Residential PV

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that this winter brought dry and warm conditions to most of South America, resulting in higher-than-normal irradiance across the continent. The conditions have been particularly dry in the Amazon basin, favoring wildfire activity, and the resulting smoke has reduced solar irradiance along the plume’s path.

A report from marketplace operator EnergySage noted that average system costs are declining, and payback periods are improving. It highlighted a recent market share capture from Tesla in the inverter and energy storage market.

The novel heat pump concept should enable ready-to-use energy storage even in already existing installations. It features capabilities that easily detect self-consumption of PV energy, maximizing the amount of energy that can be produced and consumed on-site

Portugal-based Effizency, a developer of sales software for solar PV and heat pump solution providers, has launched a new web-based simulator module that its customers can use to deliver initial price quotes and savings estimates to potential buyers.

A group of researchers has proposed a new method for the sizing of PV systems that do not rely on an anti-dump system and operate without the possibility of injecting power into the grid. The novel approach requires an estimate of the annual hourly profile and the minimum power demanded, as well as the use of an irradiance meter and an electrical network analyzer.

The German company said its new products are suitable for PV systems with tilt angles ranging from 0 to 15.6 degrees.

Créawatt unveiled this week a new version of its ultra-light Luxsiol photovoltaic system for zinc roofs. It weighs only 3.25 kg/m2 enabling all types of flat roofs made of bitumen, PVC, ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, or T333/T250 steel sheet.

Once electricity prices hit $0.25/kWh, disconnecting from the grid with residential solar-plus-storage starts to become financially viable, with sunny places making strong financial arguments. With recent drops in battery prices, the case for leaving the grid has grown even stronger.

Gavin Newson rejected a bill that would restore a level playing field for schools, farms, and multi-family homes to go solar

There’s a rejuvenated feeling in the UK solar market where a new government is making positive signals and considering key policy changes aimed at speeding up project commissioning. For storage, there’s still serious interest in utility-scale deployment with some significant projects in the pipeline.