The US deployed 3.8 GW of solar in Q3
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, solar accounts for 43% of all new electric generating capacity additions through Q3 2020, more than any other electricity source.
Bulgaria and Romania set to be EU solar hotspots
Each of the nations, like Greece, will have gigawatt-plus solar additions in 2024, according to Solarpower Europe, enough to carve out a 3% slice of an anticipated 35 GW regional market.
Greece supports rooftop PV and residential storage through energy efficiency program
Launched in November, the “saving-autonomous” program is currently seeing strong interest from homeowners. The program has an €850 million budget and is intended at enabling around 600,000 homeowners to make their houses more energy-efficient by 2030. It includes the installation of a rooftop PV system in the frame of a renovation project.
Extreme weather causing US solar insurance premiums to explode
Catastrophic weather events in Texas and California have led to steep increases in insurance premium costs, according to a new analysis by Norton Rose Fulbright.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Another 50 GW solar module factory in sight
Meanwhile, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) has confirmed that newly installed PV capacity for this year should be around 40 GW.
Photovoltaic-thermal district heating networks are feasible
A group of scientists and companies in the Netherlands has tested a PVT heating concept in a green district and has found that the proposed design, which is also based on underground storage and the use of heat pumps, is technically and economically feasible.
African Development Bank opens $50-60m pot for off-grid solar Covid recovery
The development lender has established a Covid-19 Off-Grid Recovery Platform with impact investors from the Netherlands, U.S. and U.K., to offer affordable loans to off-grid solar companies operating in Africa.
Solar facade for 3D-printed concrete house
Taiwan-based Heliartec has deployed a solar facade on a 3D-printed concrete house in Belgium. It said it installed the solar facade with the “circular construction” philosophy in mind.
US scientists apply Suns-VoC method to outdoor PV tests
Researchers in Arizona have used the Suns-VoC characterization method for indoor solar cell testing to monitor PV installations. The method can also be used with outdoor distributed-generation and large-scale solar arrays.
Solar greenhouse for crops
Scientists in Canada have created a greenhouse that is exclusively heated by solar panels. The rooftop PV system is not connected to the grid, but is linked to four batteries with a total capacity of 5.56 kWh.
