Author: solarenergy
Independent testing laboratory Kiwa PVEL names 53 manufacturers and 388 models – a record number of top performers in the Scorecard’s ten-year history. June 5, 2024 Anne FischerPV Evolution Labs (PVEL), an independent testing laboratory for the downstream solar industry and member of the Kiwa Group, has published its PV Module Reliability Scorecard 2024. These 10e The Scorecard edition names 388 PV module model types from 53 manufacturers as Top Performers in PVEL’s testing, the highest number in the company’s history. Last year the Scorecard named 250 model types among 35 manufacturers.Kiwa PVEL uses the Product Qualification Program (PQP) to…
Cruachan Dam, part of Drax’s Cruachan pumped storage hydroelectric power station. Image: Drax. Research from market consultancy Cornwall Insight has found that a ‘policy vacuum’ for long-term energy storage (LDES) technologies is now threatening Ireland’s renewable energy potential. According to the company Evaluating the deployment of long-term energy storage in the electricity sector in Ireland report, limited financial incentives, a lack of clear objectives, and market design limitations all hinder the development of LDES technologies. For example, LDES is seen as key to balancing the grid’s growing renewable generation, such as wind, over several days rather than just hours once…
ITRPV says solar panel prices will fall by 50% by 2023 – SPE ☰ The new edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), published this week, shows that globally installed PV capacity reached 1.6 TW at the end of last year. The learning curve, which reflects average module prices relative to cumulative shipments, is 24.9% for the period from 1976 to 2023. June 5, 2024 Sandra Enkhardt This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com. Elsewhere in pv magazine… pv…
Two of the three planned solar energy projects in Panola provinceMississippi, are now online. Clearloopa Silicon Ranch company, this week deployed the 6.6 MW Panola I Solar Farm and 6.6 MW Panola II Solar Farm in partnership with local utility Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association (TVEPA) and local economic development group Panola Partnership. Clearloop’s approach to helping organizations reclaim their carbon footprint has brought together more than 30 companies of all sizes, including Microsoft, Vista Equity Partners, Chicory Wealth, Rivian, Oak View Group, Goodr and Grandma Mae’s Country Naturals to support the Panola I. and II Solar farms. The collective…
Research shows that some countries can meet their electricity needs with floating solar panels Floating photovoltaic solar panels (FPV) could meet all the electricity needs of some countries, according to new research. The study by Bangor and Lancaster Universities and the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology assessed the global potential for low-carbon floating solar panels. Researchers calculated the daily electrical output of FPV at nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs worldwide, using climate data for each location. The study focused on lakes and reservoirs likely to support floating solar technology, located within 10 km of a population center, not in…
Freight costs, which represent about 4% of the total cost of a solar panel, are rising on trade lines between the Far East and the west coast of the US, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. June 5, 2024 Patrick JowettSpot container shipping rates have risen to the highest level since 2022, according to data from Xeneta, a Norwegian benchmark for sea and freight rates platform.In late May, Xeneta said market average spot rates from the Far East to the US West Coast would reach $5,170 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) on June 1. This figure is 57% higher than in…
ABB says it has launched a smart home energy management panel in partnership with Lumin, with software to control solar energy, batteries and chargers for electric vehicles. June 5, 2024 Ryan KennedyBy pv magazine USAABB has launched ReliaHome Smart Panel, a new smart energy management system for home use. The product, intended for residential construction projects in the United States and Canada, was developed in collaboration with software supplier Lumin.The smart panel coordinates home energy supplies, enabling energy optimization, circuit planning and real-time control. Homeowners can manage their energy consumption based on insights from the platform, which can be managed…
Wattando has developed a new rooftop PV solution that can easily be connected to a household’s electricity network via an AC connection. The system uses existing infrastructure and is said to reduce installation work and time. June 5, 2024 Sandra Enkhardt By pv magazine GermanyGerman startup Wattando has developed a 2.46 kW rooftop PV system that can be connected directly to a household’s network via an existing cable, without disrupting existing electrical systems.“It is a kind of XL plug-in solar system,” says Stefan Ulfert, co-founder of Wattando. pv magazine. “This is made possible by our Wattster management system, which ensures…
CALGARY – The question of who should bear the financial risk for expensive carbon capture and storage projects has become a stumbling block slowing adoption of the technology in Canada. It’s been six months since privately held Entropy Inc. CALGARY – The question of who should bear the financial risk for expensive carbon capture and storage projects has become a stumbling block slowing adoption of the technology in Canada. It’s been six months since privately held Entropy Inc. struck a deal with the federal government under which Ottawa agreed to assume much of the risk for the company’s proposed carbon…
Last week, three utility-scale battery energy storage projects were announced in Chile, in addition to solar power plants. Enel is building a 67 MW/134 MWh battery, while CJR Renewable and Uriel Renovables are planning 200 MW/800 MWh and 90 MW/200 MWh projects respectively. June 5, 2024 Luis Ini and Pilar Sánchez MolinaFrom pv magazine EES news placethree different developers have announced separate large-scale battery energy storage (BESS) projects paired with solar farms in Chile.Enel Chile, the local subsidiary of Italian energy company Enel, said it will deploy a 67 MW/134 MWh battery at the El Manzano solar power plant. The…