Switzerland added half a gigawatt of PV in 2020
All segments grew strongly and, overall, the newly installed capacity increased by almost 50% compared to 2019. Photovoltaics was able to cover 4.7% of Switzerland’s electricity needs last year.
New PV system assembly factory in Brazil
The factory will be located in the state of Ceará and is expected to begin manufacturing activities in 2022.
Montenegro launches net metering program for rooftop PV
Although very limited in scale, the program is Montenegro’s first attempt to support rooftop PV.
Indian ashram deploys solar+storage system
Loom Solar has installed a solar+storage system at a small ashram in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The project features six 440 W PV modules, a 5 kWh (100 Ah/51.2 V) lithium ion storage system, and a 5 kVA string inverter.
Turkey launches another 1 GW PV tender
The Turkish government has set a ceiling price of TRY0.40/kWh ($0.046) for the fourth procurement exercise of the Yeka program.
Indian salt marsh to host 4.75 GW solar park
The Indian government aims to build a 4.75 GW solar park as part of a massive $20 billion, 30 GW hybrid renewable energy complex in Kutch, in the state of Gujarat.
Energy storage aggregation unlocks benefits for homeowners, grid operators, installers
Companies like Sunrun are implementing grid services using smart batteries to unlock benefits for residential end users and the grid at large. Recent research from New Zealand suggests that these benefits could be dramatic.
Australian utility deploys AI-powered drone tech to monitor PV assets
SA Water, one of the largest water utilities in Australia, has partnered with aerial solar inspection specialist Above to monitor the performance of its 360,000-plus solar panels.
Solar 101: Tips for keeping your rooftop solar system humming over the long term
Solar O&M comes down to mechanical rooftop connections, electrical solar panel connections, panel and connection temperatures, and inverters. Here are four possible plans of attack.
Bringing the noise for better solar cell efficiency
An international team of scientists developed a technique to isolate individual sources of electrical ‘noise’ within a solar cell. Comparing the technique to being able to pick out a single voice within a 200-person choir, they say the technique will help to improve understanding of where efficiency losses occur within a cell, and effective ways to mitigate them.
