Residential PV

Alion Energy trackers thread the return-on-investment needle with productivity gains from white roofs and bifacial modules, while design aggressively maximizes module count.

China’s DMEGC has released new solar panels with power conversion efficiencies of up to 21.2% and temperature coefficients of -0.33% per degree Celsius. They can be used with maximum system voltages of 1,000 V or 1,500 V.

Spain recorded a 50% decrease in solar radiation due to bad weather in March – the biggest decline since the beginning of satellite records in 1994. By contrast, irradiation levels in Germany and the Balkans were 45% higher during the same period.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is overseeing bids from prospective contractors to supply, install and commission solar cold storage capacity in Senegal, Sudan, and Seychelles. Bidding is also open for two 2 MT systems in Djibouti.

Australian renewables startup Okra Solar has raised $3 million to scale up distribution of its solar-based hardware and software solutions. It aims to electrify more than 290,000 off-grid homes in Nigeria over the next three years, while also expanding its operations in countries such as Haiti.

The European Investment Bank says a new €10 million ($10.5 million) loan will offer electricity access to almost 650,000 people in Benin.

New research from LUT University shows that there is no single correct orientation for a PV installation.

India’s Natural Battery Technologies has developed lithium-based battery inverters that can be charged with solar power. The batteries are designed for residential and commercial use, with storage capacities typically ranging from 1.5 kWh to 20 kWh.

French manufacturer 2CA has developed a 20%-efficient solar module that weighs four times less than a glass-glass module of the same size. It claims the frameless, self-supporting panel could be used for lightweight applications at military camps and other remote locations.

An Italian-Greek research group has developed a large-area perovskite solar panel with graphene-doped electron transporting layers. With increasing temperatures, the module exhibits a smaller drop in open-circuit voltage than commercially available crystalline silicon panels.