Commercial & Industrial PV

A Dutch-German research team has tested how a series of framed messages may be used to boost PV system sales, addressing both self-interest and environmental concerns, and has found that all the proposed messages are effective at promoting the purchase of solar panel installations.

Researchers in Denmark have studied the technical and economic feasibility of biomethanation through large-scale PV power generation. They said that the intermittent PV-driven biomethanation process matches the efficiency of continuous processes after several days.

Across Africa, rooftop solar is stepping in to fill the void as fears of non-payment and inflation-reduced donor funding dampen enthusiasm for big solar. Commercial and industrial (C&I) arrays are leading the charge, driving consolidation in markets overstocked with startup and mid-size installers.

Scientists in the Netherlands have sought to understand the reason for unexpected gains in vertical PV systems and found that these installations have a much higher heat transfer coefficient than their horizontally deployed counterparts.

Four expert panelists shared their views at the recent pv magazine Roundtables US 2023 live event on the California rooftop solar market. They said that energy storage will need to play an increasingly important role.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s southern region is primed for “huge” utility-scale solar development, Assistant Professor Farooq Sher tells pv magazine. He came to this recent conclusion after two years of researching the Balkan country’s current renewable energy capacity and potential.

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has determined that Antora Energy’s solar-plus-storage system meets the US military’s stringent standards, as it significantly outperforms emergency diesel generators in survivability probabilities.

Optimizing PV systems in partial shading conditions presents a multifaceted challenge, demanding a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between power electronics and PV technology. Shading scenarios exert a significant influence on system performance, with practical insights tailored to various shading conditions, offering guidance for stakeholders in PV planning. Collaborative efforts within the PV industry are directed at enhancing planning tools, seeking to streamline and improve the accuracy of PV system designs, and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable energy future.

Scientists in the UK have utilized data from two different satellites – Sentinel-2 and MODIS – to develop a new and more accurate approach to estimated albedo for bifacial PV systems in complex landscapes. The novel methodology reportedly achieved a much lower normalized root mean square error than reference methods relying on MODIS only.

Ensol, a French startup serving the residential PV and home energy solution market, has raised €3 million in venture capital from Paris-based investors, Otium Capital, a fund that backs early-stage companies, and BetterAngle, a business angel group.