Residential PV

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that variations in weather patterns, including El Niño and regional droughts, shaped solar energy performance worldwide last year.

A British-Swedish research team has reviewed all models for designing and simulating solar-powered heat pumps systems of various complexities. Based on this work, the scientists proposed a new method combining five models across multiple computer programs into a single analysis tool that reportedly produces accurate critical metrics for technical, economic, and climate impact analysis.

As the penetration of variable renewable energy increases, curtailment of solar PV generation will only increase. Since curtailment will almost always be cheaper than investing in new transmission capacity or new grid-scale storage, curtailed energy should be rewarded, so that PV investment decisions can include curtailment as one of the flexibility options for grid operators.

The Korean manufacturer said its new products are now available in the North American market and are suitable for multi-unit homes, apartments, new-builds and retrofits. The systems work with new AI technology and reportedly perform better when connected to a PV system.

The new government of Jordan has been described by analysts as progressive on clean energy. Public support for solar has already been widespread, with tariffs for home systems encouraging people to adopt low-cost energy.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellite is now beginning operational testing. The new satellite will offer sharper and more detailed, frequent imagery, providing a significant boost to solar irradiance estimates.

Scientists have designed a system that combines solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage to operate water pumping systems in Jordan. They simulated it under several scenarios in search of the optimal size.

An international research team has analyzed which factors contribute to fire accidents in PV facades and has found that the distance between the wall and the photovoltaic modules plays a crucial role. The scientists also said project developers should attentively consider what combustible materials are embedded in the wall cavity.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, while much of the Americas will see cloudier weather than normal for the season, particularly in the eastern United States and parts of central Brazil, Europe’s solar outlook is split with high pressure over central regions bringing clearer skies to the Iberian Peninsula. Across Asia, cloud cover is expected for India and the Far East, while Australia’s northern and eastern regions are likely to enjoy abundant sunshine.

A scientist in Sweden has developed a new hybrid local features-based method using thermographs to identify faulty solar panels.