Residential PV

Tongwei is offering six versions of its monofacial monocrystalline panels, with power outputs ranging from 400 W to 430 W and power conversion efficiencies between 20.1% and 21.7%.

An international research group has developed a new Aalborg inverter design for high-power applications in solar arrays. The device has fewer switches than conventional, voltage-source inverters and can reportedly improve PV system performance by reducing switching losses.

Component cost declines, local manufacturing and distributed energy are the three big trends for the renewable energy sector this year, according to S&P Global.

The Dutch heat pump market grew by 57% in 2022, with 70,000 heat pumps installed in new buildings and 40,000 in existing homes. The Dutch Heat Pump Association (DHPA) now wants to focus on investing in solar-thermal heat pumps and bringing the technology to low-income households.

Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) says in a new report that snow has damaged 43 PV installations of different sizes over the past four years. It urges PV system owners to conduct regular site inspections, use surveillance cameras, and remove snow at early stages.

Tony Danker, head of the Confederation of British Industry, in January warned the UK is at risk of squandering the vast economic opportunities available to nations investing in the energy transition. Christophe Williams, CEO of solar thermal company Naked Energy agrees, and here spells out some of the urgent actions Rishi Sunak’s government must take to place solar thermal – and PV – at the heart of a green revolution.

Italian researchers have reviewed different system configurations for photovoltaic-thermal solar-assisted heat pumps in buildings. They say that using the PV-thermal collector as the heat pump’s evaporator results in the highest heat recovery, but a dual-source system with a separate heat exchanger is the most promising solution to cover all thermal needs.

RoyPow introduced a new residential lithium-ferro-phosphate battery this week at Intersolar North America in Long Beach, California.

TrendForce says solar demand could grow by more than 53.4% this year due to lower module prices and delayed projects from 2021 and 2022 that are now going online. China will be the largest market this year with 148.9 GW, followed by the United States with 40.5 GW, India with 17.2 GW, Brazil with 14.2 GW, Germany with 11.8 GW, Spain with 11.4 GW, and Japan with 8 GW.

Enteligent’s new charger, which debuted at Intersolar North America this week, is powered by the sun and eliminates DC-to-AC power conversion.