New business model to help utilities own and operate rooftop PV
Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the U.S. have defined a utility-ownership model for rooftop PV they say could raise power company shareholder earnings 2-5%.
Airlifting PV modules for C&I solar projects
Is airlifting solar modules the future of commercial and industrial rooftop PV installation? Epho Commercial Solar recently used a helicopter to airlift pallets of modules to 12 rooftops at a Woolworths location in Australia.
Enphase and Sonnenstromfabrik unveil AC solar panel
The US microinverter producer and the German panel maker have launched a residential glass/glass PERC module equipped Enphase IQ 7+ device. The 60-cell PERC module is available in three versions with power output ranging from 320 to 330 W and efficiencies of 18.8% to 19.4%.
Germany’s untapped potential for balcony PV panels
In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, a balcony module, with an upfront investment of €350 to €500, can provide electricity with a current value of €54 per year. The payback period ranges from six to nine years.
Innovative community solar in the United States
A 497 kW project on five roofs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., uses SREC sales to provide $1.50 in community benefits for every dollar of power generated. Call it community solar-plus.
Digital prospecting and selling tools for rooftop PV
An Australian-developed aerial mapping technology is being deployed to speed PV uptake.
Solar tile with passive cooling
Researchers built the device by attaching 17%-efficient monocrystalline PV cells to a mortar roof tile that was doped with a phase-change material (PCM). The PCM solar tile provided 4.1% more power than the PV tile with no cooling agent in the winter, and 2.2% to 4.3% more during the summer.
Enphase Q2 micro-inverter revenue falls despite demand ‘rebound’
Coming off a strong, profitable first quarter, Enphase sees the second-quarter results of Covid-19 in compressed revenue and a swing to a loss. Gross margins remain strong.
India to hit large-scale PV target of 60 GW by 2022
India’s cumulative renewables capacity will hit 120 GW to 125 GW by December 2022, with solar to account for about 50% of the total, according to a new report by ICRA.
US racking company moves manufacturing to China
Despite strong revenue growth in its domestic market, Quick Mount PV – which was acquired by Netherlands-based Esdec last year – is abandoning its U.S. manufacturing to move overseas.
