Solar module prices: A penny saved… is a panel spurned
PV module prices have finally stabilized and a slight downward trend has even started to set in. Whether this will continue depends mainly on how demand shapes up over the next few months. The softening of prices reflects a gradual build-up of inventories which need to be drawn down again this year, if possible – even if it means slashing prices. But for other PV-system components, the situation is quite different, writes Martin Schachinger of solar wholesaler pvXchange.
Color-sensing tech to remove dirt from solar panels
South African researchers have developed a new cleaning system for solar panels that uses a color-sensing light-to-frequency converter to detect dirt. It can reportedly remove around 95% of the dust from a PV panel in less than a minute, at a lower cost than other systems.
Sono Motors launches campaign to save Sion solar electric car
German electric car manufacturer Sono Motors says it has failed to raise enough money from investors and is now trying to save its business by selling its Sion solar electric vehicles at a discounted price.
UK plans shift from gas to hydrogen heating in homes
The UK government has publicly submitted a series of proposals for more efficient residential heating. One of them seeks to introduce requirements for all newly installed gas boilers to be “hydrogen-ready” from 2026.
New model to predict cloud movements, improve grid integration for renewables
Meteo for Energy offers meteorological prediction and energy production models for photovoltaic, solar thermal, and wind power generation. The new model applies “deep learning” to images from the Meteosat satellite.
Australian researchers release heat maps for wind, solar project siting
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) have unveiled a new online tool to identify the best possible locations for the development of new large-scale wind and solar farms.
US government allocates $8 million to support agrivoltaics
The US government’s FARMS projects will examine multiple configurations of solar system design, crops, and cultivation methods in order to develop replicable models that may offer new economic opportunities.
Chilean developer builds solar plant on tailings dam
Guacolda Energía has completed a 3 MW solar project in Tierra Amarilla, Chile. It is the the world’s first solar project to be built on a tailings dam.
Italy, Tunisia secure €307 million for 600 MW interconnector
Italian grid operator Terna and its Tunisian counterpart, Steg, have secured €307 million ($327 million) to invest in an €850 million subsea cable link between Partanna, Sicily, and Cape Bon, Tunisia.
The Hydrogen Stream: US team assesses atmospheric methane risk for hydrogen
Princeton University researchers have published a study on how the transition to hydrogen-based energy systems would affect the tropospheric burdens of methane and hydrogen, while Provaris Energy said it is moving forward with its compressed H2 carrier.
