Author: solarenergy
Gore Street has announced its annual results for the previous year. Image: Anesco Energy storage fund investment manager Gore Street has released its annual results, highlighting how internationalization has helped it cope with declining revenues in Britain. Gore Street Energy Storage Fund plc, which trades under the GSF ticker, owns battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the US. As our sister site Energy storage.news As reported in May, the company saw a 5% increase in revenue in the year to March 31, 2024, largely due to diversification with its projects in Ireland and Texas…
Nature’s Generator has released a 50-amp, 12-circuit switch to manually power select circuits from backup systems. July 16, 2024 Anne FischerBy pv magazine USANature’s Generator has added a 50 amp 120/240V 12-circuit transfer switch to its line of power transfer switches.Designed to connect a home power supply to a home’s solar power supply and battery backup system, this 50-amp breaker gives homeowners the ability to power more circuits than lower amp models. The company reports that the 50-amp model can handle up to 12,000 W of power for 12 circuits.When these switches are connected to a home’s power supply and…
Elastocaloric materials have the potential to replace current air conditioning and heating systems and can provide significant energy savings when combined with technologies such as photovoltaics. July 16, 2024 Jochen SiemerBy pv magazine GermanyA team from Saarland University in Germany has secured funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder program to develop elastocaloric heating and cooling technology as an alternative to heat pumps and air conditioning systems.The €4 million ($4.36 million) EIC Pathfinder Challenge research project aims to develop a prototype for decentralized room air conditioning within three years. According to the research team, the technology is rated by…
Scientists in Sweden have integrated a PV device with a molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage system, which acts as an optical filter and coolant for solar cells. The proposed combination achieves a 0.2% higher PV efficiency and a solar storage efficiency of 2.3%. July 16, 2024 Emiliano BelliniA group of researchers led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has fabricated a hybrid polycrystalline solar cell that a molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage system that converts the high-energy photons underutilized by the cell into chemical energy.In the proposed system configuration, the MOST unit acts as an optical filter…
A German research team is conducting practical tests to see how solar modules with integrated radio technology can be linked into a total network. The “communicative” panels should provide a simple and cost-effective solution for monitoring and controlling small-scale photovoltaic systems. July 16, 2024 Jochen SiemerBy pv magazine GermanyOn the roof of the Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH) in Hamelin, Germany, solar panels are connected after installation to form a mesh network of several sub-grids.The research institute is testing this solution for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications, which often involve small, differently aligned or shaded sub-areas. Electronics close to or…
Time of use and usage type tariffs for heat pump customers have been launched to support technology adoption in a market where gas heating remains competitive on price. July 16, 2024 Matthew LynasBritain’s ‘big six’ energy retailers are keen on heat pump tariffs aimed at reducing running costs for the technology. Five companies with a combined share of more than 75% of the UK electricity market are now offering some kind of heat pump tariff.Usage time and type of use are used in an attempt to improve the economic case for running heat pumps. Households in the UK can access…
Aurora solar energy has come into possession of Lyra, a provider of instant subscription packages. Lyra’s permit packaging software helps solar industry professionals automate, create and export permit-ready design plans. The solar permitting process can be challenging for both homeowners and installers. Complex regulatory authorities (AHJs) and the solar industry’s heavy reliance on manual data entry contribute to significant delays – and ultimately costs – for solar installations. Lyra’s integration into the Aurora Solar platform will help alleviate these challenges by providing immediate, permit-ready proposals, backed by Aurora’s industry-leading accuracy. The integration will enable solar installers to deliver projects faster,…
Redox flow batteries can play an important role in our transition to net zero. Image: University of Manchester. A new paper from a University of Manchester researcher highlights the importance of long-term energy storage (LDES) technology in the transition to net zero. In an article published on the Policy@Manchester Professor Robert Dryfe highlighted the need for better battery energy storage systems (BESS) and drew attention to the university’s research into redox flow batteries (RFBs). Professor Dryfe states that “a transition to renewables must be accompanied by a technology transition to large-scale battery storage” alongside “a similar transition to the storage…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has identified a cybersecurity risk for smart inverters and is developing guidelines to prevent cyber attacks. July 16, 2024 William DriscollBy pv magazine USACybersecurity guidelines for smart inverters used in small-scale solar deployments are available in draft form from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).NIST notes that when smart inverters are “configured to behave in a grid-friendly, supportive manner,” and help the local electric utility “address anomalies” on the electrical grid.But an improperly configured inverter, NIST says, “can respond in inappropriate ways that worsen anomalies,” and “a large number of misconfigured…
From pv magazine 24/06According to the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), solar installations in the MENA region saw a 23% increase in 2023. Growth will accelerate, with MESIA predicting that the current 32 GW will reach 40 GW by 2024, and 180 GW by 2030. In December 2023, Saudi Arabia increased its 2030 solar target to 130 GW, requiring more than 20 GW of annual installations will be required. , moving forward.The region’s solar industry has so far focused on large-scale PV, with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and, more recently, Saudi Arabia now home to some of the…