Rooftop

A group of companies and research institutes are developing tools, technologies, and methods in a four-year project to promote building-integrated PV (BIPV), with the goal of clearing the path for mass deployment. 

New research from Finland shows that the best season for rooftop PV generation in the Arctic is spring, and that the best tilt angle for rooftop systems is 28 degrees. It also showed that vertical PV installations perform better in winter.

The solar microinverter and battery energy storage provider released updates to its product suite to maximize returns under the new net metering rates regime in California.

A new report form analysts at IHS Markit notes that the market for module-level power electronics (MLPE) grew by 33% between 2019 and 2021, with around one-third of new residential solar installations now taking advantage of MLPE’s promise of improved safety, energy yield and fault detection. And with smaller, distributed generation systems expected to represent 43% of global PV installations between now and 2025, the opportunity for MLPE will only get larger.

The 8 kW photovoltaic shade was deployed on the outdoor rest area of a commercial building located in the northern part of Madrid. It was built with conventional solar modules provided by JA Solar and a structure made with light galvanized steel profiles for plasterboard partitions.

The monocrystalline module provider added a new product to its Hi-MO 4 series. The new panel has a power output of 410/420 W and a conversion efficiency between 20.5% and 21.0%. The width of the module is standardized, while three different length options can be chosen to maximize capacity in a rooftop project.

Applications for solar rebates have almost doubled thus far this year, said Swissolar, which sees year-on-year growth in all rooftop PV segments.

A report published by the Rocky Mountain Institute makes recommendations for rooftop PV in regions affected by high winds. The study draws on the knowledge of structural engineers asked to analyze 25 solar systems across five Caribbean islands after they were hit by major hurricanes in 2017 and last year.

The nation is targeting an unspecified capacity of solar PV systems to be installed on households and public facilities across several of its regions. The successful projects will be jointly financed by the World Bank and the government of Myanmar.

Part three of our series on solar’s less covered markets takes us to Belgium, where despite impressive instsllation numbers from the rooftop market, a lack of volume means the country is unlikely to hit its EU mandated 2020 targets for renewable energy.