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Researchers have invented a double-sided solar panel capable of generating electricity from the Sun’s energy on both sides. The bifacial solar cell, developed at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), harvests reflected sunlight hitting the back of the device, offering an unconventional route to producing higher energy yields for less space and cost. Typical advances to solar cell efficiency rates centre on iterative improvements to the side facing the Sun. This new approach could boost the energy harvesting capabilities of solar panels beyond their theoretical limit. “This perovskite cell can operate very effectively from either side,” said Kai Zhu, a scientist at the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at NREL who led the research. Current solar cell technologies, which use silicon as the semiconductor material, have an efficiency rate of around 26 per cent – higher than the 23 per cent achieved in lab tests by the front side of the new panel. The back side of the panel, however, achieves an efficiency of about 91-93 per cent of the front, which offers up to 20 per cent more power overall when harvesting reflected sunlight. Perovskite has become a key driver of solar cell advancements in recent years, breaking new efficiency records and providing new pathways to creating next-generation technologies. Earlier this week, researchers unveiled perovskite-based solar cells capable of healing themselves when damaged by radiation in low-Earth orbit. Tandem silicon-perovskite solar cells have achieved lab-measured efficiency of more than 30 per cent, and have a theoretical limit far higher than purely silicon cells. Rapid progress with their development has seen two separate startups announce commercial production of the next-generation panels. Producing the bifacial solar panels would cost more than monofacial modules, however their capacity to produce more power could make them more economically viable over time. The latest research was detailed in a study, titled ‘Highly efficient bifacial single-junction perovskite solar cells’, published in the journal Joule. Read More Scientists invent self-healing solar panels with ‘miracle material’ How tech could turn our homes into renewable energy power stations

Cheap fossil fuels are holding up developing nations’ efforts to move toward green alternatives, highlighting the need to

Phasing out fossil fuels completely is not a realistic goal, according to China’s climate envoy and the world’s

A battery startup is aiming to be the first company in the world to mass produce electric vehicle batteries with a range of 1,000km – roughly double the current standard. China-based Gotion High Tech, which is a supplier to Volkswagen, unveiled its new L600 LMFP Astroinno battery at its annual technology conference, claiming that mass production will begin in 2024. The lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) battery has already passed all necessary safety tests, the company said, and has a life cycle of 4,000 charge-discharge cycles – making it suitable for everyday electric cars. The 1,000km range from a single charge gives the battery a potential lifetime range of 4 million kilometres, far exceeding the average lifespan of a car. Its single-charge range is also equivalent to records set by customised electric prototypes, such as the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX that broke a range record by travelling from Germany to the UK on a single charge last year. It took 10 years of in-house research to make the technology commercially viable, using new electrolyte additives and state-of-the-art technology to overcome previous issues with this type of battery. Until now, LMFP materials have suffered low conductivity, low compaction density and manganese dissolution at high temperatures, meaning they were too inefficient and unwieldy to use in EVs. Despite these challenges, the enormous potential of the technology has drawn the attention of researchers and industry watchers. “In recent years, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology has regained the recognition of the market with market share continuing to increase,” said Dr Cheng Qian, executive president of the International Business Unit of Gotion High-Tech. “Meanwhile, the energy density growth of mass-produced LFP batteries has encountered bottlenecks, and further improvement requires an upgrade of the chemical system, so [our system] was developed.” The company also made other breakthroughs with the battery’s design, which reduced the number of structural parts by 45 per cent and lowered their weight by nearly a third. Wiring for the battery pack has also dropped from 303 metres to just 80 metres thanks to the innovative design. It is not clear which vehicles the battery will first appear in, though Gotion High Tech is planning a $2.3 billion battery factory in the US. Read More Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first production of ‘miracle’ tandem cells Apple is making a ‘mixed reality’ headset. Here’s what that future might look like WhatsApp will let people change messages after they are sent ‘RIP photoshop’: New AI can alter any photo with the click of a mouse

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2023--

Maximum temperatures in several regions of the UK have reached the official threshold for a heat wave, according

Food delivery apps can make life that little bit easier with quick, accessible options from a wide range of restaurants. However, one customer experienced an awkward interaction with their Uber Eats delivery driver, who refused to deliver his order unless he paid for the petrol. In a post to Twitter, lawyer Exavier Pope shared the string of texts and tagged the official Uber support account. "I'm gonna run outta gas. Can you Cash App me a few bucks for gas, please? I had no idea u were that far," the initial message to Exavier read. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The driver then proceeded to contact Exavier via text, writing: "Yo, it's your Uber driver. I can't make it to you unless I can somehow get gas money." "This is harassment," Exavier tweeted while giving live updates to followers. The saga continued when Exavier hit back and called his behaviour "unprofessional" after the driver attempted to call him five times and repeatedly asked for money. Exavier did "not feel safe taking the order," and asked the driver to leave the food outside. "I am about to call the police on this dude," he said. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the Uber Eats account tweeted. "Behavior like this is definitely not OK! A member of our team is on top of this and will follow up with you via in-app as well as to the email address associated with your Uber account." Exavier responded: "It was definitely a harrowing experience and something I do not want to experience again. [This was] a person coming to my home pressuring me for money. My lawyer brain is active on this." Indy100 reached out to Uber Eats for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2023--

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The Lensbaby Double Glass II ($199.95) is an update to one of the original Optic

The Biden administration and 13 partner nations in Asia and the Pacific are close to finishing agreements that