Brazil’s PV capacity hits 55 GW
Brazil has installed 37.4 GW of distributed solar and 17.6 GW of large-scale PV capacity to date.
Agrivoltaics for radicchio
An Italian research team has found that radicchio seedlings grown in a lab-scale greenhouse with a perovskite solar PV roof exhibited faster growth and larger leaves than the bare glass reference. In addition, simulations of such a PV roof revealed a positive energy balance, satisfying the energy demands of a typical greenhouse located in Italy.
Panama installs 143.4 MW of new solar in 2024
Panama built 143.4 MW of new solar in 2024, bringing its total installed PV capacity to 695.55 MW by the end of the year.
Israel plans two different tariffs for rooftop solar under net metering
Israel is considering two new tariff rates for selling excess electricity from home solar installations back to the grid. The first will offer a higher rate for the first five years, before dropping beneath the current rate, while the second will link the tariff to inflation. A consultation is open until April 4.
New passive solar module cooling tech based on lightweight hydrogel
Researchers at Thailand’s Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology demonstrated a novel hydrogel that has high cooling effect on silicon PV panels. The lightweight technology purportedly enables a temperature drop of 23 C, from 70 to 47 C, and a relative 12.3% power conversion efficiency increase.
Cadmium telluride vs. crystalline silicon in agrivoltaics
Researchers in Canada have compared strawberry growth under uniform illumination from semi-transparent thin-film cadmium telluride panels and non-uniform illumination from semi-transparent crystalline silicon modules. Their analysis considered metrics such as fresh weight, height, leaf count, chlorophyll content, soil temperature and humidity.
Dual-component controller for three-phase solar inverters can reduce overshoot to less than 0.33%
An international research team has conceived a dual-component controller for three-phase inverters that can reportedly achieve faster settling times, reduced overshoot and more stable current tracking compared to conventional controllers.
Thermocold launches new air-to-water heat pumps
The Italian manufacturer said its new heat pumps use R454B as a refrigerant and have coefficient of performance of up to 3.35.
Compressed air energy storage system for homes, businesses
Segula Technologies has launched its Remora Stack product, a containerized isothermal air compression storage solution the company claims is 70% efficient.
Mandatory switch to smart meters on track in Flanders
Belgian grid operator Fluvius says it is on course to finish installing smart meters in all solar-powered homes in the Belgian region of Flanders by the end of this year.
