Author: solarenergy

Research led by the University of Sheffield installed an off-grid agrivoltaic system in Tanzania and a grid-connected agrivoltaic system in Kenya. They found that the installations helped increase crop yields and save water, while generating electricity at a lower cost than the national grid. November 22, 2024 Valerie Thompson and Patrick Jowett An international research team has assessed the benefits of deploying agrivoltaic systems in Kenya and Tanzania. “Despite the enormous potential for PV in East Africa, along with pressing food security needs, the potential for agrivoltaic energy in the region had not been explored. Not only that, but some…

Silfab Solar has secured $100 million to scale up solar cell production in South Carolina. The financing includes a $50 million equity investment and a matching green loan. November 22, 2024 Anne Fischer By pv magazine USA Silfab Solar Inc. has closed a new $100 million financing to scale up its state-of-the-art solar cell manufacturing facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Silfab, a company headquartered in Canada, has announced plans to produce 1 GW of cells and add 1.3 GW of module capacity at the facility, which it says will be commissioned by the end of this year. Half of…

German manufacturer Solarwatt says its new battery can be flexibly configured as an AC or DC system. In addition, it has an emergency power function and can only be combined with Solarwatt inverters. November 22, 2024 Emiliano Bellini By pv magazine Germany Germany-based Solarwatt has unveiled a new storage system for residential PV systems. The “Battery vision” system can be configured with a capacity of 5.2 kWh up to a maximum of 18.2 kWh and can be installed as single-phase or three-phase and as a DC or AC system, making the product equally suitable for new installations and retrofits. The…

German PV equipment company Coatema Coating Machinery says its roll-to-roll processing solutions extend from laboratory or pilot to production scale. November 22, 2024 Valerie Thompson Supplier of production equipment Coatema Coating machines has launched roll-to-roll product lines for flexible organic, perovskite and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) technologies. The German company’s products support work path widths up to 1,000 mm, as well as a smaller tool for sheet-to-sheet setups. The largest in this line of PV roll-to-roll products is Click&Coat, a model with working widths of 300 mm, 500 mm and 1,000 mm. It is designed to be customized with more…

More energy and oil possible by combining photovoltaic installations with olive groves The integration of photovoltaic installations on agricultural land has long led to discussion about the balance between energy production and crop cultivation. Now the innovative approach to combine the two has gained momentum, with promising results. This ‘agrivoltaic’ system, in which solar panels are placed in agricultural setups, has been investigated by a research team from the University of Cordoba to see whether solar energy and agricultural production can mutually reinforce each other. The research group, consisting of Marta Varo Martinez, Luis Manuel Fernandez de Ahumada and Rafael…

Chinese manufacturer DAS Solar says it will open a €109 million ($115.3 million) panel production plant in Mandeure, France, by 2025. November 19, 2024 Gwénaëlle Deboutte By pv magazine France Chinese PV module manufacturer DAS Solar plans to build a 3 GW solar panel factory in Mandeure, in the French department of Doubs. Vice President Shi Si announced the project during a recent press conference organized by the Pays de Montbéliard Agglomération (PMA). The company will invest €109 million to set up three production lines in a 51,000 m² factory, repurposing a former automotive supply company from Faurecia (now Forvia).…

Brightcore Energy and Luminace jointly announced a new 6.6 MW community solar project portfolio that will be installed on eight commercial rooftops in New Jersey. “Luminace is excited to add the Brightcore Energy team to our strategic channel partnership network this year while announcing the closing of our first joint project portfolio,” said Brendon Quinlivan, CEO of Luminace. “Serving our joint C&I and community solar customers with solutions that meet their decarbonization goals is a key priority for Luminace. These latest projects in New Jersey highlight the current market opportunities available to C&I landlords looking to realize sustainable economic value…

The race for higher efficiency in solar cells has captured the imagination of researchers, investors and the general public. Record-breaking efficiencies promise more energy from smaller and cheaper solar panels. Perovskite solar cells were realized in just 15 years high efficiency over 25% – it took 37 years to achieve comparable efficiency with popular crystalline silicon solar cells. Meanwhile, tandem cells easily break the 30% efficiency barrier, with perovskite-silicon structures reaching 33.9% in 2023. However, there is another crucial aspect of solar technology: stability. While efficiency is an important factor, stability ultimately determines its impact in the real world. For…

The proposed technique, developed by researchers in South Africa, is based on the water cycle algorithm (WCA), a population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm inspired by the water cycle process in nature and how streams and rivers flow into the sea. November 21, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa have developed an algorithm that reportedly ensures fair distribution of curtailment across distributed energy resources. The new method is intended to replace the conventional Volt-Watt approaches used by energy companies and distributors. These methods manage and optimize both voltage levels (Volts) and reactive power (VAr) across the…

Manufacturer of solar structures GameChange solar energy introduces TopoSmart+, a project analysis tool designed to minimize topography costs for installations of the company’s single-axis solar tracker on challenging, uneven terrain. TopoSmart+ performs multiple design iterations at a solar project site to determine lower-cost grading and steel pole options, optimize tracker height, and generate grading plans. This tool’s 3D modeling supports both the straight pipe and terrain-following configurations of GameChange’s Genius Tracker to ensure the tracker design is tailored to the specific conditions of a location. For owners interested in terrain tracking systems, GameChange offers solar trackers for both moderate terrain…