France announces 100GW solar target for 2050
France has set a new target under which it will install 5GW of new PV capacity per year.
Portable, space-saving photovoltaic towers
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed solar towers that can be moved from one place to another and can generate 20-30% more power while requiring only 50-60% space compared to conventional mounting setups.
Latent heat thermal storage with PV for nearly zero-energy buildings
Researchers in Italy are combining PV with latent heat thermal storage (LHTM) and other renewable energy sources to maximize clean energy consumption in buildings. The 47kW PV array and LHTM system work independently, but the scientists said that a heat pump could be used to link them.
Small-area, colored perovskite BIPV module with 13.9% efficiency
Through a conventional coloring technique for crystalline solar modules, scientists in Germany were able to manufacture a colorized small perovskite solar module in white marble optic displays that maintains up to 88.5% of the efficiency it had before coloring. The device was built with five cells interconnected in series and has a total area of 9cm2.
‘Solar and wind deployment could not now be stopped if we wanted to’
BloombergNEF’s Jenny Chase has surveyed the state of affairs in world solar for clean energy journal Joule and said the technology’s historic ability to surmount obstacles – and persistently confound analysts’ predictions – should offer a reason for hope.
LuxpowerTek launches 8-12kW hybrid inverter
The Chinese inverter manufacturer said the new device can be used for residential and commercial projects as well as to replace diesel power generators or as back-up power. The device features an efficiency of 97.5% and a European efficiency of 98%.
Nova Scotia blocks ‘solar tax’ proposal
Utility Nova Scotia Power wanted to impose a monthly charge on net-metered solar system owners which the Canadian Renewable Energy Association said could have doubled the payback period for household and commercial arrays.
Short payback periods for PV-powered heat pumps in Spain
Spain’s National Confederation of Installers has released a technical paper about the advantages of coupling rooftop PV with heat pumps. It says that the payback time for a solar-powered heat pump can range between two and five years.
Taiwan sets solar FITs for 2022
The new feed-in tariffs range from NT4.0031 ($0.14) to NT5.8952 ($0.21) per kWh. PV systems of all types will be applied a grid tariff of NT0.0656 ($0.002)/kWh and the funds raised through this fee will be used to set up a PV module recycling scheme.
Italian region devotes €22 million to ‘energy communities’
Italy’s Lombardy region will use €22 million to build up to 6,000 “energy communities,” for a total installed capacity of up to 1.3GW.
