Author: solarenergy

The U.S. Department of the Interior has given the green light to Nevada’s largest solar and storage development, the Libra Solar Project. It has also opened a comment period on the Bonanza Solar Project, which features a 195 MW/780 MWh battery storage system. September 12, 2024 Marija Maisch Secretary Deb HaalandImage: Bureau of Land ManagementBy ESS newsThe American Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced this on Monday given a final decision approval of Arevia Power’s $2.3 billion, 700 MW solar, plus 700 MW/2.8 GWh battery storage Libra Solar projectthe largest colocation project in the state of Nevada.Developed by Arevia Power…

New research from India shows how to deploy bifacial solar panels to achieve strong performance in floating PV projects planned on tropical freshwater. Their experimental setup showed that higher efficiency gains are achievable by measuring panel height, water depth and tilt angle. September 12, 2024 Lior KahanaAn international research team has created an experimental setup and a model for optimizing floating bifacial solar panels intended for deployment in tropical freshwater.The research group used a response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design (CCD). CCD is a specific methodology for designing experiments that fits RSM models that can represent…

When it comes to the solar panel technology space, there’s honestly not much to talk about. Everyone seems pretty comfortable in the PERC and TOPCon camps, making sure they have a panel for each market. Every panel manufacturer booth at the RE+ trade show seemed to have at least one bifacial panel, one ‘smaller’ module for the residential market and large panels for large scale use (one way or another) using both M10 and G12 cell designs. Much of the talk at this year’s show focused on domestic manufacturing and policy changes, but I was able to spot some exciting…

According to Aurora Energy Research, RESS 4 mitigates the lack of success in RESS 3, making Ireland’s capacity targets appear “more achievable”. Image: Christian_Birkholz (Pixabay). Preliminary results from the fourth round of the Irish Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS 4) show that approximately 1,334 MW of onshore renewable electricity has received support. Of that total, 960 MW of solar PV and 374 MW of onshore wind energy were purchased at an average auction price of €96.85 (£81.73) per MWh, lower than the two previous auctions. The generation-weighted average price for solar energy projects was €104.76 per MWh. According to the…

The Canada-based manufacturer said its new panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.29% per C and an efficiency of up to 22.92%. They come with a 30-year performance guarantee for 89.3% of the initial yield. September 12, 2024 Emiliano Bellini The Silfab Utility NTC 620-640 XL moduleImage: SilfabSilfab Solar, a Toronto-based solar cell and module manufacturer with a factory in South Carolina, United States, has launched a new systemjpe bifacial modules for applications in large-scale PV projects.“Silfab is pleased to announce its Silfab Utility NTC 620-640 XL bifacial modules with nearly 23 percent efficiency, improved shade tolerance and low-light performance,…

The two US-based companies will showcase their new home energy system with up to 123.2 kWh of storage at the RE+ 2024 event in the United States. The new product has four MPPTs, with a maximum current of 16 A per string. September 11, 2024 Lior Kahana Jackery HomePower energy systemImage: JackeryBy ESS newsCalifornia-based battery supplier Jackery and US PV system supplier Geneverse unveiled a new residential energy storage system at RE+ 2024 in Anaheim, USA this week.The product, called HomePower Energy System, uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and offers a storage capacity of up to 123.2 kWh.“The system…

Norway’s Otovo says it plans to lay off around 170 employees. The company, which operates in 13 European countries, employed 384 employees at the end of 2023. September 11, 2024 Ralph Diermann Image: Bill Mead, UnsplashOtovo, a Norway-based operator of an online marketplace for solar, storage and wall boxes, has announced plans to lay off approximately 170 employees.The company, which operates in 13 European countries, employed 384 people at the end of 2023. CEO Andreas Thorsheim said on LinkedIn that Otovo aims to save between NOK 200 million ($18.4 million) and NOK 225 million from the job cuts.In the first…

Developed by researchers in China, the TOPCon solar cell was screen printed with a silver and aluminum paste on the front and an aluminum-only paste on the back. They added silicon to the aluminum paste to reduce metal recombination and improve the open-circuit voltage of the device. September 11, 2024 Emiliano BelliniResearchers from Yangzhou University in China have fabricated a solar cell based on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology by reducing the use of expensive silver paste with a screen-printed aluminum (Al) paste.“We are still adjusting further processes and Al paste to improve efficiency,” says the corresponding author of…

FranklinWH energy storage unveiled the next generation of its whole-home energy management solutions at the RE+ trade show this week. The aPower 2 lithium iron phosphate battery system has a capacity of 15 kWh and a continuous output power of 10 kW. FranklinWH has also extended the warranty on the battery system to 15 years or 60 MWh of throughput, which equates to more than 10,000 cycles. “We are committed to a better, energy-independent future, powered by a steady pipeline of product innovations,” said Gary Lam, co-founder and CEO of FranklinWH. “Our solution upgrades demonstrate our focus on both incremental…

Seemingly across market scales, mounting, racking and tracker manufacturers aren’t redefining what their systems do or look like, but are looking inward to see what can be improved on existing offerings or within their operations. The residential market has seen a sweeping adoption of mounts using pre-applied, peel-and-stick adhesives with enough drilling points to ensure they can attach anywhere on a roof. Then most single-axis tracker manufacturers are using some form of articulating rows to tackle uneven landscapes. I haven’t seen any earth-shattering developments on the show floor just yet, but I have seen companies that are comfortable in their…