distributed generation

A new report form analysts at IHS Markit notes that the market for module-level power electronics (MLPE) grew by 33% between 2019 and 2021, with around one-third of new residential solar installations now taking advantage of MLPE’s promise of improved safety, energy yield and fault detection. And with smaller, distributed generation systems expected to represent 43% of global PV installations between now and 2025, the opportunity for MLPE will only get larger.

Tom Hunt, the CEO of Pivot Energy, says that renewable energy capacity at the distribution level can meet needs without the long lead times required for larger, utility-scale resources.

With polysilicon production capacity having been rapidly rolled out after last year’s shortages, China analyst Frank Haugwitz has suggested global manufacturing capability for the ethylene vinyl acetate used on PV panels could struggle to keep pace with what is expected to be another record year of demand for solar.

Xinyi Solar has proposed a dividend for the second year running as it announced shareholders would bank net profits of $630 million despite rising materials and shipping costs last year.

The Paris-based body expects the world will have installed almost 160 GW of solar this year, a record number, but still not enough to keep the prospect of a net zero global economy by mid century in sight.

In a chat with pv magazine at the Key Energy event in Rimini, Roberta Valenziani, of Italian trade body Elettricità Futura, explained the factors preventing Italy’s PV market from having a renaissance. She said the country has Europe’s longest delays and highest costs for obtaining permits for large scale solar.

The Latin American country may see unprecedented growth for PV systems not exceeding 5 MW in size during this decade, according to Brazil’s state-run Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica (EPE) agency. New rules now under discussion in the parliament may further boost this market segment and lead, eventually, to another 30 GW of installed solar power.

The new provisions were published in the country’s official journal on Friday and are now in force. Large scale PV plants of up to 100 MW may be built without requesting a license, through a simplified procedure with the national regulator.

The transaction should be finalized by the end of the month, with the deal amounting to a $320 million equity investment.

Indonesia will catch the eye too over the next nine years, according to analyst WoodMac, as its market grows from 300 MW to 8.5 GW.