Solar-powered tool shed store electric lawn equipment
SunVilla says its new Smart Yard power station is a 6.4 kWh semi-solid state battery system with 3.8 kW of battery output. It features 100 W to 200 W solar modules mounted on a tool shed to charge electric systems and provide storage for lawn equipment.
Agrivoltaics for vertical farming
An Italian research group has assessed the advantages of combining solar power generation in greenhouses with vertical farming. The scientists claim this new approach offers better land use while increasing agricultural yield.
New app to calculate payback periods of rooftop PV systems
The Amortisator app, initially developed for the German market, is now available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Primarily targeting customer advisors, the app can be accessed for a monthly fee of €9.99 ($10.93).
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Big module makers call for wafer standards
Trina Solar, JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Longi, Risen, Canadian Solar, Tongwei, Chint, and Das Solar have issued a joint statement demanding the standardization of wafer sizes.
French railway operator launches renewables unit, plans 1 GW of solar
SNCF says it wants to devote 1,000 hectares of its land to solar development, so it can cover 20% of its electricity consumption by the end of the decade.
Chinese oil company switches on high-altitude 40 MW solar-plus-storage plant
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) says it has completed a 40 MW solar-plus-storage plant at an altitude of 3,000 meters. It is connected to 6 MW/12 MWh of battery storage and hosts grazing farm animals.
Using existing fences as near-zero-cost racking solution for PV deployment
American researchers are proposing to use steel zip ties to attach solar modules to fences in animal farms as a low-cost racking solution for agrivoltaic applications. They found the proposed approach is technically and economically viable, provided careful wind load tests are conducted on the fences.
China polysilicon prices hold steady amid rebound talk
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
Indian state of Gujarat tenders 1.2 GW of PV
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GUVNL) has launched a tender to develop 1.2 GW of PV projects (including 600 MW under s greenshoe option).
Ground mounted agrivoltaics have minimal impact on grassland carbon-water cycling
A US-Spanish research team studied the ecological effect of a solar photovoltaic array located on a managed grassland plot using a hydraulic and soil hydrology model and field measurements. They found minimal effect on the plants’ carbon-water cycling, which they attributed to plant photosynthetic traits changing to take advantage of the dynamic shading under the panels.
