Nine-year old US solar farm gets tracker upgrade
A lot has changed in tracker technology in the past decade, so in upgrading its Alamo plants, OCI Solar Power completely replaced the old tracker with a new state-of-the-art system, all while keeping the plant energized.
Irish provider showcases air-to-air heat pump for commercial applications
Trane has released a rooftop air-to-air heat pump that can produce between 14.5 kW and 37.4 kW of heat and between 16.5 kW and 38.4 kW of cooling. The new device can purportedly be adapted to cold-climate applications by adding complementary heating sources such as electric heaters or hot water coils.
Agrivoltaics for fodder
French developer Valeco has deployed an agrivoltaic installation on a fodder field and has found out it offers benefits for the quality and quantity of the crop, as well as for sheep grazing under the solar panels.
Deye unveils lithium iron phosphate battery for rooftop applications
China’s Deye has developed a new lithium iron phosphate battery system with a nominal voltage of 51.2 V. It says that up to 32 modules with a capacity of 6.14 kWh can be stacked and connected in parallel for a total capacity of 196.48 kWh.
Greece deployed 1.36 GW of new solar in 2022
Data released by the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies show that the Greek solar market installed three times more capacity in 2022 compared to 2021.
Key takeaways from Solartech Indonesia 2023
The Jakarta-hosted Solartech tradeshow showed the Indonesian renewable energy landscape’s potential, despite the small size of its solar market.
Renewables merger and acquisition strategies are shifting
With increasing capital commitments, there is now a shift to minority investments and emergent technology subsectors. pv magazine evaluates the M&A outlooks provided by CohnReznick Capital and FTI Consulting.
Weekend Read: Floating the solar dream
Indonesia is a coal-dependent country in which conventional power grids are problematic. The archipelagic nation is turning to floating PV (FPV) to help accelerate its energy transition. Sorta Caroline takes a look at the state of play for water-borne solar and the problems that still need to be overcome.
Renewables-powered heat pump for district heating
South Korean researchers have developed a heat trading system including a ground-source heat pump, solar thermal collectors, a fuel-cell system, and two heat storage tanks for district heating at hours of peak solar production.
Switzerland to subsidize alpine PV
The Swiss government introduced measures to fast-track permitting and construction of alpine PV in October 2022. It is set to announce a new incentive scheme for these installations in April 2023. pv magazine spoke with Lionel Bloch, renewable energy project manager at Swiss engineering firm Planair, about the new provisions.
