Solar Energy

Solar Panel Soiling: How Much Output Uncleaned Panels Really Lose

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Solar Panel Soiling: How Much Output Uncleaned Panels Really Lose

Nobody warns you at the point of sale what happens when a photovoltaic array goes months without rain and dust settles across the cells. The efficiency penalty is real, measurable and — in many cases — avoidable with basic upkeep. The International Energy Agency estimates that soiling costs residential installations between 4% and 7% of … Read more

European Supercomputer Reveals Silicon Defects Could Push Solar Efficiency to 31%

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European Supercomputer Reveals Silicon Defects Could Push Solar Efficiency to 31%

For decades, solar cell engineers have treated imperfections in silicon as a flaw to be engineered away. Now a research team at the University of Paderborn in Germany has found that one class of those imperfections may be doing useful work instead. Running first-principles quantum simulations on the Hawk supercomputer at the HLRS computing centre … Read more