Commercial & Industrial PV

Utility-scale solar is set to crank up the voltage, preparing to shift from 1.5 kV to 2 kV on the DC side. It is a move that could redefine PV system design and slash costs, but it won’t happen globally due to vastly different regulations as voltages rise, reports Tristan Rayner.

China will replace its feed-in tariff (FIT) system with a fully market-driven renewable energy pricing model by June 2025, shifting wind and solar projects to competitive bidding and market transactions. The reform aims to enhance competition but raises uncertainty over future returns for investors.

VDE Americas’ new hail risk atlas, now available for use on the Esri ArcGIS platform, can compare and evaluate the site-specific hail risk of current and future solar projects across the United States.

Slovenia’s solar market slowed in 2024, but the residential segment maintained the largest share as it adjusted to the phase-out of net metering and a new electricity tariff system.

Cyprus’ Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry has launched a subsidy scheme for energy storage systems paired with existing renewable energy plants. Eligible projects will be remunerated by feed-in tariffs (FiTs) or net billing systems.

Researchers in China have investigated the effect of the overhead height and tilt angle on thermal and energy-saving performance of photovoltaic roof and have found that the comprehensive energy-saving efficiency of parallel overhead photovoltaic roofs are optimal in summer and the worst in winter.

France’s 2025 Budget Law exempts energy communities with projects up to 1 MW from excise duty on electricity consumption. The measure applies retroactively from Jan. 1, 2025, and remains in effect until Jan. 1, 2027.

Colombia installed 1.6 GW of solar in 2024, bringing its total capacity to 1.87 GW by year-end. Industry group Ser Colombia says 33 utility-scale projects accounting for 1,410 MW were added to the grid.

Developed by a research team including experts from Australian specialist Clearvue, the new PV windows were also able to reduce water usage in a greenhouse by 29%. The group believes that a fully glazed solar greenhouse could offset up to 100% of the energy consumption in worldwide locations by using adaptable and efficient temperature control techniques.

The Canadian building-integrated PV manufacturer has launched semi-transparent and opaque solar PV railing systems for balconies or walkways, for retrofit or new buildings. The products are delivered with support bars, concealed cabling and a choice of mounting systems.