rooftop solar

Seventeen US state attorneys general have urged Congress to retain clean energy tax credits, citing the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) “catalytic” effect on economic growth, especially in Republican districts.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have identified the best and optimum PV system configurations for the Saudi residential market. Their analysis investigated the capacity threshold that leads to a lower cost of electricity compared to grid electricity costs. They used NREL’s HOMER software to analyze the energy requirements of the residential units, the solar energy potential and weather characteristics of the selected location, and the financial parameters influencing a project’s profitability.

Scientists have measured the performance of PV modules under strong soiling conditions in Saudi Arabia and have identified the most suitable tilt angles for improving power generation. They have also found that a key role is played by rain intensity, dust, sandstorms, and cloud cover.

The researchers conducted a case study on a solid oxide fuel cell system deployed in a nearly zero-energy single-floor villa with a size of 80 m2 located in southern Italy. They found that, in particular conditions of photovoltaic production, the system is not only able to meet the home electric loads, but also to inject surplus energy into the network.

The Danish manufacturer said its novel CO2 heat pumps can reach a water inlet temperature of 40 C and a water outlet temperature of 95 C. The systems have purportedly a combined coefficient of performance of up to 5.56.

A group of scientists has developed an open-source dataset comprising three years’ worth of data from Hong Kong’s largest behind-the-meter rooftop solar power project. Power generation was collected at 5-minute intervals, and meteorological data at 1-minute.

Developed at the U. S. Ames National Laboratory, the novel magnetocaloric heat pump utilizes gadolinium as the working medium and reportedly matches current vapor-compression heat pumps for weight, cost, and performance. The system is based on a packed-particle bed active magnetic regenerator, a magnetic source composed of permanent magnets and high permeability magnetic steel.

The Chinese inverter said its new inverters have an MPPT current of up to 54 A and support more than a 150% DC/AC ratio. The new products also feature a maximum efficiency of 98.8% and a European efficiency rate of 98.3%.

As the global solar energy industry grows, so does the need for accurate monitoring of performance and financial viability. The latest report by IEA PVPS Task 13, “Best Practice Guidelines for the Use of Economic and Technical KPIs,” provides a comprehensive framework to address this issue. This article explores the importance, methodologies, and applications of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), with a focus on their role in optimizing PV systems.

South Korea installed 2.5 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, bringing its cumulative PV capacity to more than 29.5 GW, according to the Korean Energy Agency.