India set to record best year ever for new PV additions in 2021
India installed 7.4 GW of new solar capacity in the first nine months of 2021, putting this year on track to become one of the best 12-month periods on record for new PV installations.
Deploying solar on curved metal roofs
Midsummer and Medacciai are developing a BIPV solution for curved metal roofs in southern European markets, through a five-year deal.
New solution to store residential, commercial PV electricity as green hydrogen
Germany’s Home Power Solutions has developed a hydrogen storage solution with a capacity of up to 15,000 kWh. The Picea system stores excess electricity from rooftop PV systems in the form of green hydrogen.
EU prepares way for 0% VAT on several goods, solar panels for residential use now on proposed list
The European Council has approved a proposal to amend the EU rules on rates of value-added tax (VAT) to give member states more flexibility to set them. If adopted, solar panels for residential and ‘public interest’ applications would be included in the list of goods and services for which a maximum of 5% VAT could be levied.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigates Tesla over alleged solar system fire negligence
The lawsuit stems from a 2019 whistleblower complaint alleging that the company failed to properly notify its shareholders, customers and the public of fire risks associated with solar panel system defects over the course of several years.
New provisions may help Italy unlock 110 GW PV project pipeline with grid-connection requests
The Italia Solare Forum event held in Rome last week has shown, once again, that permitting for both large scale and distributed generation projects remains the main barrier to remove to make Italy get the benefits of its huge solar potential. Despite recent progress, new provisions, and a slight increase in new PV capacity, the Italian market may be, again, unable to surpass 1 GW this year.
Hybrid wind-solar generator for rooftop applications
French startup Wind my Roof has developed a new wind power system equipped with two rooftop PV modules. It is currently testing a prototype in Paris.
New tool to understand component failure rate in PV-related fires
Scientists have developed a new model based on fault tree analysis to evaluate the frequency of fires caused by rooftop PV systems and assess system safety and reliability. They claim that the new tool has the potential to identify fault linkages in systems, highlight failure patterns before they arise, and compare multiple designs for safety.
Cost optimal solutions for residential solar-powered heat pumps in cold climates, isolated areas
A U.S.-Swedish research group has investigated the complex economic relationship between PV and heat pumps in cold climates under four different levels of electrification. It found that, compared to propane, solar heat pumps can reduce reduce costs by up to 20% and carbon emissions by 30%.
Invergy to set up residential-solar inverter factory in India
Director Deepak Pandey is confident the company’s hybrid devices – which are lead-acid and lithium battery compatibility – will replace the existing market.
