Sungrow supplies ‘Thailand’s largest floating solar plant’
The Chinese inverter company said the dam-hosted 58.5 MW project in northeastern Thailand was connected to the grid this month.
Pakistan’s looming water crisis could be eased by a solar-led energy system
With renewable energy generation said to consume up to 95% less water than fossil-fuel fired power plants, solar could lead the way to a less stressed existence in mid century, according to researchers from Finland’s LUT.
Arctech Solar opens wind tunnel
The Suzhou-based tracker maker has opened a wind lab that can simulate speeds of up to 90m per second and will enable it to better advise customers on solar project design.
New renewables cheaper than legacy coal or gas for almost half the world’s population
Electricity bill payers in nations as diverse as Germany, Greece, India and China should be aware new solar projects can now generate electricity cheaper for them than legacy coal and gas-fired plants.
Huawei and Yingli announce smart collaboration
The two brands announced a strategic project at the SNEC solar conference and trade show which will see the establishment of trading and big data centers to help roll-out PV in China.
No bifacial solar in West Africa? That’s likely to change soon
A technology-focused event held by the Africa Solar Industry Association has heard development pipelines across the continent are swiftly changing to accommodate double-sided PV panels, and that’s good news for solar tracker providers too.
German power provider tests vertical agrivoltaics
Lechwerke is testing two pilot systems close to existing solar parks. It also aims to build its first large-scale project.
Trina launches tracking system for high-power modules
The tracker has a length of 72 meters, which the company says allows for 120 modules per tracker. The new product was conceived as a multi-drive, dual-slewing system that is claimed to have improved overall stability compared to other products and to show a reduced aeroelastic effect.
Baywa’s ‘fruitvoltaic’ project to bear fruit – 23 tons a year, in fact
A 1.2 MWp installation featuring more than 4,500 solar panels has sheltered a berry crop from high temperatures and damp to strengthen the claims made by agrivoltaics companies that their systems can offer climate change mitigation as well as clean energy.
Cost comparison between agrivoltaics and ground-mounted PV
Researchers in Germany have stated that agrivoltaic projects are still considerably more expensive than ground-mounted PV plants. They found the agrivoltaic developers may incur higher costs during the approval process or due to design constraints. Furthermore, the use of special components such as modules, mounting systems and trackers may significantly increasing a project’s cost, especially if vertical plants are planned or the modules must be elevated to let the agricultural machinery operate underneath.
