Author: solarenergy

By pv magazine USAResidential solar panels are often sold with long-term loans or leases, with homeowners signing contracts of 20 years or longer. But how long do panels last and how resilient are they?The lifespan of panels depends on several factors, including climate, module type and racking system used. While there isn’t necessarily a specific “end date” for a panel, loss of production over time often causes equipment to be taken out of service.When deciding whether to run your panel for 20 to 30 years in the future, or looking for an upgrade at that point, monitoring output levels is…

Astrobotic’s VOLT rover passes key tests on the moon’s surface Astrobotic has further ramped up its efforts to create a power grid on the moon by launching a summer-long test campaign for its VSAT Optimized for Lunar Traverse (VOLT). Designed to traverse the lunar surface, the VOLT rover features a vertical solar panel to harness solar energy to charge various lunar resources such as habitats, rovers and scientific instruments, especially at the moon’s south pole. The VOLT engineering model mobile base underwent rigorous testing at the Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory (SLOPE) at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. These tests…

The 100 MW project is billed as the first large-scale two-hour battery in France. The project will use Tesla Megapack and Autobidder technology. July 23, 2024 Marija Maisch By ESS newsBritish renewable energy developer Harmony Energy wants to deliver France’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS) – the Cheviré project – using Tesla Megapack technology.The 100 MW project will represent a major milestone for the French energy system as it is the country’s first large-scale two-hour battery, the developer said. Construction will begin soon and the system is expected to be fully operational in winter 2025.Located in the port of…

Mecosun says it has introduced a new solar carport in three sizes, using low-carbon concrete and an embedded module mounting solution. July 23, 2024 François PuthodBy pv magazine FranceFrench PV system integrator Mecosun has developed a new solar carport solution made of concrete.“The innovation of this carport, which we have been working on since 2012, lies in its ease of implementation,” says Laurent Ruel, operations director at Mecosun. pv magazine France. “It is self-weighting, mobile, removable and reusable, and is manufactured entirely in France.”The Mecopark concrete sun blinds can be installed in any parking lot without the need for a…

German authorities have assessed 363 MW of bids to select 2,559 MW of projects in the country’s latest rooftop PV tender. Final prices ranged from €0.0795 ($0.0864)/kWh to €0.1019/kWh. July 23, 2024 Sandra Enkhardt By pv magazine GermanyThe German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has published the results of the country’s eight tenders for rooftop PV projects ranging in size from 300 kW to 1 MW.The agency assessed 162 bids with a total capacity of 363 MW and selected 119 projects, with a total of 259 MW. Final prices ranged from €0.0795 ($0.0864)/kWh to €0.1019/kWh. The final average price was €0.0894/kWh.Most…

Australian software developer PV Lighthouse has secured nearly AUD 1.97 million ($1.32 million) to develop its SunSolve Yield advanced simulation engine, which is designed to improve yield forecasting for utility-scale solar projects. July 23, 2024 David CarollBy pv magazine AustraliaSydney-based startup PV Lighthouse has been awarded AUD 1.97 million by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to fund the continued development of its SunSolve Yield energy and yield modeling platform.The company said the platform provides a digital twin of the structures and PV modules used in utility-scale solar projects, allowing developers to determine the annual yield of their projects and…

“The government will not act on myths and false information, but on evidence,” said Ed Miliband (left). Image: Michael Shanks via X. Ed Miliband has spoken out against the misconception that solar farms pose a threat to national food security. Miliband, the newly appointed Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), told the House of Commons last week (July 18) that the government will proceed “not on the basis of myths and false information, but on the basis of evidence ” . He cited estimates that ground-mounted solar would take up 0.1% of UK…

The project could be one of the largest PHES sites in Britain. Image: SSE Renewables. SSE Renewables has unveiled plans to progress a 1.8 GW pumped hydro storage (PHES) project in Loch Fearna, Scotland, with a consortium led by Gilkes Energy. The Fearna PHES project aims to develop tunnels and a new power station to connect SSE Renewables’ existing reservoir at Loch Quoich to a higher reservoir at Loch Fearna. If the project proceeds, it could produce around 37 GWh of stored energy capacity, providing additional stability and flexibility to the UK electricity grid. It would export energy for 20…

An international research team has proposed a series of optimization techniques for antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) solar cells that could reportedly increase the efficiency of these PV devices to more than 11%. The resulting new cell design is said to significantly improve band alignment control and parameter optimization. July 23, 2024 Emiliano BelliniAn international research team has outlined a new design for solar cells based on antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) that can reportedly result in 30% higher efficiency compared to existing Sb2S3 concepts for solar cells.This kind of cell typology is far from reaching commercial production so far, due to the low…

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ plan to build a “state-of-the-art” polysilicon plant in Australia has taken a step forward, with Australia’s Silica Quartz starting a drilling program at a planned mine site that would provide feedstock for the proposed facility can serve. July 22, 2024 David CarollBy pv magazine AustraliaAustralia’s Silica Quartz (ASQ) has launched an exploration drilling program at the Quartz Hill project site in Queensland, Australia, with the aim of developing a metallurgical grade silicon resource that could provide feedstock for Quinbrook’s proposed AUD 7.8 polysilicon billion ($5.22 billion). plant.Quinbrook plans to build a polysilicon manufacturing facility near Townsville, Queensland.…