PV string fault detection technique based on multi-layer neural network
Scientists in India have proposed using a multilayer neural network to find line-to-ground, line-to-line, and bypass diode faults in PV module strings. They tested the new approach on a 22.5 kW solar array and reportedly achieved “competitive” accuracy results.
Combining residential air heat pumps with air-geothermal heat exchangers
Researchers in Italy have found that combining residential air heat pumps with air-geothermal heat exchangers may reduce power consumption by up to 30%. They tested the proposed combination using Matlab in a passive single-family building located in Valtellina, northern Italy.
Brazil’s new PV additions hit 6 GW in January-April period
Brazil added 6 GW of new PV capacity between January and April. ABSolar, the Brazilian PV association, says the country has now cumulatively deployed 43 GW of solar capacity, with around 24 GW from PV systems below 75 kW in size.
Italy deploys 1.72 GW of new PV systems in Q1
Italy installed 1.72 GW of new solar capacity in the first quarter, bringing its cumulative installed PV capacity to 32.0 GW by the end of March, according to Italia Solare, the nation’s solar energy association.
Sharp unveils new TOPCon solar modules
The Japanese electronics manufacturer has launched the NU-JC440 and NU-JC430B panels with efficiencies of 22.53% and 22.02%, respectively. Both products are IEC/EN61215 and IEC/EN61730-certified and rely on M10 wafers.
India set to install 21.2 GW of solar in fiscal 2025
JMK Research projects that 21.2 GW of new solar capacity will be installed in India in fiscal 2025. The new additions will include 16.5 GW of utility-scale PV, 4 GW of rooftop solar, and 700 MW of off-grid installations.
Car park solar roofing system for off-grid solution
The versatility of solar mounting manufacturer and balance-of-system provider Clenergy’s ezShade 2.0 solar shade system has been put to the test with the solution at the core of a standalone power system fuelling an off-grid communications site in remote northern Queensland.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Cumulative PV capacity tops 670 GW
China’s cumulative PV capacity has surpassed 670 GW. The nation deployed approximately 60.5 GW of new solar in the first four months of 2024, including 14.37 GW in April alone.
When is the next Aurora due and what’s the impact on solar generation?
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, explains that the solar cycle does tend to increase the earth’s average annual extra-terrestrial irradiance, but only by a very small amount. It also explains that, while the annual cycle of extra-terrestrial irradiance causes a steady, predictable and significant 3.5% change through the seasonal cycle, the peak of the 11-year cycle of solar activity causes a smaller, more sporadic and unpredictable set of fluctuations.
California is now a batteries-based rooftop solar market
About 60% of energy customers in California have included battery energy storage with their rooftop solar installations. However, a “sustained downturn” is expected for the market.
