Author: solarenergy
Printed edition 24/10 from pv magazine The guys in the back of the bus were engaged in a debate about the prospects for Australian energy storage. In June 2024, during a tour of Shanghai organized by Australia’s Smart Energy Council, Tim Buckley, boss of think tank Climate Energy Finance, and renewable energy financier Oliver Yates were deep in conversation. Yates was convinced that batteries were about to dominate all forms of energy storage, while Buckley mused that this could be the result of their visits to battery maker CATL and power electronics giant Sungrow. Yates, the first CEO of the…
As the renewable energy sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, is now the time for a more robust physical and regulatory infrastructure that can keep up with demand? Managing director of solar energy specialists Infrabee, Henry Brown (MRISC), believes the time for positive change has come. At first glance, the task ahead seems relatively simple. After all, the desire to replace our environmentally damaging dependence on fossil fuels with a much cleaner, greener energy source has long been on the agenda of campaigners and politicians alike. The doubters seem to have accepted the need for change, the government…
UK-based 3ti Energy Hubs has launched a portable electric vehicle charging station for 12 cars that it is delivering to commercial and industrial locations where demand exceeds supply. October 24, 2024 Valerie Thompson A British solar parking company, 3ti Energy Hubs, has launched Papilio3, a standardized, portable solar charging station in a carport design with space for twelve electric vehicles. The Papilio3 system is designed for rapid deployment and is grid-connected with an annual solar energy generation of 18 MWh. It is aimed at short-term parking areas where electric vehicles can be parked for three to six hours, such as…
Solar Energy Scotland is urging the Scottish Government to reintroduce interest-free financing for residential solar installations. Image: Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash. Ahead of the Scottish Budget on December 4, Scotland’s main trade body for the solar industry is calling on the Government to resume home solar loans. In a letter to Scottish First Minister John Swinney, Josh King, chairman of Solar Energy Scotland (SES), urged the Scottish Government to bring back the interest-free loans available to Scottish households who have solar panels or battery energy storage systems at home (BESS) want to install. , after the previous arrangement was withdrawn…
NASA continues to assess the progress of the Solar Sail system following deployment NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is making progress through post-deployment testing, with mission operators carefully reviewing data to evaluate the performance of the spacecraft’s composite booms. After the successful deployment of both the booms and solar sail, the spacecraft continues to slowly tumble into orbit due to the deactivation of its attitude control system. Prior to the deployment phase, the team deactivated the attitude control system to accommodate changes in the spacecraft’s dynamics during solar sail deployment. This system is vital for maintaining a spacecraft’s orientation…
Engie has started construction of the 250 MW Goorambat East solar farm in Victoria, Australia. It is the state’s largest solar project under construction and is expected to be operational in 2027. October 24, 2024 Bella Peacock By pv magazine Australia Engie’s Australian division has started construction on Victoria’s largest solar farm to date bigger projects in the state’s pipeline. The 250 MW Goorambat East Solar Farm, located in northern Victoria between the towns of Goorambat and Benalla, is expected to be completed in 2026 and commence operations in 2027. Engie took over the project from Neoen at the end…
A group of scientists conducted a literature review of nearly a hundred fast algorithms for maximum power point tracking. They extracted ten representative algorithms and showed which of them works best in different scenarios. October 23, 2024 Lior Kahana Academics from Taiwan have conducted an extensive study on fast maximum power point tracking (FMPPT) algorithms for PV power generation. Like conventional MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) technology, FMPPTs ensure that solar panels operate at the maximum power point to maximize energy generation, but FMPPTs have a faster response time. “A variety of FMPPT methods have been proposed in the literature,…
Using a new methodology based on decoupled net present value (DNPV), a German research team has found that residential photovoltaic systems were not economically viable under most market conditions in early 2023. While lower module prices have significantly improved system profitability in recent months, several influencing factors that change over time can still impact revenue. October 23, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from the German Hochschule RheinMain have investigated the economic viability of residential PV systems in current market conditions in Germany and have found that profitability becomes a challenge under most circumstances. “The main motivation for the study was that…
The Buckhorn Children and Family Services – Rogers Cottage Recovery House, a 12-bedroom rehabilitation center for adult women in Perry County, Kentucky, is taking a major step toward environmental sustainability by doubling the size of its solar panels. With the addition of a new 26.9 kW array, the system now delivers a total power of 47.4 kW. This expansion, made possible through a partnership between Everybody Solar, HOMES and Mountain Association, will generate an additional 36,724 kWh of clean electricity annually, which will have a significant impact on the environment. The original project, completed a few years ago with Everybody…
The Chinese manufacturer said the result was confirmed by the German Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin. October 23, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Chinese PV module manufacturer Trina Solar has announced that it has achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 25.9% for a large-area industrial TOPCon solar cell. The company said the result was confirmed by the German Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin (ISFH CalTeC). “The record-breaking solar cell, which uses the innovative rectangular wafer design that Trinasolar first invented, with the golden size of 210 mm x 182 mm,” Trina said in a statement. “The substrate is…