Atlantic blast hits European solar production
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that irradiance and PV production was more than 15% below normal during February across most of Europe, due to thick clouds in moist westerly winds from the Atlantic.
Mexico’s distributed solar installations hit 700 MW in 2023
Mexico had 3.33 GW of cumulative distributed solar capacity at the end of December 2023, on 700 MW of new additions for the full year.
Tests show rooftop fires propagate slowly with vertical PV systems
New tests conducted by the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute have shown that vertical PV installations offer improved fire safety compared to conventional diagonal or flat solar arrays. The experiment showed, in particular, how rapidly a fire can propagate under inclined panels.
After-sale support key to boosting off-grid solar
A new survey from US-based impact measurement company 60 Decibels shows off-grid energy customers are currently facing a series of challenges such as product affordability, gender inequality, customer support, further investment in minigrids, and over-indebtedness. The report, however, reveals that most users say the quality of their lives “very much improved” thanks to off-grid PV.
Colombia’s large-scale PV capacity additions hit 207 MW in 2023
Colombia’s cumulative installed utility-scale PV capacity hit 486 MW at the end of December 2023, on 207 MW of new installations for the full year.
European Parliament approves legal requirement to install solar on buildings
Legislation that would require EU member states to integrate solar installations into future building works, and retroactively install PV on buildings, is one step closer to becoming law, after being approved by members of the European Parliament.
Belgium’s 2023 solar capacity additions hit 1.8 GW
Belgium’s cumulative installed PV capacity surpassed 10 GW at the end of December 2023.
Policy recommendations to support U.S. rooftop solar installations
Rooftop solar has the technical potential to serve 45% of electricity demand, based on 2022 demand levels, according to a new report from Environment America. As of that year, it served about 1.5% of consumed electricity.
Israel’s new PV installations hit 1.1 GW in 2023
Official data from the Electricity Authority of Israel show that the country installed 1,108 MW of new solar capacity in 2023. Renewable energy covered 12.5% of Israel’s electricity demand last year.
Beny launches PV-ready EV charging station
Beny New Energy says its new charger can deliver power at a range of 360 kW—600 kW. It supports various connection standards.
