In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that North America in November experienced a divide in irradiance patterns across the continent.

In the land of a thousand lakes and long, harsh winters, a surprising gold rush is under way – not for precious metals but for sunlight. Finland, often associated with its stunning natural landscapes, has become an unlikely contender in the global renewable energy market, particularly in the realm of solar power.

In this Opinion and Analysis piece, Lumi Adisa, Director of Energy Market Analytics at NEOM and ex-Investment Director of Energy Markets at Octopus Investments Australia, presents a deep dive into the unprecedented impact of rooftop solar in the NEM. As rooftop solar continues to drive changes in the intraday demand and price trends, it is evident that customers will remain a significant part of the energy transition for years to come.

A cold snap rocketed demand for electricity in Europe’s main markets in the final week of November compared to the previous week, according to Aleasoft Energy Forecasting.

With the consistently unambitious forecasts for solar trotted out by entities such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) now a matter of record, a German risk management company has tried to predict more realistic figures for 2030 and beyond.

The European Parliament and European Council yesterday provisionally agreed to phase out fossil-fuel boilers in the next two decades, among a raft of other infrastructure recommendations aiming to boost infrastructure energy efficiency. Europe’s peak body for heat pumps, the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), welcomes the news.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie predict that 33 GW of solar will likely be added in the United States in 2023. Despite economic challenges in the near future, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity by 2050.

Canadian Solar says its majority-owned subsidiary, CSI Solar Co., will supply 1.7 GWh (DC) of e-STORAGE batteries to an under-construction energy storage facility in Coalburn, Scotland.

Canada’s Hydrostor has struck a deal to provide backup power to a remote town in the Australian state of New South Wales by using a compressed air energy storage plant that will be built in an underground cavern at one of the region’s closed mines.

Currently, India has an installed solar power of around 73 GW, according to ICRA. New solar capacity additions in fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 are estimated at 17 GW and 20 GW, respectively.

An Australian court has fined a subcontractor providing piling services at Columboola Solar Farm AUD40,000 ($26,300) for failing to comply with a health and safety standards after an aerosol can explosion caused a metal bar to strike a worker.

The Greek government and Masdar have agreed to develop 7 MW of solar on Poros Island as part of the “GR-Eco Islands” initiative. However, the authorities and Abu Dhabi-based renewables developer have not disclosed the project costs.

Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) is inviting applications for engineering, procurement and construction services of a 115 MW utility-scale solar plant, 171.5 MWh battery energy storage system and 12 MW wind plant at unspecified locations at unspecified locations in the Caribbean country.

Minimax’s PVProtect system, which is recognized by German insurers, detects solar panel fires and fights them in their early stages.

New research from the United States showed agrivoltaic plants on grassland may not only maintain grass productivity but also increase forage quality. The scientists took their measurements at the Jack’s Solar Garden (JSG), an elevated, south-oriented agrivoltaic research facility using single-axis-tracking systems near Longmont, Colorado.

To understand better the long-term effects of humidity on durability of glass-glass modules, Austrian researchers carried out lengthy damp-heat tests on double glass modules made with EVA and POE encapsulants. They identified several POE advantages, such as improved interfacial strength and less water uptake, among others.

Japan’s Toshiba says its new PV output photocoupler for solid-state relay could be used for battery management systems, onboard chargers, and inverters.

EKI Energy Services says it will oversee the production, marketing, installation, and after-sales services of “Surya Nutan,” an indoor solar cooking system designed and patented by IndianOil. The initiative will be supported by carbon finance.

Profils Systèmes, a French aluminum carpentry specialist, has developed Wallis&Energy, a new solar veranda that is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing buildings and new structures.

The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 63 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are six new results reported in the new version.

Switzerland’s Climacy has released its Smart Solar Roof solution, with a special mounting system attached to the backside of the solar panels. It features 430 W TOPCon solar modules with an efficiency of 22.5%.

GCube Insurance says that hail damage accounts for less than 2% of filed claims but constitutes more than 50% of total costs for solar facility loss claims.

Researchers from Egypt have utilized NodeMCU WiFi modules and a single-board Raspberry Pi to monitor and control PV modules. Their tests showed a “good degree of agreement” between the system and multimeter readings.

Heliene has invested about $10 million to expand its manufacturing and assembly line in the US state of Minnesota.

As perovskite solar cell research gains momentum, Switzerland’s Fluxim has added a stress test module for perovskite PV technologies to its optoelectrical device characterization instrument to automate a variety of experiments.

The Government of Comoros wants to improve the supply and storage of solar on its islands and is inviting applications for the development, operation and maintenance of multiple PV plants with a combined output of 9 MW, as well as battery and storage facilities totaling 20 MWh.

EnergyAustralia has released the concept design for a 335 MW pumped hydro energy storage and generation project it plans to develop at Lake Lyell, in the Australian state of New South Wales.

From using heat pumps in decommissioned power plants, to utilizing them for storage and carbon capture – scientists from China have listed the ways in which heat pumps can help the global energy transition move forward. They showed that their potential is beyond heat electrification.

Authors of the “World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2023” define the future role of nuclear energy in the global energy mix as “irrelevant” and “marginal.” The authors add that there were 407 operational reactors producing 365 GW in the middle of the year, which is less than installed capacity predictions for solar by the end of the year.

Statkraft, a Norwegian energy company, is investigating the scalability and commercial viability of Aquabattery’s technology. It will finance a pilot project for between six and 12 months in the Netherlands.