Solar module prices: A penny saved… is a panel spurned
PV module prices have finally stabilized and a slight downward trend has even started to set in. Whether this will continue depends mainly on how demand shapes up over the next few months. The softening of prices reflects a gradual build-up of inventories which need to be drawn down again this year, if possible – even if it means slashing prices. But for other PV-system components, the situation is quite different, writes Martin Schachinger of solar wholesaler pvXchange.
Color-sensing tech to remove dirt from solar panels
South African researchers have developed a new cleaning system for solar panels that uses a color-sensing light-to-frequency converter to detect dirt. It can reportedly remove around 95% of the dust from a PV panel in less than a minute, at a lower cost than other systems.
New model to predict cloud movements, improve grid integration for renewables
Meteo for Energy offers meteorological prediction and energy production models for photovoltaic, solar thermal, and wind power generation. The new model applies “deep learning” to images from the Meteosat satellite.
Agrivoltaics for soybeans
Italian researchers have looked at how soybeans could be grown in agrivoltaic installations and have found that the impact of shading is less significant than previously believed.
Novel agrivoltaic array tech for greenhouses
An Israeli startup is commercializing crop-responsive PV trackers for greenhouses. The system includes a tracking structure, a motor, a controller, and specially designed solar panels.
South Korean city to host 1.5 GW solar project at industrial site
A consortium led by Hanwha Asset Management has revealed plans to build a massive, KRW 3 trillion ($2.29 billion) solar project on rooftops and idle plots of land at an industrial complex in Daegu, South Korea.
World to expand renewable energy capacity by 75% by 2027, says IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the world will deploy as much renewable energy in the next five years as it did over the last two decades.
France introduces solar requirement for parking lots
The French parliament has approved a new measure to make it mandatory for parking lots to include solar if their surface area is more than 1,500 square meters.
Weekend read: Back to the future: Israel’s faith in FITs
Israel’s scarce land resources and lack of interconnections to neighboring countries have driven the rise of rooftop solar. Now a number of recent policy changes, mainly due to electricity reforms, are set to reinforce the decentralization trend, reports Ilias Tsagas.
Germany slashes VAT for residential PV to 0%
The German parliament has approved a new package of tax breaks for rooftop PV, including a value-added tax exemption for PV systems up to 30 kW in size.
