Residential PV

Following on from a partnership in 2017, Kostal and BYD are looking to further strengthen their ties under a new deal, which will see them provide storage solutions to the residential and commercial solar segments.

The U.S. state’s recent passage of SB 100 and SB 700 is expected to spur a boom in solar and behind-the-meter battery deployment. pv magazine has done the math on what we can expect.

Under the current scheme, rooftop PV remains far below its huge potential in the country. Regulatory, administrative and financial hurdles are preventing more electricity consumers from installing rooftop arrays, as well as the resistance of local utilities.

In the second quarter, India installed solar projects amounting to 52% less capacity quarter-over-quarter, due to uncertainties around trade cases, module price fluctuations and PPA renegotiations prompted by record low solar tender bids.

Through a new tender the Jordanian government is seeking bids for the construction of a second solar facility at the Azraq camp. The project will be financed with European Union funds.

The sunny, dry summer has seen solar break several records and PV kept the lights on when a lack of coolant – caused by rising river water temperatures – led to the temporary shuttering of conventional power plants in France and Germany.

The first-half results appear to indicate a renaissance for a thin-film manufacturer still suspended from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but a strategy of having affiliate companies invest in Chinese industrial parks to secure returns from the resulting orders for manufacturing equipment, may make would-be investors uneasy.

According to South African research institute CSIR, the southeast African nation may raise its target for rooftop solar to 50,000 installations by 2030. The institute is seeking consultants to define the future solar roadmap for the country.

RECC survey respondents say they will face major job cuts if solar tariffs are phased out in April, as proposed by the UK government. Reportedly more than 75% of jobs in the UK’s solar sector could be lost. A previous cut in tariffs prompted the loss of 9,000 jobs. Last week the industry sent an open letter to the energy minister opposing the policy.

The first round of Ireland’s newly introduced Enduring Connection Policy – 1 (ECP-1), introduced at the beginning of the year, has resulted in considerable success for solar PV and battery storage, with the technologies clearly outcompeting various forms of gas-fired generation, biomass, and wind energy.