LCOE

Created by scientists in Poland, the model is based on GIS and can be adapted to different market conditions. The researchers applied it to the Polish market and found that 3.61% of the country’s available land can host utility-scale PV systems.

A group of researchers in Egypt studied the use of partially submerged angle perforating fins (PSAPF) and solid fins (PSASF) to assess their ability to remove excess heat from floating photovoltaics under Mediterranean outdoor environments. The team found that the optimized PSAPF-FPV module achieved an LCOE of $0.068/kWh).

Serbia-based Storenergy has developed a thermal energy storage (TES) solution that uses recycled ceramics as the storage medium. It says its solid-state storage solution is designed to ensure long lifespans and low maintenance costs.

The European solar landscape changed forever in 2022 and managing the supply chain, grid, and permitting constraints will be key to a solar-dominated energy future for the continent.

A new report by Lazard compares the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for various generation technologies on a $/MWh basis. It shows that utility-scale solar and onshore wind LCOE increased for the first time in 2023, at $24/MWh to $96/MWh for solar and $24/MWh to $75 MWh for wind. Nevertheless, the two renewable sources are still the economic frontrunners when compared to nuclear, gas, and coal.

The debate continues over whether super-sized, high-power solar modules are a good thing for the industry and they appear to be here to stay. Vicente Parra and James Whittemore, from Enertis Applus+, consider the pitfalls to avoid when designing high-power solar projects.

As efficiency records tumble and devices become more stable, Europe is seeing the beginnings of a race to commercialize high-efficiency perovskite-silicon tandem solar products, reports Valerie Thompson.

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has calculated the price premium that solar developers will swallow in return for the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) savings offered by the latest generation of high-efficiency PV panels.

A US research team claims to have demonstrated that increasing the spacing of solar panels between rows improves PV system efficiency and economics by allowing airflow to cool down the modules. The method could improve a project’s LCOE by as much as 2.15% in certain climates.

The average global price of solar kilowatt-hours fell 13% on 2020’s prices, as around two-thirds of the renewables capacity installed last year was cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternative.