Solar PV

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, SolarPower Europe explains how several European countries are moving away from support schemes for injections and towards the adoption of time-variant supply tariffs, which play a crucial role in reducing daily price fluctuations. This shift challenges the traditional business case for rooftop PV, which often relies on maximizing grid injections.

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s long-duration battery energy storage project in partnership with ESS Tech, Inc. has been awarded a $10 million grant from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate the capability of iron flow battery technology.

French solar equipment supplier Monabee is expanding its range of solutions with two batteries – a physical and a virtual one, which can maximize the self-consumption of electricity produced by solar panels.

Growth in Australia’s renewable energy sector is strong with 43 GW of new utility scale generation and storage projects working through the National Electricity Market connection process but concerns remain that uncertainties surrounding approval processes could impact investor confidence.

Once complete, the projects would generate enough electricity to power roughly 2 million homes.

Chinese researchers claim to have developed an “ultrastable” perovskite solar cell based on a two-dimensional, Dion-Jacobson phase perovskite. The device was constructed with blade coating technology and is scalable, according to its creators.

The Chinese company said its new GT1 product is made out of hot-dip galvanized Q235B steel and can withstand wind speeds of up to 60m/s.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA-PVPS provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art practices, best practices, and recommendations for managing reactive power amidst the growing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs). The article describes the regulatory frameworks and practical applications, underscoring the essential role of reactive power management in maintaining a stable and efficient power grid.

Scientists in Malta have created an after-market cooling solution that can be fitted to existing standard PV modules. The system is based on a water chamber placed at the backside of the module and can reportedly provide a net electrical energy gain of more than 9%.

The Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) is searching for private minigrid developers to design, construct, operate and maintain a minigrid system that will electrify a remote community in the south of the country. The closing date for applications is August 23.