‘Not a very special year’: Canada solar expert mulls 2022 slump
Last year Canada switched on its largest utility-scale PV array – the 465 MW (AC) Travers Solar Project – which buoyed solar figures to 4.4 GW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). But a PV expert warns a six-month pause on renewable energy projects in Alberta this year could slow the whole country’s momentum.
Master-slave technique for deploying parallel inverters in PV systems
Scientists in Czechia have proposed to use parallel inverters in PV systems to not only reduce instability, but also to increase power yield. The proposed approach reportedly results in higher maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance.
Solar bike paths go online in Netherlands
Two new PV bike-path projects are now operating in the Netherlands under an initiative launched in 2018 by Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch water management agency.
Italy-Austria interconnector starts operating
A 28-kilometer underground power cable owned by Italian grid operator Terna started work on Friday, the company announced. The interconnector connects substations in Glorenza northern Italy and Nauders eastern Austria.
Passive solar module cooling tech based on PCM, heat sink fins, water
A global research group has designed a novel PV module cooling system based on multiple cooling sources. The proposed system was able to reduce a PV system temperature by up to 16.7 C and increase power output by over 9%.
Heat pump sales declining in Europe
European heat pumps sales were strong in the first quarter of 2023, but this was short-lived as sales figures slid by 14% in the third quarter – a worrying reflection of 2022 figures and what could come, warns the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).
SolarPower Europe praises EU reforms despite capacity remuneration ‘regret’
A new provisional agreement to reform the European Union’s electricity market design is a “clear path forward for long-term investments into renewables,” says SolarPower Europe. However, the organization has criticized the deal’s capacity remuneration mechanisms for “prolonging Europe’s dependency on coal.”
Bolivian wildfires, El Niño impact South American PV irradiance
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, says that irradiance patterns across South America last month were impacted by moisture from El Niño, high pressure and the Andes – but smoke from Bolivian wildfires presented an “anomaly.”
Corab debuts residential brine-water heat pump
Polish manufacturer Corab has developed a new ground-source heat pump with several components supplied by Denmark’s Danfoss. It offers 8 kW to 16 kW of rated thermal power.
US energy storage deployment surges in Q3
Wood Mackenzie says that grid-scale energy storage deployment rose by 37% on a quarterly basis in the third quarter.
