminium back-surface field/ Al-BSF), which prevents light from reaching the back side of the cell. Before diving into the dominant existing bifacial solar panel technologies, it’s important to understand what bifacial coefficient is. This parameter helps with gaining a better grasp of &nbsp;the differences between these technologies.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">What is the bifacial coefficient?</h1>Since bifacial solar panels can convert rays of sunshine to electricity from both sides, they account for a greater energy yield. However, the cell layout is not symmetrical on both sides and thus it reacts differently to the light hitting its front and rear-side, which forms the foundation of Bifaciality Factor or Bifacial Coefficient. This concept is measured as the ratio of the nominal efficiency at the rear side of the cell, with respect to the nominal efficiency of its front side. A high bifacility factor helps get the maximum benefits of deploying this solar cell technology. There are a number of factors that impact the bifacial coefficient, including:<ul><li dir="ltr">Irradiance on the ground&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Irradiance on the rear-side</li><li dir="ltr">Reflected irradiance on the front side</li><li dir="ltr">Tracking systems</li></ul>The additional energy yield of solar bifacial panels (AKA bifacial gain) predominantly comes from the reflected light on the rear-side, which is the irradiance received by the ground times the albedo factor (the surface reflectivity of the ground under the array). The amount of shading also determines the available surface of the rear side of the panel, meaning that any element that impacts shading i.e. height and tilt of the array, mounting system design, cable management, etc. will inevitably also impact the bifacial efficiency gain. Overall, the most important factor shaping the bifacial efficiency gain by far is the ground albedo- aka whiteness- which is de ned as the ratio of the diffuse re ection of solar radiation to the global radiation. Albedo is dimensionless and expressed as a number between 0 and 1, where 0 represents total absorption and 1 total reflection.Moving onto the cell technology itself, different solar cell technologies impact the bifacial properties differently. Bifacial solar cells can be categorized based on the number of junctions and fall into the following three categories.<h1 dir="ltr">What are the dominant existing cell technologies?</h1>1. p-PERC: This cell technology has swiftly dominated the industry. There are only a small number of changes needed in the manufacturing process in order to make p-PERC “bifacial ready”. However, the bifacial coefficient seems to be more limited in this type of solar cell as the cell still needs to be imprinted with a thin grid of aluminium on the back side. This helps increase the cell’s efficiency by acting as an impurity-trap for where p-type Si wafer comes in contact with the aluminium. This thin grid of Al leads to some shading and hence adversely affecting the bifacial coefficient for p-PERC cells.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwNTQ2MTQ3OTgzLU5SRUwucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==">Figure 1: Comparing module bifaciality (Surce: NREL)2. n-PERT: Generally speaking, N-type wafers come with a set of advantages in comparison with p-PERC wafers. Some of these advantages include longer lifetime and lower light-induced degradation. This helps N-type solar cells achieve greater bifaciality than p-type cells as shown in figure 1. This solar cell technology is also bifacial ready from the get-go as it does not require any Al on the rear-side. Having said that, n-PERTs are pricier with less common manufacturing processes. So, they come with a premium price tag.3. Hetero-Junction technology (HJT): HJT solar cells possess a vastly different architecture. They have a relatively high Cost of Ownership (AKA COO) due to the sophistication production equipment they require. Additionally, the manufacturing process calls for premium-quality and more costly n-type wafers. Nonetheless as depicted in the overview of dominant bifacial solar panels, HJTs account for the highest bifacial coefficient of up to even 95%.&nbsp;In summary, bifacial solar panels offer a variety of advantages when it comes to solar energy efficiency. They ensure that indirect rays of sun are captured by the glass panel on the backside of the module,enhancing efficiency and energy production. In comparison with the glass-to-backsheet modules, bifacial modules are embedded with a glass composite and this glass-to-glass structure makes them distinctly protected against environmental influences. The module design and application of bifacial modules entails fewer restrictions since the direction, which the modules are facing is not as consequential. In fact, these modules can be installed vertically, which helps mitigate the negative effect of soiling (accumulation of dust on the surface of panels).<h1 dir="ltr">Sources &amp; Further Reading</h1>NREL, Understanding Bifacial Photovoltaic Potential: Field Performance, December 03, 2019, <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy20osti/75532.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy20osti/75532.pdf</a>High-efficiency n-type silicon PERT bifacial solar cells with selective emitters and poly-Si based passivating contacts, November 15, 2019, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600#!" target="_blank">Don Ding, Guilin Lu, Zhengping Li, Yueheng Zhang,Wenzhong Shen</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600</a>Optimization and Performance of Bifacial Solar Modules: A Global Perspective, Xingshu Sun, Mohammad Ryyan Khan, Chris Deline, and Muhammad Ashraful Alam, <a href="https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1709/1709.10026.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1709/1709.10026.pdf</a>

Bifacial solar panels are capable of converting rays of sunshine into energy from both their front and rear-sides. This leads to higher energy efficiency and greater energy production.

renewable energy

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