Solar energy news and discussion

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Bumpy solar cells could harvest up to 66% more energy
By Michael Irving
February 18, 2024
https://newatlas.com/energy/domes-solar ... wo-thirds/

Solar cell efficiency may get a bump from bumps. New research suggests that building tiny domes into the surface of organic solar cells could boost their efficiency by up to two-thirds, while capturing light from a wider angle.

Solar cells are usually flat, which maximizes how much of the surface is exposed to sunlight at any given time. This design works best when the Sun is within a certain angle, so the panels are usually tilted between 15 and 40 degrees to get the most out of the day.

Scientists have toyed with other shapes for the surface, including embedding spherical nanoshells of silica which trap and circulate sunlight to allow the device to capture more energy from it. For the new study, scientists at Abdullah Gül University in Türkiye ran complex simulations of how dome-shaped bumps might boost organic solar surfaces.

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Researchers set new world record for CIGS solar cells
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-wor ... cells.html
by Uppsala University

Uppsala University is the new world record holder for electrical energy generation from copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. The new world record is 23.64% efficiency. The measurement was made by an independent institute, and the results are published in Nature Energy.

The record results from a collaboration between the company First Solar European Technology Center (formerly known as Evolar) and solar cell researchers at Uppsala University.

"The measurements that we have made ourselves for this solar cell and other solar cells produced recently are within the margin of error for the independent measurement. That measurement will also be used for an internal calibration of our own measurement methods," says Marika Edoff, Professor of Solar Cell Technology at Uppsala University, who is responsible for the study.

The previous world record was 23.35% (Solar Frontier, Japan), preceded by 22.9% (ZSW, Germany). Uppsala University has held the record before, the first time being in the 1990s in the research collaboration Euro-CIS.

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[firestar464]

Me: "In Germany, they plan to add around 60 GW of solar in 4 years." How accurate is this claim?

Bing AI: The claim that Germany plans to add around 60 GW of solar in 4 years seems to be a bit of an overestimate based on the information I found:

- Germany aims to increase its solar PV installations to [a] total [of] 22 GW per year as of 2026 to achieve a total capacity of 215 GW by 2030¹. This is up from about 60 GW in 2021¹.
- The government wants to have 215 GW of solar installed in Germany by 2030, more than tripling existing capacity in seven years³.
- At the end of 2023, the total installed capacity in Germany was 81.7GW. This means that 19 GW will have to be added annually in the future to reach the expansion target of 215 GW for solar PV in 2030⁴.

So, while Germany does have ambitious plans for expanding its solar capacity, the figure of 60 GW in 4 years seems to be higher than the current targets. Please note that these plans can change based on various factors such as policy changes, technological advancements, and market conditions. It's always a good practice to check with the most recent and reliable sources for the most accurate information.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/1/2024
(1) Germany’s 2022 renewables and efficiency reforms. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factshe ... gy-reforms.
(2) Germany to ease solar rules as new installations surge - Tech Xplore. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-ger ... surge.html.
(3) Germany's Installed PV and Wind Power Capacity Increased by 17 GW in .... https://www.world-energy.org/article/39493.html.
(4) Germany’s green energy transition enters make-or-break year. https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy ... reak-year/.

Me: (the graph in the post) Can you find the source for this data?

Bing AI: The chart titled "So soll die Solarenergie ausgebaut werden" (How solar energy is supposed to be expanded) shows the projected increase in solar energy in Germany. The chart indicates that as of February 28th, solar energy was at 84.4 gigawatts.

To find the source of this data, I found some related information:

- The German Federal Government's website mentions that Germany aims to increase its solar PV installations to total 22 GW per year as of 2026 to achieve a total capacity of 215 GW by 2030¹.
- A ZDF article from May 5, 2023, mentions that Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck presented a package of measures to accelerate the expansion of solar energy².

While these sources confirm the expansion of solar energy in Germany, they do not provide the exact figures as shown in the chart. Therefore, while the trend of increased solar energy aligns with the chart, the specific numbers may require further verification from the original data source. Please note that data can vary based on the methodology and criteria used for calculation. It's always a good practice to check with the original source for the most accurate information.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/1/2024
(1) Mehr Tempo beim Ausbau der Solarenergie | Bundesregierung. https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/ ... ie-2188542.
(2) Habeck stellt Maßnahmenpaket für schnelleren Solarausbau vor. https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/ ... k-100.html.
(3) Zukunft der Solarenergie - So geht es weiter! . https://www.aceflex.de/magazin/zukunft- ... es-weiter/.
(4) ­Ausbau Solarenergie – Herausforderungen und Chancen. https://www.powernewz.ch/rubriken/solar ... d-chancen/.
(5) Solarenergie Entwicklung So entwickelt sich die Photovoltaik. https://solar-direktinvest.de/photovolt ... twicklung/.

Weather, do you have other sources for the claim in the post? I can't find any

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