Rooftop PV

German researchers are studying using an overhead solar PV system, designed to be removable and reusable, as a sunshade for young fir trees. The pilot, located at a quartz sand excavation site, will be monitored to compare growth and water consumption with an adjacent unshaded tree plot.

UV Energy has developed a PV system that can be used in parking lots and on other surfaces. It claims that the arrays can be deployed within time frames of three to six weeks.

The Swiss canton of Fribourg says it plans to cover a roadway with 14 MW of solar panels. The authorities are now conducting an in-depth feasibility study, to be followed by a financial plan for the project.

ArcActive, a New Zealand-based battery tech specialist, plans to set up a factory in Australia within 18 months. It says the facility will be able to produce 30,000 lead acid-based residential energy storage systems per year.

Systovi has gone into liquidation, as the commercial court in Nantes, France, has issued an order to do so, citing the solar panel manufacturer’s failure to find new investors, despite its 80 MW of panel manufacturing capacity.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released draft guidelines for the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana scheme, which aims to install rooftop solar plants in 10 million households, with subsidy support from the central government.

The Chinese manufacturer said its new frameless module can be installed on a balcony through nylon cable ties, without the need for any mounting structure. The new product features a power output of 200 W and a power conversion efficiency of 16.2%.

EnergySage says market figures from the second half of 2023 show moderate declines in the cost of solar and energy storage.

Australia has firmly established its status as a global leader in residential solar deployment, with 35% of all homes already equipped with rooftop systems. However, new figures from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) reveal that there are almost 50 GW of “untapped PV potential” on residential buildings across the country.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that in March most European solar operators and grids saw less solar irradiance and production than normal, due to enhanced westerly winds bringing moist air off a relatively warm Atlantic ocean. Large areas of the continent saw irradiance down 10% to 25% below normal for March.