Persistent wildfires in Canada create cross-continental solar drag
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires has continued to suppress irradiance levels across Canada and the Eastern US into June, with impacts stretching as far as Europe.
Pocket-sized tool to identify composition of solar panel polymer backsheets, encapsulants
German researchers developed a novel pocket-sized instrument to rapidly identify the composition of solar panel polymer backsheets and encapsulants in the field. The hardware is near-infrared absorption spectroscopy (NIRA) sensor-based.
Solar-aviary projects come online in France
French renewables producer Unite has completed two solar-aviary projects selected by France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) in recent tenders for innovative PV solutions.
India’s solar potential estimated at 10.8 TW
A new study by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has estimated India’s total solar potential at 10,830 GW, significantly higher than the previous 2014 assessment of 748 GW by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The study revisits conventional solar deployment areas such as barren and unculturable lands and explores additional avenues to expand the country’s solar potential.
Hungary’s solar capacity nears 8 GW
Data from transmission system operator MAVIR shows that solar energy production in Hungary reached a new peak on June 13, producing enough energy to serve the country’s domestic electricity requirements entirely from renewables.
Abandoned coalmines could host 10% of global solar capacity
A survey of mines closed since 2020 and those planned to close by 2030 present an opportunity for installing nearly 300 GW solar on already-developed lands, finds a report from Global Energy Monitor.
Netherlands allocates 1.8 GW of PV in latest round of SDE++ program
The Netherlands has awarded 1.79 GW of solar capacity under its 2024 SDE++ renewable energy subsidy scheme, including 1,237 MW of ground-mounted projects, 448 MW of industrial rooftop systems, and 107 MW of floating installations.
Scientists see potential for 3,000 PV-powered methanol sites in Europe
Researchers have analyzed the potential implementation of green methanol from CO2 capture in existing industries, based on European GIS data. While they found 9,213 theoretically viable municipalities, the number fell to 3,016 when considering the space needed for a PV installation around the plant.
US solar grazing undergoing rapid growth
The scale of livestock grazing in agrivoltaic installations is much larger than previously understood, according to the first solar grazing census by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the American Solar Grazing Association.
New SWIR line-scan camera for silicon PV quality control
France’s New Imaging Technologies has launched a short-wave infrared line-by-line scanning camera for high-definition and high-performance silicon PV inspection systems.
