Vehicle-integrated PV reduces EV charging time in sunny regions by 40%
Dutch scientist Bonna Newmann spoke with pv magazine about the present and future of vehicle-integrated PV from a technological and economic perspective. Solar panels installed on cars could have a payback time of only three or four years and ensure 10,000 km of pure PV-generated road travel per year, she said. Furthermore, if you live in a sunny place, you can drive an electric car with solar panels for weeks during summertime, without the need for recharging, she pointed out.
Storage and PAYG critical to deployment of African off-grid renewables
The former need not necessarily relate to conventional lithium-ion batteries, however, as a recent webinar staged by Solarpower Europe and EU body GET.invest discovered.
Germany has 270,000 residential batteries linked to PV
Around 88,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year in the country, which supports residential batteries through a dedicated scheme.
India added 1.4 GW of PV in October-December period
India’s new solar capacity additions in the third quarter of the country’s 2020-21 fiscal year were well above the 928 MW installed in the preceding July-September quarter.
PV can cover almost half of typical office buildings’ electricity demand
Scientists in Germany have estimated that roof and facade PV systems can cover almost 40% of the total requirements of a standard office building, assuming that no battery storage is installed.
Dualsun unveils 375 W photovoltaic-thermal panel with shingle tech
The panel features an efficiency of 20% and a thermal power of 600 W-thermal per square meter.
Viridian Solar unveils roof-integrated solar panels with power of 335/340 W
The new devices feature efficiencies ranging from 20.7-21%. The panels are said to be compatible with a wide range of slates and tiles, include special fixings for different batten thicknesses, and achieve the highest fire rating and wind resistance without modifications to the roof.
Silfab Solar launches 21.4%-efficient back contact residential panel
The new interdigitated back-contact module comes with power outputs ranging from 370 to 380 W and is the most powerful panel produced by the company to date.
Belgium’s Flanders region unveils compensation scheme for PV systems affected by smart meter disruption
The draft regulation has now been sent to the country’s Council of State for review. If approved, the new rules will grant prosumers the right to ask to postpone the installation of a smart meter until 2025. Furthermore, the Flemish government said it will also compensate PV system owners with a sum that should ensure a reasonable investment return of 5%.
Austria allocates 332 MW of PV under 2020 rebate scheme
The Austrian government had devoted €50 million to the scheme for last year. These funds will enable the deployment of 15,957 PV systems.
