Author: solarenergy

AMPYR Distributed Energy was launched early this year by Singapore-based AGP, with an initial capital commitment of up to £100 million. Image: AMPYR distributed energy. AMPYR Distributed Energy, an investor in on-site sustainable energy solutions, has announced a partnership with Oakes Energy Services. The £50 million strategic partnership will focus on an immediate portfolio of behind-the-meter ground-mounted solar projects, delivered by Oakes. As a result of the agreement, the installer will deliver fully financed renewable energy projects for commercial and industrial customers as part of its ambitious growth plans. Oakes managing director Nik Smith said the partnership would accelerate the…

The first AUD550 million ($372.2 million) of the Australian Federal Government’s Solar Sunshot program has been launched to support the development of the domestic solar manufacturing industry and help local businesses capture a greater share of global PV conquer the supply chain. September 2, 2024 David CarollBy pv magazine AustraliaThe Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened the first phase of the AUD 1 billion Solar Sunshot program, aimed at driving innovation in PV manufacturing in Australia and creating a more resilient renewable supply chain energy.ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said the Solar Sunshot program provides manufacturing grants and…

HD Hyundai Energy Solutionsan energy subsidiary of HD Hyundai, will launch its new N-Topcon modules for the US market at the RE+ TradeShow next month. This line includes 108-cell modules for the residential market and 144- and 156-cell modules for the commercial and utility-scale markets. The new N-type modules have efficiency ranging from 22.3 to 22.9%. In addition, HD Hyundai Energy Solutions will showcase its tandem cells and ROHS-certified environmentally friendly products. The tandem cells, co-developed by Hyundai with the Korea Institute of Chemical Technology, combine perovskite cells and HJT silicon cells and achieve a theoretical efficiency limit of 44%,…

QatarEnergy has unveiled plans for a 2GW solar project in western Qatar that will more than double the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity. September 2, 2024 Patrick Jowett QatarEnergy, a state-owned oil company, will build a 2 GW solar power plant in the city of Dukhan, Qatar.Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who is also president and CEO of QatarEnergy, announced the plans during a press conference this week.“Developing solar power plants is one of Qatar’s most crucial initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions, develop sustainability projects and diversify electricity production, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 4.7 million tons per…

The new method, devised by researchers in Canada, combines image processing and deep learning techniques to locate the snow-covered parts of the solar panels. It reportedly outperformed three other popular image processing-based segmentation methods. September 2, 2024 Lior KahanaResearchers from Canada’s University of Waterloo have developed a new automated model for real-time detection of snow cover on PV panels and estimation of energy loss. The model is based on image processing and deep learning, using a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a time-lapse sequence of images to identify the snow-covered area compared to the clean area.“In cold climates, where snow…

Reliance Industries says its new energy company is developing heterojunction (HJT) bifacial solar panels with 26% efficiency, alongside plans to commercialize perovskite and HJT with interdigitated back-contact (IBC) technology within the next two years. September 2, 2024 Uma Gupta Mukesh D. AmbaniImage: Reliance IndustriesBy pv magazine IndiaReliance Industries will start manufacturing PV modules by the end of this year, according to Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh D. Ambani. The company is developing the first phase of its integrated solar manufacturing facilities, which will include modules, cells, glass, wafers, blocks and polysilicon, with an initial annual capacity of 10 GW.It says…

Customized innovations for fault detection in sustainable electricity grids As renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind generators become an increasingly important part of tomorrow’s electricity grids, new innovations in fault detection are essential. NJIT Associate Professor Joshua Taylor and his team are leading the charge to adapt these technologies to the evolving landscape. Traditional electricity grids rely on fault detection methods suitable for synchronous generation, such as gas-fired power stations. However, these methods fall short when applied to inverter-based renewable energy systems. In synchronous networks, faults are easy to detect due to abrupt changes in voltage, allowing…

The German research institute is working to develop advanced, high-resolution material and thin-film characterization methods that could evolve into a range of simplified and rapid measurement procedures for routine use in intellectual property research. September 2, 2024 Valerie ThompsonThe German Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (Fraunhofer CSP) is developing a range of high-resolution material and thin-film microscopic and nanoscopic characterization methods for use in the analysis of patent infringements on higher efficiency solar PV products.The work is part of a project known in Germany as IP-Schutz. The project, which will run until March 2027, will provide researchers with the necessary…

In a new weekly update for pv magazineSolcast, a DNV company, reports that Australia experienced extreme and diverse weather in July and August, resulting in varying solar radiation impacts across the country’s states. August 30, 2024 SolcastUnstable polar vortex conditions and persistent high-pressure systems led to a season of extreme weather events across Australia in July and August, resulting in both record-breaking cold and heat. These dynamic weather patterns had mixed impacts on solar radiation, with significant differences between different regions, according to an analysis using the Solcast API.July was a challenging month for solar across most of Australia’s National…

Researchers discover a surprising way to improve battery performance The very first charge of a lithium-ion battery is more important than it sounds. It determines how well and how long the battery will work from then on – specifically, how many cycles of charge and discharge the battery can handle before deteriorating. In a study published in Joule, researchers at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center report that giving batteries the first charge with unusually high currents extends their average lifespan by 50%, while reducing initial charge time from 10 hours to just 20 minutes . Just as importantly, the researchers were…