Grid-forming inverters can enable grids with renewables
As renewable energy generation grows, demand is rising for grid-forming inverters to deliver the same functions as traditional rotating synchronous generators. The UNIFI Consortium is now taking the lead in advancing the development of this new inverter technology.
Integrating sky images, global solar irradiance into solar forecasting algorithms
A research team in the United States has created a novel approach to integrate raw sky images and global solar irradiance measurements, solar nowcasting, and intra-hour forecasting. The methodology utilizes low-cost radiometric IR cameras instead of expensive ceilometers.
Mitsubishi testing 5.5 MW pressurized alkaline electrolyzers in Japan, Norway
Mitsubishi has conducted short-term validation tests of its 5.5 MW pressurized alkaline electrolyzers in Norway and long-term validation tests in Japan. It plans to incorporate the design of these two single-stack pressurized alkaline electrolyzers into a US project.
U.S. utility-scale solar to more than double installations year-over-year
Over 10.4 GW was deployed in 2022, while 2023 totals may exceed 24 GW, said Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Weekend Read: The solar-battery-EV dream
For those who combine solar, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) at home, driving on sunshine is a realistic goal. However, there are many factors to consider when analyzing the economic payoffs, as well as the technical possibilities and limitations of such systems.
A survival guide for solar SMEs
As solar manufacturing moves toward technological convergence, and rampant production capacity expansion continues, standing out from the crowd is just one of the strategies small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will have to use to survive, according to InfoLink’s Amy Fang.
Novel thin-film anti-soiling coating increases solar module yield by over 3%
A group of scientists in the United States saw ‘encouraging’ results after testing the commercialization of novel coating materials in field tests, with the coating only increasing a panel’s total cost by 1.4%.
Big solar projects have no negative impact on property values, says US study
A new study commissioned by Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation, Advanced Power Alliance and the Solar Energy Industries Association looks at market trends near six utility-scale solar projects.
High resolution satellite imagery for residential PV system detection
US-based Maxar Technologies used satellite imagery imagery with resolution of 31 cm to 15.5 cm to identify rooftop PV systems in southern Germany. The company claims its new approach was able to identify 97.8% of the solar arrays with high confidence.
Researchers build 20-μm-thin monocrystalline solar cell with 21.1% efficiency
The scientists built the device by depositing multiple metal nanofilms on both sides using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The cell achieved an open-circuit voltage of 684 mV, a short-circuit current density of 38.2 mA/cm2 and a fill factor of 80.8%.
