Author: solarenergy

Burundi, the poorest country in the world, is unable to buy fossil fuels on the international market due to a lack of hard currency. pv magazine spoke with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and a PV analyst to assess the true potential of PV in the country’s current energy crisis. April 25, 2024 Sergio MatalucciBurundi installed 340 kW of energy capacity in 2023, the UNDP said pv magazineadding that the country could increase this by 2024. The local office couldn’t do it provide a forecast for 2024 or the total installed capacity in 2022, because many small-scale projects often…

The South Korean government has announced a new package of measures to support agricultural voltaic projects. It says that agrivoltaic activities should be a priority for agricultural companies. April 24, 2024 Emiliano BelliniSouth Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has issued three new measures to support the deployment of agricultural voltaic facilities across the country.The first and most important measure consists of extending the permit for the use of unused agricultural land for agrivoltaic energy generation from eight to 23 years.“Regional governments plan to work with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to provide policy incentives regarding…

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have identified a high-energy, high-performance hybrid sodium-ion battery that can be charged in just seconds. The system integrates anode materials typically used in batteries with cathodes suitable for supercapacitors. April 25, 2024 Marija MaischSodium-ion energy storage systems have received considerable attention due to their superior safety, raw material costs, and environmental performance compared to ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries. However, the technology is unlikely to challenge the incumbent until costs are reduced by improving technical performance, establishing supply chains and achieving economies of scale.There are two types of sodium-ion energy storage…

Chemitek has developed new cleaning products for floating PV arrays. The Portuguese company says it has tested and confirmed that it is safe for animals and vegetation around such systems. April 25, 2024 Lior Kahana Chemitek Solar, a Portuguese manufacturer of cleaning solutions for the PV industry, said two of its new products have passed ecotoxicity tests for their use on floating PV installations (FPV). It claimed that Solar Wash Protect (SWP) and Water Softening Agent (WSA) are both safe for vegetation and animals living around floating plants.“The research shows that the SWP only needs a water column under the…

An international research team has proposed using iron oxide and copper oxide to reduce the photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) temperature of solar panels. Their analysis showed that the two compounds were able to reduce the operating temperature of the panels by 23.49% and 34.58% respectively. April 25, 2024 Lior KahanaAn international group of scientists proposed using copper oxide (CuO) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanofluids to reduce the operating temperatures of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems.“The present study provides an energy and exergy assessment for a PVT system taking into account the thermodynamic laws using CuO and Fe2O3 nanofluids in different volume fractions, circulated in…

An international research team has used the deep learning algorithm of the convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify faults in solar panels. Their work showed that the proposed technique has a high degree of accuracy, especially when combined with transfer learning models. April 25, 2024 Lior KahanaA group of researchers led by the University of Sharjah in the UAE proposed using the convolutional neural network (CNN) technique to detect temperature- and shading-induced faults in PV modules. CNN is a deep learning algorithm that can extract and learn features from visual data.“CNN extracts feature maps from datasets using kernels and filters…

The NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has its 1st Quarter 2024 Edition of “The 50 States of Solar.” The quarterly series provides insight into regulatory and legislative discussions and actions in distributed solar policy, with an emphasis on net metering, distributed solar rating, community solar, residential fixed charges, demand and residential, third-party owned and utility-directed solar loads. rooftop solar programs. Policy action in Q1 2024 on net metering, rate design and solar ownership The report shows that 43 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have taken some form of policy action on distributed solar by the…

Solar Power World has dedicated its March 2024 coverage to installation tips for solar contractors big and small. You can read the rest of our Q&As in the magazine and online here. For insight into the “hand-held tool” segment, SPW talked with Mark Kelly, senior product manager at Milwaukee Tool, to learn more about the various tools used in the installation of solar projects, from residential rooftop arrays on up to utility-scale facilities with millions of bolts. Milwaukee recently released a new torque impact wrench developed with input from utility-scale solar installers. What benefits does it bring? Credit: Milwaukee Tool…

Tequs said its new plug-and-play heat pump can provide up to 90C heat for space heating, air conditioning and domestic hot water. The new product is available in eight versions with power ranging from 17 kW to 268 kW. April 25, 2024 Emiliano BelliniNorway-based Tequs launched a new water-to-water, plug-and-play CO2 heat pump for residential and commercial applications.”Our new one heat pumps are modular and can be used in parallel to achieve higher capacities,” says company CEO Joakim Søgård. pv magazine. “The units are pre-filled with CO2 and oil and are ready to use. The machines are very user-friendly thanks…

Baud Resources, a clean technology startup, has developed a gravity energy storage mechanism that uses locally available materials such as sand and industrial waste as payload. The company is building a 100 MWh pilot plant that will reportedly offer storage costs of approximately INR 2.5 ($0.03)/kWh. April 25, 2024 Uma GuptaBy pv magazine IndiaBaud Resources, an IIT Kanpur-incubated deep-tech startup, has developed a new approach to gravity-based energy storage that runs on gravitational potential energy without the need for water, dams or hills, unlike pumped hydro storage.The mechanism can be implemented in any location (plains, desert or sub-zero climate). It…