Author: solarenergy

Neil Spann, CEO of Power Roll (left), with Dr Michael Dickens, investment manager at Maven Equity Finance (centre) and Sarah Newbould, senior manager at British Business Bank (right). Image: Powerroll. Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), a £600 million fund launched in March this year, has completed its first investment in County Durham, funding solar technology company Power Roll. Through the NPIF II, Maven Equity Finance, part of the investment fund managed by Maven Capital Partners, invested £1.5 million. This came along with £750,000 from the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham,…

Scientists have developed a lighting system based on the AEM10941 solar harvester developed by Belgium-based E-peas. The system can reportedly provide a runtime of 10 hours at full brightness. October 15, 2024 Lior Kahana Scientists from Cameroon have designed a new solar-powered lighting system for rural areas. The proposed system is based on the commercially available solar integrated circuit (IC) solution AEM10941, developed by Belgium-based E-peas. The AEM10941 system is an integrated energy management circuit that draws direct current from up to 7-cell solar panels to simultaneously store energy in a battery and supply the system with two independently regulated…

Spain’s Gonvarri Solar Steel claims its new single-row tracker can improve structural stability and performance under adverse conditions. October 15, 2024 Pilar Sanchez Molina Image: Gonvarri Solar Steel By pv magazine Spain Spain-based Gonvarri Solar Steel presented its new TracSmarT+2V Compact solar tracker at an event in Madrid this week. “The new tracker has now been added to our portfolio and is available to order now, with the first units available in January 2025,” a company spokesperson said. pv magazine. Gonvarri Solar Steel said its single-row tracker can improve structural stability and performance under adverse conditions. It features improved dynamic…

US startup Sylvatex offers active materials with mixed metal oxide cathodes, made with a waterless, continuous synthesis process. The company is currently validating its technology in the domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain and plans to build a pilot line in California. October 15, 2024 Valerie Thompson From ESS news Sylvatex, a US-based cathode active materials startup, is developing a low-cost, more energy-efficient process to synthesize cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The company focuses its technology on batteries used in electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage systems (ESS). The latest project will validate lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode technology in two…

Dr. Richard Lu Sunbed plans to develop a 7 MW ground-mounted solar project, known as the Stauffer Project, at a site in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This project is in addition to the recently announced 13.8 MW project, both part of a portfolio expected to total 24.8 MW. In March, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1842, allowing for the potential development of community solar projects in the state. The bill is currently under review by the Senate. The company says the proposed community solar project would be one of the first of its…

A map of the proposed development. Image: Ecotricity The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced it will delay the planning decision for a major proposed solar farm until 2025. The Heckington Fen Solar Park is a proposed 500 MW development by Ecotricity. In August, the developers requested an extension of the statutory deadline for providing information to DESNZ, stating it needed more time to negotiate with the landowners over the site, the Crown Estate and the Duchy of Lancaster. DESNZ granted an extension until September 27, but on September 11 the developers again requested an extension…

Kosovo’s Ministry of Economy says two new programs providing subsidies for solar system installations to households and small and medium-sized enterprises have received more than 500 applications together. October 14, 2024 Patrick Jowett Image: Jadon Kelly, Unsplash Kosovo’s Ministry of Economy has released the results of the first phase of a rebate program for the installation of PV systems, which has now concluded. The ministry said a financing strand aimed at household consumers has received 445 applications, with 29 beneficiaries announced so far, who will collectively receive €45,750 ($50,000). The ministry is still verifying the other applications. Meanwhile, a funding…

CAISO set a new battery peak discharge record of 8.3 GW on October 9, as the state’s future EIA energy storage queue has 177 GW of capacity, with 1.9 GW expected to be added by the end of the year. October 14, 2024 John Fitzgerald Weaver By ESS news The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages about 80% of California’s electricity, has connected 10,219 GW of utility-scale energy storage to its managed grid as of the first day of October this year. The data has been released as part of the ISOs Key statistics report for September 2024. The…

Virtu technology has integrated mounting and is self-ballasting, so no roof duct is required. Image: Naked energy. The British Library and CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) have commissioned British solar thermal and solar PV developer Naked Energy for the UK’s ‘largest’ solar thermal project. A total of 950 units of Naked Energy’s hybrid solar thermal and electricity solution, Virtu, will be installed on the roof of the building, which the company says will generate 216 MWh annually. According to Naked Energy, the Virtu product range is the world’s highest density solar technology, generating heat and electricity from the same collector.…

Israel-based inverter manufacturer SolarEdge has unveiled its new TerraMax inverter, which offers 99% efficiency and enables 200% DC oversizing. It features an integrated nighttime PID rectifier and is paired with the company’s H1300 Power Optimizers. October 14, 2024 Lior Kahana TerraMax inverter and H1300 Power Optimizer Image: SolarEdge Technologies Israel-based inverter manufacturer SolarEdge Technologies has announced the introduction of its new inverter for small to medium-sized utility-scale PV installations. The company offers its SE330K TerraMax Inverter in combination with the H1300 Power Optimizers and said the new product is now available for pre-order, with first deliveries expected by the end…