Author: solarenergy

China’s Ministry of Commerce has described the recent decision by the US Trade Representative’s office to increase tariffs on Chinese solar energy components, batteries, semiconductors, steel and electric vehicles as “typical unilateralism and protectionism.” It added that the tariff increases will hurt American businesses and consumers. September 16, 2024 Patrick Jowett China’s Commerce Ministry has urged the United States to reverse its decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.The U.S. Trade Representative’s office late last week confirmed plans to increase tariffs to 25% on Chinese batteries and steel, 50% on semiconductors and 100% on electric vehicle imports from China. Most…

Sitetracker, a provider of deployment management software, showcased a host of new features at RE+, the largest clean energy conference in North America. These improvements are already helping various renewable energy providers improve the creation and development, engineering and construction, operation, maintenance and asset management of solar, storage, wind and EV charging infrastructure. At the conference, Sitetracker demonstrated features that standardize renewable infrastructure implementation, including project schedules, budgets and change orders, construction management, regulatory compliance, leases, mobile applicability and reporting/dashboarding. Sitetracker will also showcase its GIS Link solutions, which integrate with deployment operations technology, providing unprecedented opportunities to efficiently share…

Researchers in China have discovered that a special type of hygroscopic hydrogel, made from polyacrylamide polymer and lithium chloride, can reduce the temperature of PV panels by up to 7.5%. They also developed a mathematical model to analyze the operational mechanisms and factors responsible for cooling performance. September 16, 2024 Emiliano BelliniScientists at South China University of Technology have developed a passive cooling technology for solar modules that uses a Hygroscopic hydrogel as a coolant. Hygroscopic hydrogels are a new type of absorbent materials that offer extreme water absorption, efficient water collection and release kinetics, and low desorption enthalpies.In the…

Brazilian authorities say they plan to hold a large-scale energy storage auction in 2025, potentially creating a market for large-scale storage facilities in the country. September 16, 2024 Livia Neves By pv magazine BrazilBrazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has announced plans to open a public consultation for an auction of capacity reserves focused solely on battery storage, scheduled for 2025.Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira stated that in addition to this auction, the government also plans to hold a previously planned auction for spare capacity from thermal and hydroelectric sources in 2024. He said the purpose of the battery auction is…

The new method uses the YOLOv8 framework, which integrates an attention mechanism and a transformer model. It was tested on a dataset of 4,500 electroluminescence images against several other models and the results were up to 17.2% more accurate. September 16, 2024 Lior KahanaScientists from China have developed a new deep learning method for detecting defects in PV cells. When analyzing electroluminescence (EL) images, the new system uses the YOLOv8 convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture, integrating an attention mechanism and a transformer model.“To further improve the accuracy, I think we can start by optimizing the model structure and training the…

Ampin Energy Transition and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. have formed a joint venture, Ampin C&I Power, to develop renewable energy sources in India. September 16, 2024 Uma Gupta Image: Ampin Energy TransitionBy pv magazine IndiaJapan’s Sumitomo Corp. has entered the Indian commercial and industrial renewable energy market in partnership with India’s Ampin Energy Transition.The two partners have formed a joint venture, Ampin C&I Power, to develop renewable energy sources in India and supply electricity to commercial and industrial customers under power purchase agreements (PPAs). The company will create a portfolio of 1 GW of renewable energy assets, with a total project…

Converting seawater into freshwater using solar energy technology Researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed an innovative and energy-efficient desalination device that converts seawater into drinkable water using solar energy. The device uses a natural evaporation process, inspired by the way trees transport water, to provide a sustainable source of fresh water. Desalination is becoming increasingly important for coastal and island states that face increasing concerns about water scarcity due to population growth and rising water consumption. According to the UN’s World Water Development Report 2024, approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water, underscoring…

Solevi, a German electroluminescence (EL) inspection company, has launched drone-based electrical inspection services for rooftop solar installations in Germany with plans to further automate and expand geographically. September 16, 2024 Valerie ThompsonGerman electroluminescence (EL) inspection company Solevi started offering drone-based electrical measurement services on rooftops in Germany almost a year ago.“The services we offer are EL inspection and dark IV curve measurements,” says Benjamin Eichel, CEO of Solevi. pv magazinewith some examples of the drone-based inspection scenarios that Solevi typically covers, such as hail, snow load or lightning damage surveys.Since its launch, the company has also found demand for other…

Taipei-based intelligence agency TrendForce’s analysis shows that the average price for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system cells continued to decline to CNY0.35/Wh ($0.049/Wh) in August. Meanwhile, demand for large-capacity cells continued to grow steadily. September 16, 2024 Marija MaischFrom ESS newsAs commodity prices continue to fall, the cost of battery cells is under downward pressure.After the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate fell below CNY 90,000/ton ($12,654/ton) in July, a new all-time low was reached in August when the price fell further below CNY 80,000/ton, according to market analyst TrendForce.The continued decline in cobalt and nickel salts also led…

The Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water has opened a tender for an 8 MW solar power plant that will be financed by the government and connected to the medium-voltage grid to supply electricity to Electricité du Liban. September 13, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Image: Charbel Karam, UnsplashThe Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water has given the go-ahead for one tender for an 8 MW solar power plant near the Beirut River.The Beirut River Solar Snake project will be publicly financed and connected to the medium-voltage grid, supplying Electricité du Liban.Developers have until October 23 to submit bids.The Lebanese solar sector…