Asia

Rooftop solar growth in India has largely been driven by a few big, creditworthy organizations in the commercial and industrial sector. However, if accessible financing options are made available, growth can also be replicated in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, according to a new report.

Wind power specialist Mingyang Smart Energy has revealed plans to build a 5 GW heterojunction module factory in China’s Jiangsu province, while TBEA has said it intends to raise its majority stake in Xinte Energy from 62% to 67%.

Scientists in Thailand have built a hybrid system based on a 3 kW fuel cell and a 50 kWh lead-acid battery that is intended for storing solar power. They also sought to identify the best DC coupling voltage between the two devices in order to optimize their combined performance.

JA Solar published data comparing its own modules, based on the 182mm wafer format, with others utilizing the larger 210mm size over a six month period in field testing. The data show that the smaller of the two formats reached an average daily energy yield almost 2% higher. According to JA Solar’s analysis, the higher currents produced by the 210mm modules led to higher resistance, and more energy lost as heat.

Storing hydrogen in carbon nanotubes and other nanostructures is still far from reaching commercial maturity. A Japanese research team, however, has developed a new simulation technology that may help better estimate the energy needed to favor the ideal interaction between hydrogen and its storage material.

The nation’s central bank this week said the special funds built up by domestic lenders to maintain stock market liquidity could be used to purchase sharia-compliant ‘sukuk’ green bonds which made their debut last month.

The system combines software that applies a modulated electric current to the PV panels and an indium-gallium-arsenide (InGaAs) photodiode detector that takes a sequence of images of the panels. According to its creators, the proposed technique works with any lighting conditions and in all weather.

The 97%-efficient microinverter has a power output of up to 960 VA and APsystems claims it is the most powerful dual microinverter in the world.

The 2 GW plant is expected to be connected to a storage facility with a capacity of 300 MW/600 MWh. Elsewhere, manufacturers Longi, Jinko, Trina Solar and Chint were the winners of a 5.5 GW solar panel procurement tender held by the China Energy Investment Corporation.

Conceived for rooftop applications, the module is also available in a full-black version with a power output of 390 W. It features a temperature coefficient is -0.29% per degree Celsius.