Residential PV

The transformer-free products have a power range of 3-6 kW and efficiency of 97.8%. The Chinese manufacturer says the devices are designed to accurately match the voltage and phase of the grid sine wave AC waveform.

Historically underreported by the U.S. Fire Administration, fires at solar installations rose 36% from 2017 to 2018. With residential installations representing the majority of fires, infrared imaging could be the key to bringing the number down.

Today’s edition of the Official Journal of the French Republic featured two long-awaited decrees: One concerning the multi-year energy program and another on national carbon budgets and the state’s low-carbon strategy.

A team tasked by the European Commission with estimating the raw material requirements of the European energy transition found if global PV roll-out is high, and the component requirements of certain solar technologies don’t improve by a greater margin, some elements could end up in short supply.

Up to 150 GW of PV and wind projects could be postponed or canceled throughout the Asia-Pacific region by 2024 if the coronavirus-triggered recession continues beyond the current year, according to new research by Wood Mackenzie.

Solar capacity is expected to grow to unthinkable levels in the tiny country, according to a new report by Netbeheer Nederland. Under one scenario in which regional governments and companies would take the lead in the energy transition, cumulative solar capacity could reach 125 GW. Under a second scenario, in which growth would be driven by the central government, total PV capacity could hit 106 GW.

EuPD Research estimates around 65,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year thanks to increasingly popular solar arrays and electric vehicles as well as rising electricity prices.

Dutch solar distributor Enie is offering to buy rooftop PV systems from cash-strapped owners who will then receive a monthly leasing fee before regaining ownership of the hardware a decade on. The company will pay around 85% of the initial cost of the arrays but said it will not consider systems with ‘poor’ design or components.

The Italian market saw a year-on-year increase in new installations as several unsubsidized solar parks came online. Most of last year’s new capacity arrived in November and December. The regions with largest volumes were big-solar magnets Apulia and Sardinia.

Dutch company Triple Solar has launched a photovoltaic thermal solar panel for residential buildings which can be connected to a brine or water heat pump. The manufacturer says the heating system based on the panel is an ideal alternative to less efficient air and water heat pumps and more expensive geothermal systems. The grid-connected PV system can export excess power under net metering programs.