Bifacial agrivoltaics for olive groves
A Spanish-Italian research team has investigated different system configurations for bifacial agrivoltaic solar arrays deployed in olive groves and has found that the solar modules’ tilt angle has a significant impact on power yield while their height plays a crucial role on increasing agricultural yield.
Slovenia’s new solar additions hit 400 MW in 2023
Slovenia recorded 400 MW of new PV installations in 2023, taking its total installed capacity to 1.1 GW, according to figures from the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy.
New mounting system for east-west C&I PV systems
Netherlands-based Autarco has developed a new mounting structure for large PV modules in commercial and industrial arrays.
California introduces bill to assess rooftop solar net metering
California Assembly member Laura Friedman has introduced a bill to require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to consider the costs and benefits of rooftop solar and its non-energy benefits when designing net-metering rates.
Unusual winter weather led to record-breaking January in Europe
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that almost all of Europe experienced 10-25% more irradiance than the long term January average. Spain, in particular, experienced significant rainfall and slightly below average irradiance, while parts of Northern Europe enjoyed clear and sunny days for much of the month.
New methodology to identify suitable land for agrivoltaics
Researchers in Sweden have outlined a new methodology to identify suitable surfaces for agrivoltaic projects in their home country. They found that approximately 8.6% – roughly 38,485 km2 – of its land has the potential to host agrivoltaic facilities.
Addressing socio-economic challenges will advance solar
In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV) presents the main findings of a recent whitepaper it published on the nexus of the socio-economic and technological challenges of solar deployment.
Croatia deployed 238.7 MW of solar in 2023
The Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia says the country’s total installed solar capacity now stands at 462.5 MW. It says the country will come close to entering the “gigawatt club” by the start of 2025.
Offshore floating PV system based on dual-axis tracker, tension leg platform
Developed by scientists in Spain, the HelioSea system is reportedly able to ensure structural reliability in challenging marine environments. The research group proposed to use tension leg platforms that have been successfully applied to offshore drilling platforms, where stability is also paramount.
Puerto Rico distributed solar rises to 680 MW, residential storage to 1.6 GWh
While distributed solar and storage are advancing quickly in Puerto Rico, utility-scale solar and storage procurements ordered by regulators in 2020 have made little progress.
