Solar-powered tool shed store electric lawn equipment
SunVilla says its new Smart Yard power station is a 6.4 kWh semi-solid state battery system with 3.8 kW of battery output. It features 100 W to 200 W solar modules mounted on a tool shed to charge electric systems and provide storage for lawn equipment.
The Hydrogen Stream: Thyssenkrupp lists hydrogen business in Frankfurt
German engineering conglomerate thyssenkrupp has listed shares of its hydrogen business, thyssenkrupp nucera, on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard).
Using existing fences as near-zero-cost racking solution for PV deployment
American researchers are proposing to use steel zip ties to attach solar modules to fences in animal farms as a low-cost racking solution for agrivoltaic applications. They found the proposed approach is technically and economically viable, provided careful wind load tests are conducted on the fences.
The IRA domestic content bonus and its implications on developers and manufacturers
The domestic content bonus credit contained within the Inflation Reduction Act provides an attractive bonus to solar project developers and was designed to drive demand for domestically produced solar products in the United States. In this pv magazine Webinar we will review the details of the domestic content bonus, including recent guidance released by the Internal Revenue Service, and the challenges to access the bonus.
Ground mounted agrivoltaics have minimal impact on grassland carbon-water cycling
A US-Spanish research team studied the ecological effect of a solar photovoltaic array located on a managed grassland plot using a hydraulic and soil hydrology model and field measurements. They found minimal effect on the plants’ carbon-water cycling, which they attributed to plant photosynthetic traits changing to take advantage of the dynamic shading under the panels.
US government offers $45 million for pilot production of PV components
Funding from the US government’s “Investing in America” agenda is intended to support silicon component manufacturing and the development of dual-use PV technologies.
Utilities, can you DG it?
Small-scale PV systems drove the installation of more than 200 GW of solar capacity last year and could support more than 300 GW this year. That means a reset for utilities.
New guidelines for inter-row spacing of PV power plants
A Canadian research group has applied new guidelines for ground coverage ratios to 31 locations in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It found the new formulae show that the factors affecting inter-row energy yield loss are highly dependent on latitude.
California’s electricity duck curve is deepening
The mismatch between times of peak solar generation and peak electricity demand is deepening in California, but energy storage buildout across the US state is set to balance the grid.
First Solar secures 1 GW module order
Capital Power will purchase thin-film solar modules from First Solar for projects across North America, with deliveries to start in 2026.
