Australia’s ‘unsafe’ solar installation standards under fire
Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar deployment, but the head of Queensland-based renewables company REA Global has criticized the nation’s solar installation standards for being out of date and unsafe.
Exploring the depths of Europe’s oldest grid-connected PV system
A 10 kW PV system has been feeding electricity into the Swiss power network since 1982. A research team has investigated the performance of the array’s first 35 years of life and has found that solar modules can target – at least in temperate climates – service lifetimes of 35 years, and that the bill of materials matters, a lot!
China set to mandate solar on at least 20% of residential roofs in pilot counties
State body the NEA has given its provincial offices until July 15th to suggest counties where a solar mandate – which rises to at least half of all government roofspace – can be rolled out. Selected companies will be awarded whole-county contracts.
Solar water pumps – cheaper, easier but routinely underestimated
Australia’s Commodore Independent Energy Systems has evaluated how much customers save by using solar water pumps compared to diesel or mains-connected pumps.
Electrification could drive 51 GW of solar in Canada by 2050
And that figure is based on a less ambitious climate change policy than the one Ottawa has committed to since the North American Renewable Integration Study started, in 2018.
Floating PV and flow batteries to power highways’ junction in the Netherlands
A floating PV array coupled to flow batteries is planned to power the operations of a new road under construction to connect two highways in the Netherlands. The project is aimed, in particular, at powering ventilation, lighting, and other installations of a tunnel.
New three-phase hybrid inverter series from Sunways
The new hybrid inverter series has an efficiency of up to 98.2% and a European efficiency of up to 97.4%. The device offers multiple connections with a maximum of 10 units in parallel to expand the AC output power.
‘Low-cost renewable hydrogen may already be in reach’
If the three record-busting low solar price tariffs recorded in the Middle East in the past 18 months are to be believed, renewables-powered hydrogen in prime sites in the region could already compete with gas-plus-CCS production, according to IRENA. Has the Gulf discovered the new petrol?
Germany commits another €238m for clean power and energy efficiency in Bangladesh
The cheap loan package agreed at the weekend is part of a wider €340 million development deal and extends Germany’s record of promoting the energy transition of the South Asian nation.
India added 1 GW of solar during Covid-hit April and May
The nation installed 1 GW of solar power capacity and 0.2 GW wind during the pandemic-hit first two months of the current fiscal year. The cumulative addition was double that of the same period during the previous year
