residential PV

The International Solar Alliance said that securing financing for renewable energy projects in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) may be complex due to the need for stand-alone solar energy systems and mini-grids, which to be viable for larger investments would require aggregation at a sectoral or programmatic level to become feasible. In its monthly column for pv magazine, the organization describes the types of finance required to scale technologies.

News statistics from South African utility Eskom show that the country added 1.82 GW of new distributed-generation PV capacity in the first six months of this year. However, PV analyst Chris Ahlfedlt warns that the published numbers could also include some utility-scale projects.

Fracsun says it will team up with App Orchid to develop a soiling-loss database and simulation tool.

The Mango Power M includes a hybrid inverter with 18 kW solar input and can be paired with an electric vehicle charger.

Massimo Albino Russo, head of business development for Enerqos Energy Solutions, recently spoke with pv magazine Italy about its smart O&M service to detect dysfunctions in solar arrays hit by hail. The Ameresco Group subsidiary uses drones and artificial intelligence to deal with PV system damage.

Australian installer UV Solar has rolled out a new frameless solar panel that manufacturer GoodWe says is 60% lighter than conventional PV modules, making it ideal for rooftops that are unable to support traditional PV and racking.

Aerocompact, an Austrian manufacturer, has unveiled a ‘universal’ mounting system for pitched roofs that reduces assembly times by up to 40%. It features colored cover plates in red, brown, or anthracite.

Microinverter supplier Enphase is slipping in share price as revenues dip. It has announced a $1 billion stock buyback program.

A research team in China combined solar power generation from kesterite thin-film generation with a nickel-cobalt bimetal oxide (NiCoO2) electrochromic window. The proposed prototype not only realizes the function integration of self-power and intelligent solar radiation adjustment, but also extends its function to energy storage.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America this month. July’s high pressure in the southwest and trough in the northeast dramatically influenced the region’s solar energy production. Persistent high-pressure systems in the southwest led to frequent clear skies and warm air masses, driving up solar irradiance and enhancing potential solar power generation.