In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America in May. New York registered a new record on May 18th, when solar power met 20% of the state power demand, while Los Angeles and San Diego rooftops actually received less irradiance during May than New York’s or Boston’s.

Gas and CO2 prices continued their downward trend in the fourth week of May, which led to a general downward trend in prices in European electricity markets and several negative hourly prices were registered, which reached -€400/MWh in Netherlands. The notable exception of the Iberian market, which saw a rise in prices, came from the fall in renewable energy production. During the week, records of solar photovoltaic energy production were reached in Germany, France, and Italy.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America since early May. The province of Alberta saw close to 100 wildfires raging from the beginning of the month and solar asset operators throughout the impacted regions can expect reduced efficiency from both the irradiance impacts and increased panel soiling.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

In the third week of May, negative or zero hourly prices were registered in most of the European electricity markets, especially during the weekend. In the Nord Pool market, the value of -€5.67/MWh registered during an hour on Sunday May 21, is the lowest one in history. For the week as a whole, prices decreased in every market, due to the decrease in demand and gas prices, and also to a higher solar and wind energy production than that of the previous week in several markets.

The first post-pandemic update on the state of the world’s off-grid solar industry has painted a picture of domination by European companies, but highlighted the potential for new startups in West Africa and an increasing use of PV as a backup to unreliable grid supplies.

The off-grid solar sector has shown resilience in the face of pandemic-related challenges, with 70 million people gaining access to electricity from early 2020 to the end of 2021. However, the ability to pay for solar energy kits has taken a hit.

The African Development Bank has announced that European and US donors will provide $20 million of concessional loans to support pay-as-you-go solar companies in sub-Saharan Africa.

With comparisons with a Covid-hit 2020 inevitably offering a string of positive numbers, there was also little to concern the board of the inverter and battery manufacturer from the returns generated in the last quarter.

The latest edition of a clean power jobs survey produced by IRENA and the International Labour Organization has stressed the important role which will need to be played by the public sector if the energy transition’s employment benefits are to be shared equally.

Waaree, India’s largest solar module manufacturer, has placed an order with Jinchen for a 10 GW production line.

Redflow, an Australian redox-flow battery manufacturer, will build one of the world’s largest zinc-based battery energy storage systems in the United States, after signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the California Energy Commission.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report that solar will remain the main source of global renewable capacity expansion in 2023, accounting for 286 GW. In 2024, the figure is set to grow to almost 310 GW, driven by lower module prices, greater uptake of distributed PV systems, and a policy push for large-scale deployment.

Developed by Chinese researchers, the novel hybrid storage technology may achieve an efficiency of over 80% and be applied in distribution and transmission grids. The proposed combination is reportedly able to offer the advantages of gravity energy storage and power-based storage systems in a single solution.

TCL Zhonghuan reduced its wafer prices by between 16% and 24%, while its competitor Gokin Solar is raising funds to build additional ingot and wafer capacity. Meanwhile, TW Solar announced a 3.4 GW solar plant across 52 fishponds.

Researchers in Morocco have carried out an experimental investigation which has confirmed that even in hot desert climates, the wind has a positive effect on reducing the PV module temperature, improving the electrical production as well as the conversion efficiency.

A new generation of flexible, lightweight modules is entering the market. With back contact technology offering its own form of design flexibility and robustness, the new products could crack a hard-to-address market segment.

US-based Ecoflow has announced the commercialization of a balcony solar device with a portable power station for residential applications.

India reached 9.3 GW of cumulative installed rooftop solar capacity on March 31, 2023, following the addition of 485 MW in the first quarter of 2023.

Sonnen has introduced a new software solution to seamlessly integrate heat pumps into private household energy supplies and enhance grid stability. The company’s initial partner is heat pump manufacturer NIBE, but additional partners are expected to join in the future.

Oman has awarded hydrogen contracts to CIP, Shell, and BP, while Germany has strengthened its hydrogen ties by linking it to broader European initiatives.

An outdated solar installation was decommissioned and recycled in a partnership between Solarcycle, PowerFlex, and Decom Solar.

German chemicals producer Evonik claims that its wetting and defoaming solutions improve the speed and quality of wafer cutting, despite the industry’s shift toward harder, more brittle materials.

A Norwegian research team assessed the snow deposits on photovoltaic panels and the consequent energy losses via the PVsyst software and utilized the so-called Marion’s algorithm (MA) for evaluating the sliding coefficient. It found the coatings may effectively reduce energy losses caused by snow and ice but said the commercial feasibility of these materials should be further investigated.

Maxeon said it has achieved a 24.7% efficiency rating for a full-scale Maxeon 7 solar panel using its IBC technology. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) confirmed the result.

Australian energy major AGL is pushing ahead with plans to transform its Loy Yang power station site into a clean energy industrial hub in the Australian state of Victoria. It has signed a deal with Solar Recovery Corp. (SRC) to explore the feasibility of establishing a PV panel recycling facility at the site.

Tokuyama said the new factory should meet increasing demand for polysilicon. OCI already operates a polysilicon manufacturing facility in Malaysia.

Dutch solar manufacturer Solarge has unveiled two versions of its lightweight mono-PERC solar panels for rooftop applications. The module have power outputs between 470 W and 520 W and efficiencies ranging from 17.4% to 19.2%.

A Dutch research group has used a series of techniques from the automotive industry to develop a novel methodology to repair glass in double-glass solar panels. Their experimental work represents the step towards transforming glass-damaged solar panels from waste into valuable products.

Avancis has set a new world record for a copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) solar panel with an integrated series connection of 30 cm x 30 cm, achieving an efficiency of 20.3%. The German manufacturer’s accomplishment has been validated by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

US-based Salgenx says it has successfully integrated ultracapacitors with its saltwater redox flow batteries, resulting in significantly better power response and system performance.

ZincFive is supplying battery systems for Advanced Power & Energy’s hydrogen-fueling microgrid and pilot DC fast-charging station in Greenville, Pennsylvania

NGK Insulators has switched on 1 MW/5.8 MWh of NAS batteries under a demonstration project to assess the performance of stationary storage at a site operated by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO).

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a demonstration experiment to assess the efficiency of heat pumps in demand-response control on the Aran Islands in Ireland and San Pietro Island in Italy. As part of the European Union’s REACT project, solar, wind, and storage solutions will also be implemented to enhance the energy self-sufficiency of isolated islands.

Germany’s development bank, KfW, is financing a new minigrid project in Senegal with a $138.8 million loan.