Applications & Installations
Among energy technologies, solar is unique in its flexibility and range of applications. Rapidly growing niches including floating PV and agrivoltaics are proving their worth alongside the more established rooftop and ground mount market segments.
Hybrid systems combining solar with energy storage and other generation technologies are also becoming more common, in the pursuit of 24/7 emissions free energy. And this brings our industry into more frequent contact with other concerns, that need to be carefully managed.
Latest News
Design for all climates
From alpine snow loads to desert dust and tropical humidity, PV systems are increasingly being deployed in environments that place modules and components under very diverse stressors. As more solar moves into these regions, project design needs to look beyond nameplate efficiency to center around the climate it will face for decades.
Australia backs goal of 150 million new rooftop solar systems globally by 2030
Australia has endorsed a global plan to double the number of homes in the world with rooftop solar, from 150 to 300 million by 2030 via the Global Rooftop Solar Declaration announced at the 2026 Pacific Pre-COP meeting in Fiji.
PowerChina switches on 1 GW PV-CSP hybrid plant in northwestern China
PowerChina has completed grid connection of a 1 GW hybrid solar project in Qinghai province, China. The facility combines 900 MW of solar PV capacity with a 100 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant featuring eight hours of molten-salt thermal storage and a 20 MW electric heater to store surplus PV electricity.
High defect rates drag down solar performance and yield, finds report
HelioVolta’s 2026 SolarGrade PV Health Report, based on inspections of nearly 8 GW across over 1,500 solar projects in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, found widespread safety and quality concerns, with 87% of projects requiring urgent corrective action and 8% facing critical issues.Design for all climates
South African utility Eskom has extended its waiver of registration-related fees for small-scale solar systems until further notice. Its grid connection fee waiver now applies to solar installations up to 50 kVA in size that are connected directly to its distribution network. Eskom began campaigning for all South African customers with small-scale embedded generators up …
