Residential PV

China sold the most heat pumps in the world in 2022, but Europe recorded the highest growth in overall sales, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says Italy, France, and Germany accounted for almost half of all sales in Europe, and notes that air-to-water heat pumps were the most popular technology.

The Irish cabinet plans to present a new measure in its finance bill this week to eliminate value-added tax (VAT) on solar products.

Austria’s new incentive program will support the deployment of residential batteries with storage capacities of 4 kWh to 50 kWh.

High interest rates and hefty capex drove up the average payback time for solar in Germany, Spain and Italy to around 20 years in 2022, according to a new report by SolarPower Europe (SPE) and Energy Brainpool. pv magazine recently spoke with SPE Market Analyst Christophe Lits to crunch the numbers.

Property developer Steenoven and an undisclosed construction contractor have started drilling a borehole for a new thermal energy storage system in the historic city of Bruges, Belgium.

China’s DAH Solar has developed a turnkey solar system with a plug-in connection for residential applications. The kit can reach a maximum size of 2,279 mm × 1,134 mm × 32mm and weighs up to 59.8 kg.

Three years ago, Tesla said it expected to install 1,000 solar rooftop arrays per week, which would have amounted to 156,000 Solar Roofs in that time period. However, Wood Mackenzie reports that just 3,000 have been installed to date.

Canada’s new policy plan mirrors the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including two new input tax credits (ITCs) targeting clean energy and technology manufacturing that will remain at 30% through 2033, stepping down to 15% in 2034 before phasing out altogether after 2034.

A European Union-funded project is bringing building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) solutions to eight historical cities in Europe. pv magazine recently spoke with Júlia Pereira, project coordinator for EDP New, about the innovative solutions being blended into the landscape in Évora, Portugal.

While it initially had a chilling effect on the Polish residential solar market, the transition from net metering to net billing has also resulted in positive changes, such as better sizing of rooftop PV systems and a higher rate of self-consumption, says Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej (IEO), a Polish research body.