Well-irrigated roofs with vegetation have cooling effect on PV systems
Scientists in the Netherlands have assessed how the so-called blue-green roofs can help reduce the operating temperature of rooftop PV panels and have found they provide a significant cooling effect. The irrigation system used for the research project relies on an additional water supply sourced from grey water from showers that is transformed into irrigation water.
California puts multi-meter rooftop solar at risk with proposed decision
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has returned with another proposed decision to stack the deck against rooftop solar.
Average rooftop solar system sizes surpass 9 kW in Australia
The average size of rooftop solar systems installed in Australia has climbed to a new high, with data analysis from the Australian Energy Council showing the typical unit size is now averaging more than 9 kW.
Dual source heat pump with high seasonal performance factors, near-zero defrosting costs
A UK-Chinese research group designed a dual-source heat pump (DSHP) that recovers the waste heat from the exhaust air along with absorbing the heat from the outdoor air. A prototype installed on the roof of a building in the UK showed remarkable results in terms of coefficient of performance and annual heating bill savings.
Pakistan designing new auction plan to deploy 9 GW of additional solar power
Pakistan is in the process of designing a new auction plan to deploy 9 GW of solar power. The initiative will involve the installation of 6 GW of large-scale solar projects, 2 GW of medium-scale solar projects, and 1 GW of rooftop solar capacity.
Novel BIPV material from South Korea
South Korean companies Posco and East-West Power are developing a new building-integrated solar photovoltaic solution. The new product uses special galvanized steel as the panel’s backside that Posco says lasts five to ten times longer than standard steel.
Solar, storage, and V2G at the core of Israel’s future energy system
New research has shown that Israel has the technical potential to deploy 172.5 GW of photovoltaics, of which 132.1 GW would be from conventional installations and 40 GW from agrivoltaics. If deployed, this full potential would require energy storage with a capacity of at least 500 GWh and strong development of vehicle-to-grid technologies.
Heatwaves, storms, Atlantic cloud drive major shifts in European irradiance for July
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for Europe in July, The data show that solar irradiance averages across Europe maintained fairly typical monthly totals, despite the month being punctuated by weather extremes. “This reaffirms nature’s remarkable equilibrium amidst a period of significant weather fluctuations,” Solcast says.
US utility announces launch of distributed-energy management system
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) says it will coordinate resources such as rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and energy storage in partnership with Schneider Electric.
WoodMac predicts 270 GW of new global PV capacity in 2023
Wood Mackenzie expects 270 GW of new global PV capacity in 2023, up 33% year on year. However, the annual growth rate is anticipated to fall to 1% in 2024 and to increase again by 5% in 2025.
