Australia’s ‘unsafe’ solar installation standards under fire
Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar deployment, but the head of Queensland-based renewables company REA Global has criticized the nation’s solar installation standards for being out of date and unsafe.
Exploring the depths of Europe’s oldest grid-connected PV system
A 10 kW PV system has been feeding electricity into the Swiss power network since 1982. A research team has investigated the performance of the array’s first 35 years of life and has found that solar modules can target – at least in temperate climates – service lifetimes of 35 years, and that the bill of materials matters, a lot!
Solar 101: ‘Goldilocks’ your PV project to make it just right
Too big? Too small? Just right? Many factors need to be considered when deciding how large or small to make your rooftop solar array.
Electric scooter recharging station powered by solar pavement
Developed by Solum Photovoltaic Innovation, the recharging station is being powered by a 7.6 square meter, walkable photovoltaic pavement coupled to a 2-4 kWh storage system. This configuration is enough to repower 12 scooters per day.
All solar cell efficiencies at a glance
The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 58 of the Solar cell efficiency tables. He spoke with pv magazine about the criteria with which these tables are compiled and the importance of result certification by independent third parties.
New tool to evaluate economic benefits of hydrogen storage
Developed by U.S. scientists, the Hydrogen Energy Storage Evaluation Tool (HESET) can assess the economic and technical characteristics of individual system components and the modeling of each hydrogen pathway. Furthermore, it can help understand how hydrogen storage can be used for various grid and end-user services.
A solar pavilion for India’s rooftops
India’s energy transition will not succeed without rooftop PV and roll-out is hindered not only by a lack of household finance, but by the fact many of the nation’s flat roofs are enjoyed by residents. Germany’s international development agency has proposed a solution.
Solar water pumps – cheaper, easier but routinely underestimated
Australia’s Commodore Independent Energy Systems has evaluated how much customers save by using solar water pumps compared to diesel or mains-connected pumps.
Storage solution takes batteries back to basics
Urban Electric Power has been accepted into EPRI’s Incubatenergy Labs program to prove the value of its new battery tech to some of the top utilities in the United States.
New cathode design promises battery sustainability
Scientists in the U.S. developed a new cathode design for lithium-ion batteries that they say could open up a range of different materials for further research. The group has high hopes that the discovery can quickly be brought to scale, easing some of the growing concerns around supply chains for battery materials.
