Utility Scale PV

Researchers have developed a quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm for maximum power point tracking that reportedly generates 3.33% more power in higher temperature tests and 0.89% more power in partial shading tests compared to conventional swarm optimization algorithms.

The Spanish utility says the 189 MW Promina project, currently under development, will be Croatia’s largest solar farm upon commissioning in 2027.

The Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has adopted several changes to grid connection processes, including the implementation of an auction-based grid connection mechanism for plants above 5 MW from 2026 onwards.

New research from the UK shows that Oman could utilize a floating PV farm at the Wadi Dayqah Dam for hydrogen generation. The scientist said the project is technical viabile, although only with advancements in hydrogen energy storage technology could make it economically feasible.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, throughout July, smoke from wildfires in Canada and the US West Coast significantly impacted irradiance across North America, while Hurricane Beryl and upper atmospheric conditions delivered unstable cloud cover across the central and eastern United States.

A group of researchers in Australia has outlined a new methodology to determine the minimum power rating of energy storage systems (ESSs) used for emergency under-frequency response. The ESS size must be calculated to maintain the frequency within the standard operating range.

Canada and Italy announced funds for hydrogen projects. Meanwhile, a team of researchers explained that Australia should ship hydrogen to Japan by 2030 via methyl cyclohexane (MCH) or liquid ammonia (LNH3), not completely rejecting the option of liquid hydrogen (LH2).

H-TEC will be able to produce more than 1 GW of electrolyzers starting next year. “We installed the first production lines and will have our official opening in September this year,” Maximilian Kuhnert, sales manager at H-TEC, told pv magazine.

Between August 19 and 30, the ground-mounted PV tenders will accept up to 925 MW of projects, in parallel with the building-mounted PV call for tenders, between August 26 and September 6, which aims for a total capacity of 300 MW. The latter marks the end of the carbon footprint requirements based on life cycle analysis (LCA) in favor of a “country mix” approach.

Conceived by scientists in Japan, the system consists of a a xenon flash lighting system and a detector capacitor. It can reportedly examine solar modules and find the degraded ones without disconnecting the string’s electrical wiring.