Real barriers to virtual power plants
The technology is available for virtual power plants to be rolled out across the United States, argues Jigar Shah, the director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office. Their implementation could result in a cascade of benefits, including lower electricity costs and wider adoption of distributed energy resources like rooftop PV.
Swiss grid operators to raise surplus solar tariffs by average of 55% in 2023
Switzerland’s grid rates for surplus solar power will increase from an average of CHF 0.101 ($0.10)/kWh to CHF 0.155/kWh in the year ahead, mainly due to rising electricity prices.
Ireland launches rebate scheme for rooftop PV on non-residential buildings
The maximum rebate in Ireland’s new scheme is €2,400 ($2,345) for PV systems up to 6 kW in size. It will remain at this level for 2022 and 2023.
Navitas unveils 605 W monocrystalline PERC solar module
The Indian solar manufacturer has unveiled the 60 5 W Bonito Max panel featuring 156 half-cells and a 10-busbar design. The new product has a power conversion efficiency of up to 21.64%.
Canadian Solar presents all-in-one residential battery inverter solution
The new product is available in four versions with a storage capacity ranging from 9.9 to 19.9 kWh. The battery inverter comes with a 10-year warranty and can reportedly provide steady operation for up to 6,000 charge cycles.
Amazon announces 420 MW of utility-scale solar projects in India
The U.S. e-commerce group will also install 23 rooftop systems totaling 4.09 MW across 14 cities in India.
Solaredge launches new power optimizers for commercial PV
The Israel-based power electronics specialist has unveiled two new optimizers that have both a rated input DC power of 1,2 kW, maximum efficiency of 99.5%, and weighted efficiency of 98.8%.
Work begins on 60 MW/150 MWh rooftop solar storage project in Australia
Renewable energy investment fund Solar Bay and logistic company Logos have commenced construction of Australia’s largest roof-mounted solar storage project, airlifting in the first of more than 120,000 solar panels that will be installed atop an 800,000 sqm industrial warehousing facility in south-western Sydney.
Cambodia’s steeplechase towards renewable energy
The southeast Asian country is currently applying a monthly capacity fee on rooftop PV systems and the government may halve it in an effort to spur more solar installs. Several more hurdles, however, should be removed to ensure further growth.
Hydrogen to play limited role in building energy supply
How much hydrogen is actually needed? Several German research institutes have examined 40 energy scenarios for hydrogen ramp-up and found that 15 million GWh of hydrogen will be needed worldwide by 2050.
