Belgium’s Flanders region launches new call for solar rebates
The Flemish authorities have allocated a budget of €3 million ($3.3 million) for the first round of its solar rebate scheme. The call is open to homeowners, businesses, public organizations, and energy communities.
Israel introduces storage-linked tariff for distributed PV
The Electricity Authority of Israel has decided to regulate the connection of energy storage systems to low-voltage PV plants with capacities of up to 630 kW. It is introducing a supplementary tariff for PV and storage facilities that share single metered connection points to the grid, in order to reduce bottlenecks on the grid.
UL Solutions, NREL set cybersecurity standards for distributed energy, inverters
UL 2941 provides testable requirements for energy storage and generation technologies on the distribution grid. The new cybersecurity protocol provides a framework for PV inverters, electric-vehicle chargers, wind turbines, fuel cells, and other distributed resources.
Plug-and-play PV system for garden fences
German PV product supplier Green Akku says that its new PV system can be vertically attached to fences. It reportedly generates more solar power, even in winter.
Mibet unveils new balcony solar mounting structure
China’s Mibet has developed a mounting system for PV modules installed on balcony railings, terraces, gardens, and garage rooftops. It offers a maximum title angle of 30 degrees and can withstand wind loads of 30 meters per second.
Mitani Sangyo unveils solar carport for bifacial panels
Mitani Sangyo, a Japanese industrial conglomerate, says that its new PV carport design is particularly suitable for snowy areas, as it offers snow load resistance of 150 cm.
US manufacturer releases cold climate heat pump
Rheem has unveiled an air-source heat pump that provides uninterrupted heating under -30.5 C ambient conditions. It has successfully passed the US Department of Energy’s Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge.
PV-powered underground heat exchanger for buildings
Researchers in India have designed a PV-powered earth-to-air heat exchanger to provide buildings with space heating and cooling. They say the proposed system could result in an annual energy gain of 8116.7 kWh.
Growatt introduces LFP solar generator for portable, off-grid use
Growatt is taking pre-sale orders for the Infinity 1300, a lithium iron phosphate battery with 3,000-plus cycle life.
Global solar installations hit 240 GW in 2022
IEA-PVPS has used an improved methodology to determine that newly installed PV capacity in 2022 must be somewhere between the 190 GW calculated by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the 268 GW announced by BloombergNEF. Its new “Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2023” report was built on data from a range of sources, including grid-connected and off-grid figures.
