Solar vs. salty drinking water
A solar array – complete with battery storage and remote monitoring and control capabilities – has been transforming brackish groundwater into fresh drinking water in the village of Beyo Gulan in the Somaliland desert since 2018. The installation was developed by Germany’s Phaesun. Its unique combination of low-maintenance electrodialysis desalination with PV saw it pick up an Outstanding Projects award from The smarter E. Phaesun’s Géraldine Quelle and Florian Martini say they are honored by the plaudits, and are readying the system for series production.
Roundtables Europe 2020 – Digital, connected, bigger than ever
It was going to be ambitious: four Roundtables with scores of speakers and panelists covering the major themes facing the solar industry in Europe today, in front of a vibrant community of solar professionals. The pv magazine Roundtables Europe 2020 program was always going to be big, bold and comprehensive. And then came Covid-19.
Award inverters
After last month’s edition saw a range of inverter entries from the first window designed for the residential market, the second batch of the same window will showcase entries designed for large C&I and utility-scale applications. The residential inverters were packed with functions and battery integration features to improve on self-consumption or simply to boost the system safety. This development trend is not confined to the residential market, as these award applications demonstrate.
2020 Awards: Finalists announced
The first finalists in the 2020 Inverters award category
Making solar sizzle
What is circular manufacturing, why is it important, and how is it being applied in the solar and storage industries? pv magazine’s UP initiative investigates.
Older modules for reuse, not refuse
Faulty modules and failures can destroy a PV project’s economics. But the modules themselves should not be destroyed, argues Eszter Voroshazi, the R&D manager of photovoltaics and energy systems at imec. She believes that modules can find a useful second life in price-sensitive solar markets.
pv magazine Test – May results 2020
We are happy to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. In this issue, we look at the May 2020 results, with additional analysis from George Touloupas, director of technology and quality at CEA.
Farm to table, the energy way
The emergence of the prosumer has been a feature of the rise of rooftop solar. But it can go far beyond the individual household or business, argues Frédéric Gastaldo, CEO of Tiko Energy Solutions. Gastaldo says that by connecting PV and other renewable arrays, true energy communities can emerge – accelerating clean energy uptake.
pv magazine Award
Now accepting entries for the first annual BESS Award
Solar’s warranty risk
The warranty risk of solar must be addressed early in the development phase of PV projects, as it is not possible to buy warranty insurance later during the operational phase. Decisions taken by developers at this stage will remain important for the next 25 years. The good news is that an industry standard exists, and it can be easily and cost-effectively applied to most PV projects, writes Ronald Sastrawan from Munich Re.
