Author: solarenergy

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 , after the previous arrangement was withdrawn…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…

The German manufacturer unveiled a new line of hybrid inverters for applications ranging from residential rooftop arrays to small commercial building projects. They have a power between 6 kW and 12 kW, a maximum efficiency of 98.19% and a maximum European efficiency of 96.55%. October 23, 2024 Lior Kahana German inverter manufacturer Kaco New Energy has launched new hybrid inverters for residential and small commercial rooftop PV systems. The new Blueplanet hybrid 6.0 NH3 – 12.0 NH3 product range includes four different versions with powers of 6 kW, 8 kW, 10 kW and 12 kW. “The inverters are compatible with…

Towards better solar cells through unique electricity generation Researchers in Japan have experimentally demonstrated for the first time the bulk photovoltaic (BPV) effect in alpha-phase indium selenide (a-In2Se3) along the out-of-plane direction, potentially leading to advances in solar cell technologies and photosensors. This unusual effect allows certain materials to outperform conventional p-n junctions used in current solar cells. The BPV effect, observed in materials lacking internal symmetry, generates ‘shift currents’ where photoexcited electrons move coherently in a specific direction, unlike traditional solar cells. The team, led by Associate Professor Noriyuki Urakami of Shinshu University, focused on the predicted but previously…

Swiss consultancy Pexapark says European developers signed 23 power purchase agreements (PPAs) in September, totaling 1.03 GW. The total volume of PPAs over the first nine months of 2024 amounts to 11.4 GW. October 23, 2024 Patrick Jowett European developers signed 23 PPAs for 1.03 GW in September, according to the latest report from Pexapark. This represents a 125% month-on-month volume increase, after August, which had the lowest monthly result of the year. Tracked PPA prices reached €50.08 ($54.00)/MWh in September, down 4.2% month-on-month and reversing the upward trend of the previous two months, as PPA prices fell in all…