Residential PV

Daniel Westerman, the CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), says that renewable curtailment in Australia has risen by approximately 40% from last year.

An international research group developed the PyPSA-Earth model for energy system and power studies, technology evaluation, phase-out plans, diversification, and market simulations. It offers accessibility to countries without defined energy planning scenarios.

Bidgely, an energy data software startup, has developed the 8760 Energy Model, a data set and report that provides utilities and industry stakeholders with behind-the-meter energy data, tracked at an hourly level throughout the year.

Scientists have used the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) HOMER software to calculate the degradation of solar panels deployed in two rooftop PV systems operating in Germany since 2003. Their calculations focused on the energy productivity of the systems.

In the second week of May, the solar photovoltaic energy production registered a record maximum hourly value in Portugal, adding to the streak of records for this technology in Europe during 2023. In the electricity markets, the prices remained stable with an upward trend, except in the MIBEL and the Nordic markets where the prices decreased. Zero price hours were registered at the weekend in the MIBEL market and negative ones in the Netherlands. Gas futures registered the lowest price since July 2021.

A new study by Central Electricity Authority assesses the least-cost, optimal generation capacity mix to meet India’s projected electricity demand for the 2029-30 period.

UK-based Ideal Heating has developed an air-source heat pump for the UK residential market. It is available in two versions with a heating output of 8.2 kW or 10.3 kW and uses R32 as the refrigerant. It says the heat pump can be paired with rooftop solar to maximize self-consumption.

The Indian solar sector experienced major shifts in market share during 2022, driven by policy changes such as the implementation of basic customs duty on cells and modules and the introduction of an approved list of models and manufacturers, according to Mercom.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has replaced the 2011 UL 1699B standard with its new IEC 63027 standard for inverters, incorporating arc fault detectors. The objective is to improve safety and efficiency in inverter technology.

Spanish researchers have studied the potential of rooftop PV in microbreweries and have found that solar could cut the cost of heating and refrigeration by nearly 30%. They say that coupling PV with small breweries could result in payback times ranging from 4.3 to 6.6 years.