Residential PV

AEG is offering three versions of its new all-black solar panels, with power outputs of 435 W to 445 W and efficiency ratings ranging from 21.5% to 22.0%. They feature 108 half-cut monocrystalline cells with n-type technology.

Scientists in India have developed a 500 W seven-level inverter prototype based on switched capacitors. The device is reportedly able to achieve a high efficiency despite switching, conduction, and capacitor voltage ripple losses.

Solar capacity has rapidly grown in the United States, while manufacturing costs have fallen, prompting the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) to predict that PV will generate 14% more electricity than hydroelectric facilities in 2024.

France installed 2.2 GW of solar in the first nine months of 2023, bringing the nation’s cumulative installed PV capacity to 19 GW by the end of September.

The European Commission said last week it has greenlighted a €5.7 billion ($6.24 billion) scheme for Italy to develop renewable energy communities up to 1 MW in size.

Switzerland-based Studer says its new infra product can include up to 24 kW of solar and 30 kWh of battery storage. The system has two 12 kW inputs for solar panels and uses 5 kWh batteries from Italian manufacturer Weco.

Netherlands-based developer of lightweight PV systems, Rable Group, claims its new rooftop PV solution can be installed in 20 minutes without the need for special permitting or modifications to the fuse box.

Large-scale reconductoring of existing transmission lines could cost-effectively double transmission capacity within existing rights-of-way, a study says. Renewable energy projects near reconductored transmission lines could more easily interconnect.

Weiheng Ecactus has unveiled its new Tianwu battery system, with 233 kWh of capacity and 100 kW of output, giving users the flexibility to connect up to 10 units in parallel.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in November, weather patterns have started to resemble the characteristic El Niño signature, with low pressure in the northwest Pacific, and an enhanced subtropical jet stream spreading from the Pacific across the southern United States.