Opinion & Analysis

Australia currently has about 40% renewable electricity, mostly solar and wind. This is not causing wholesale spot prices to change, nor destabilizing the grid. On current policy settings, the country will reach 82% renewable electricity in 2030.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that increased cloud led to solar assets in Northern Germany and the Netherlands receiving only 70% of normal irradiance in December. This cloud activity, however, did not make it below the Alps, and Southern Europe saw reduced rain and significantly less cloud than normal, with some regions experiencing 130% of the normal December irradiance.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Large-scale PV installations are accelerating while labor shortages prompt the industry to explore alternative strategies for delivering and operating solar plants. Utility-scale solar construction company McCarthy Building Companies, and robotics company OnSight Technology, recently teamed up to test a robotic tool to inspect field components.

Italian module manufacturer FuturaSun has big expansion plans in China, with the first phase of a 15 GW silicon cell fab due online in Huai’an in the first quarter of 2024, in addition to 1 GW of module production in Taizhou. Erik Eikelboom, technical adviser to FuturaSun, offers a closer look at the project.

The market for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is evolving, necessitating the development of a comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation methodology. IEA-PVPS Task 15 developed a cross-sectional evaluation tool, designed for architects, developers, and other stakeholders involved in BIPV projects. Through a step-by-step process, this methodology addresses economic, energy-relevant, environmental, and visual performance, providing a robust tool for comparing and optimizing BIPV installations.

According to data collected by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting, Europe enjoyed large wind production levels at the beginning of the year with France seeing its highest daily value of wind generation ever recorded. On the other hand, during the same period, solar production fell.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that varied patterns have impacted solar generation across North America in late December. The South experienced up to 30% higher irradiance than the long-term December average, resulting from a persistent Atlantic high-pressure system driving easterly winds. which kept moisture from the Gulf of Mexico offshore.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

According to data collected by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting, wind and solar energy production in Italy and the Iberian Peninsula fell in the last week of 2023 contributing to price rises, but in the new year electricity demand is expected to increase in all analyzed markets.