SolarPower Summit 2020: Policy measures and open-source information key to PV sustainability
Rising volumes of solar capacity are to be welcomed but, as panelists at a session of today’s SolarPower Europe event discussed, the technology must be kept ethical and responsible. That means industry working together; new, harmonized, mandatory and voluntary policy instruments; and a focus on quantifiable, life cycle-based investor criteria.
IRENA presents $2tn plan to drive 5.5m renewables jobs by 2023
Doubling down on renewable energy investment and energy transition spending is required to ensure a truly green global recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and its economic aftershock, claims the International Renewable Energy Agency.
What is distributed generation’s real worth for the grid?
A thought experiment by UC Berkeley energy economist Severin Borenstein suggests how much rooftop solar could reduce transmission and distribution costs in the United States.
US utility scale solar powers through 2020
Big solar projects in the U.S. are back in style and growing in number.
Hiring for solar jobs during a pandemic
In spite of industry-wide job loss and economic slowdown associated with the pandemic, Kevin Gillespie, president of Headline Solar, shares how he has actually been able to make new hires and keep his business not just operating, but thriving.
Canadian Solar labels Solaria’s new patent lawsuit ‘flawed’
The Chinese-Canadian manufacturer acknowledged the latest legal filing, which it said will be instituted next month.
CdTe facade solar panel with 18.2% efficiency
New cadmium telluride solar panels are now available for applications on tall buildings in urban environments. Their efficiency ranges from 15.3% to 18.2%, with 110 W to 450 W of power output.
Over-irradiance events affect utility scale PV components
Researchers are seeking to understand the extent to which sudden spikes in irradiance can affect solar power plants. The preliminary findings indicate large scale PV projects are not immune to such events, especially when the spikes last longer than a minute.
Aerial imaging for residential PV
U.S.-based EagleView aims to set the “gold standard” for solar aerial imaging.
US and UK discover lithium as IHS Markit projects battery price to fall below $100/kWh
The business intelligence firm has projected storage costs will continue their downward trajectory on the back of product and process optimization. That will favor a higher adoption rate in automotive and grid applications, the analysts say. Elsewhere, discoveries of lithium in the U.S. and the U.K. have raised hopes for lower raw material costs and more supply chain diversity.
