US developers working on 858 GWdc of solar, 1 TWh of batteries
US government research shows that solar-plus-storage is starting to dominate the nation’s power grid queues, representing the majority of new power plant applications.
US lab reveals top findings for hybrid solar, storage plants
US government researchers have collected 10 observations from recent research papers that look at solar- or wind-plus-storage power plants in the United States.
Ultracapacitor sonar seeking grid with 100% solar, wind
Reactive Technologies uses an ultracapacitor to send signals to the grid that help managers determine the level of system inertia, supporting power grid stability – and they’re coming to the United States.
Utility scale solar inverters need improved commissioning and upkeep
Recurring power grid faults are testing solar inverter reactions, and have exposed issues that could seemingly be solved by improvements to commissioning, operations, and maintenance.
Solar power on pace to save the world
A think tank analysis suggests that if solar power keeps up its growth pace, along with wind, then the global power sector will meet its carbon reduction targets to keep world temperatures in check.
Newer, larger PV plants perform better, while older plants pick up steam with repowering
An American government lab sees utility-scale solar fleets degrading faster than projected at 1.2% per year, while newer and larger plants are degrading at just 0.7% per year. Older plants appear to be getting repowered in year seven, resulting in lasting performance increases.
World has installed 1TW of solar capacity
The world has installed its first terawatt of hardware on Earth to generate electricity directly from the sun.
Solar-plus-food in ethanol fields could fully power the United States
The conversion of the 40 million acres of ethanol corn farms in the United States into solar-plus-food facilities could generate 1.5 times the nation’s electricity needs, while also powering a 100% electrified passenger vehicle fleet.
Longi releases Hi-MO 5 snow-load test results
Longi Solar has released the data of an inhomogeneous snow-load test. Its results show that its 72-cell solar modules held 1,800 pascals more force than a competing large format product using 210 mm cells.
Autonomous laser system clears birds from PV arrays
Bird Control Group’s autonomous laser system reduces bird populations in specific areas by more than 70%. In many cases, bird activity has been reduced by more than 99%.
