Racking

Module manufacturer Trina Solar has completed the acquisition of the Spanish tracker company, inverter maker Sungrow has secured contracts from Three Gorges New Energy and Akcome Technologies has completed construction of its heterojunction cell and module factory.

A Swedish-Iranian research team modeled 14 photovoltaic blind configurations in checkerboard arrays 1m above a greenhouse roof emulated with EnergyPlus building energy simulation software. The group found a PV installation would reduce natural gas consumption, electricity demand and carbon emissions.

An Australian innovator has designed a secure racking system he says enables super-fast installation of solar fields, which can then be relocated as needed.

Despite strong revenue growth in its domestic market, Quick Mount PV – which was acquired by Netherlands-based Esdec last year – is abandoning its U.S. manufacturing to move overseas.

The first Horizon folding rooftop has been installed above a parking lot in Switzerland, where it will generate power for on-site consumption, including EV charging.

The Brazilian government has u-turned over solar equipment import duty by introducing a measure to remove the 12% levy for 101 types of module plus some inverters and trackers. President Jair Bolsonaro had vetoed a similar proposal by the Senate and House of Representatives in November, stating it would be too costly.

Scientists in the U.S. have estimated the expense of strengthening solar systems. The researchers stressed that the upfront investment needed to take 13 key measures may be outweighed by the benefits.

Chinese manufacturers including Trina Solar, Risen Energy and JA Solar have established a group to design and produce bigger PV modules. The 39-member alliance also includes inverter suppliers including Huawei, Sungrow and SMA.

A technique proposed by scientists in the United Stated could raise solar plant output 5% and decrease panel degradation by more than 0.3% per year, according to the researchers. The approach is based on wind direction and speed, and module inclination.

Scientists in the Netherlands are trialing a floating solar installation based on flexible thin-film PV modules. The idea behind their concept is that such modules, in combination with a newly designed flexible racking system, will create a system able to roll with the movement of the water, rather than attempting to defy it.