Solar

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that a surge in sunshine has resulted in record-breaking solar generation across several European countries this August, with the trend set to continue for the remainder of the month.

Researchers from Canada’s Western University have developed an open-source, blockchain-based virtual utility for peer-to-peer (P2P) solar trading, using smart contracts to save up to $1,600 (US dollars) for 10 homes in simulated scenarios.

Researchers have covered part of a rooftop solar plant with a different numbers of shading cloth layers to measure their power, current, and voltage. They have been able to identify a point after which the value of system current and maximum power is no longer sensitive to shading heaviness.

Researchers in Slovenia have built a monitoring system for vehicle-integrated photovoltaics consisting of an IV curve scanner that uses a MOSFET as a voltage-controlled electronic load. The system also utilizes an 18-bit analog-to-digital converter and a microchip microcontroller.

Scientists have used stearic acid and a combination of stearic acid and carbon black to increase thermal conductivity in a photovoltaic-thermal system linked to a heliostat field concentrator. From a temperature of 30 C at the inlet, they were able to heat the water to up to 59 C.

Swiss consulting firm Pexapark says European developers have signed 24 power purchase agreements (PPAs) totaling 1,196 MW in July, with a 27% month-on-month increase in capacity, led by solar deals such as Europe’s largest decentralized solar PPA in France.

Singapore’s Vena Energy and MGen Renewable Energy, the renewables unit of Manila-based Meralco PowerGen Corp., have signed an investment agreement for 550 MW of solar in the Philippines. Construction is due to start later this year.

Nofar Energy has obtained €110 million ($122.5 million) in financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Raiffeisen Bank International to build two solar projects in Romania with a combined capacity of 300 MW.

Researchers in Morocco have examined the effects of an anti-reflective coating on solar panel performance under desert conditions and have found that it enhanced both the annual performance ratio and the energy yield by 2% and 5.5%, respectively. They have also found it to be durable and able to withstand dry cleaning methods under accelerated testing.

EDF Renewables says it has won a tender to build and operate Israel’s largest PV plant, a 300 MW project near Dimona, with a bid under $0.019/kWh – the lowest price ever in the Israeli market.