Commercial & Industrial PV

News statistics from South African utility Eskom show that the country added 1.82 GW of new distributed-generation PV capacity in the first six months of this year. However, PV analyst Chris Ahlfedlt warns that the published numbers could also include some utility-scale projects.

Scientists in Korea have built a light-emitting diode (LED) facade that can be used in combination with building-integrated PV, with minimal power loss caused by shading. The grid-type LED display can be used as a media façade in buildings making PV power generation more aesthetically appealing.

Fracsun says it will team up with App Orchid to develop a soiling-loss database and simulation tool.

Massimo Albino Russo, head of business development for Enerqos Energy Solutions, recently spoke with pv magazine Italy about its smart O&M service to detect dysfunctions in solar arrays hit by hail. The Ameresco Group subsidiary uses drones and artificial intelligence to deal with PV system damage.

Kostt, Kosovo’s market operator, has launched a tender for the construction of a 100 MW solar plant. It will offer a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to the selected developer.

Weidmüller USA, a manufacturer of electrical connectivity solutions, has introduced new PV DC Combiner Box models for large-scale PV systems in the US.

A Colorado farmer has installed vertical bifacial solar, leveraging greenhouse albedo to increase output. The installation demonstrates promising generation during winter months, while maximizing limited land space.

India’s cumulative solar capacity reached 70.10 GW on June 30. The states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka accounted for more than 50% of the total.

The Croatian government has adopted bylaws to the Spatial Planning Act that define agrivoltaic installations and the areas in which they can be deployed, in order to facilitate future deployment.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America this month. July’s high pressure in the southwest and trough in the northeast dramatically influenced the region’s solar energy production. Persistent high-pressure systems in the southwest led to frequent clear skies and warm air masses, driving up solar irradiance and enhancing potential solar power generation.