Author: solarenergy

Recently, a major interconnector trip caused the UK grid frequency to plummet. At around 8:47 a.m. one morning in early October, the NSL interconnector linking Britain and Norway stopped working suddenly and without warning. Norwegian electricity exports to Britain suddenly fell from 1.4 GW to zero, with immediate and potentially disastrous consequences for the UK electricity grid. The frequency on the network dropped to 49.59 Hz in less than two seconds, a number significantly lower than the National Energy System Operator (NESO) operating limits of 49.8 – 50.2 Hz. Without quick intervention, much of the country’s electricity grid could have…

Australian scientific research agency CSIRO has taken its pilot-scale production of flexibly printed solar film to a new level following the official launch of the new Printed Photovoltaic Facility in south-west Melbourne, Victoria. October 30, 2024 Ev Foley By pv magazine Australia After 15 years, scientists from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have advanced the commercial potential of their flexible perovskite cells, printed on long continuous rolls of flexible plastic film, following the opening of their AUD 6.8 million ($4.4 million) Printed photovoltaic (PV) Facility in Clayton, 23 kilometers southwest of Melbourne. The solar films are thin,…

Standard Solar completed a 3.1 MWDC solar project on Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus in Northampton, Pennsylvania. The company acquired the project from EDF Renewables, who developed the array and collaborated on its construction and completion. Standard Solar is the project’s long-term owner and operator. Credit: Standard Solar “As someone who grew up in the area, it’s gratifying to support Lehigh in its mission to become a sustainability model in higher education,” said Eric Partyka, director of business development, Standard Solar. “This solar installation not only delivers clean energy to the campus but also plays a critical role in advancing the…

Domestically manufactured solar racks and mounts may experience a boon thanks to recently imposed trade tariffs on a range of aluminum products imported from countries around the world. Credit: Adobe Stock The U.S. Department of Commerce imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on aluminum extrusions imported from 14 countries in October. After nearly thirteen months of review, these trade duties cover a list of extruded aluminum products from China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. “In all this [AD/CVD] In some cases you typically see an increase in…

New method improves the storage and use of solar energy As reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA), around 50 percent of global energy consumption is attributed to heating, but solar energy’s contribution to this sector remains minimal compared to that of fossil fuels. One reason is the sporadic availability of solar energy. A promising alternative is molecular solar energy storage systems. Unlike conventional thermal storage, which holds energy in short-lived forms such as warm water, molecular systems can store energy in chemical bonds for weeks or even months. These systems use photoswitch molecules to absorb solar energy and release…

Solinteg has developed the IntegOne HSH, a residential solar storage system that combines a single-phase hybrid inverter with one or two batteries. Up to 10 systems can be connected in parallel, resulting in a maximum efficiency of 97.6%. October 30, 2024 Lior Kahana IntegrOne HSH 3-6kW/5-10kWh Image: Solinteg Chinese energy storage solutions company Solinteg has released a new series of residential solar storage systems. The IntegOne HSH line integrates a single-phase hybrid inverter with a modular battery design. Depending on the model, the system has an AC power of 3 kW, 3.6 kW, 4.2 kW, 4.6 kW, 5 kW or…

ILI Group has a portfolio of more than 4.7 GW energy storage projects, including 2.5 GW utility-scale battery storage and 2.5 GW hydropower plants. Image: ILI Group. Developer Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) Group has received planning permission for a 200 MW battery energy storage system (BESS). The BESS will be adjacent to the Easterhouse substation near Gartcosh, Glasgow, at Whitehill Farm. ILI Group has been granted planning permission under section 36, meaning the BESS is classified as an amendment to the existing consent granted to the generating station. Ministers’ approval follows support for the project from both Glasgow City Council…

Chinese battery manufacturer CALB has sued competitor CATL for patent infringement. It is seeking damages that are significantly higher than the total CNY 700 million (EUR 91 million) that CATL previously demanded in six patent infringement cases it filed against CALB. October 29, 2024 Vincent Shaw By ESS news Hong Kong-listed battery maker CALB said on October 18 that it has filed lawsuits in courts in China’s Hubei and Jiangsu provinces against CATL and its subsidiaries, alleging infringement of four battery-related patents. CALB is seeking damages totaling CNY 1.007 billion in lawsuits against CATL, its subsidiary Sichuan Times New Energy…

Although local defects in chloride-iodide-based perovskite are difficult to avoid due to ion migration, a group of scientists have now found a way to passivate them. They used different combinations of 4-chlorobenzylammonium chloride and 4-chlorobenzylammonium bromide on top of the hole transport layer and achieved an efficiency improvement of up to 15%. October 29, 2024 Lior Kahana Researchers from Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney have introduced a new defect passivation strategy for chloride-iodide-based perovskite. Corresponding author Ashraful Hossain Howlader told it pv magazine that the new approach improves the cell’s efficiency by approximately 15%, compared to a…

(Source: Ameren Missouri) Ameren Missouri continues construction of a third solar facility to meet growing customer demand for community solar. This newest location, recently approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission, is part of Ameren Missouri’s Community Solar Program. The energy center will be located next to the existing Montgomery Community Solar Center in New Florence, an hour west of St. Louis. The first installation at St. Louis Lambert International Airport went into service in 2019. The Montgomery location began serving customers in 2022. Construction of the tanning center is expected to begin as early…