Commercial & Industrial PV

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that solar production across much of Europe is expected to dip over the weekend as a significant low-pressure system draws polar air across the continent, bringing the first large widespread snowfall of the season.

Brazil’s largest microgrid has gone online at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). The CampusGrid project combines a 565 kW solar system with a 1 MW high-capacity battery energy storage system (BESS).

Research led by the University of Sheffield installed an off-grid agrivoltaic system in Tanzania and a grid-tied agrivoltaic system in Kenya. They found the installations helped boost crop yield and conserve water while generating electricity at a lower cost than the national grid.

Serbia’s upcoming second renewables auction, scheduled for later this month, aims to procure 124.8 MW of solar power with a ceiling price of €72 ($75.30)/MWh. This price is lower than the €90/MWh ceiling offered in the country’s first renewables auction last year.

Panasonic has launched its new R32 heat pumps, introducing the EXTERIOS Z and ClimaPure XZ series. The models offer heating capacities ranging from 10,900 Btu/h to 28,800 Btu/h, depending on specifications.

Upon completion, The Red Sea destination will be a role model tourist development with 50 hotels and other amenities powered by 100% renewable energy, thanks to a 400 MW PV power plant supported by a 1.3 GWh battery energy storage system from Huawei.

Researchers in China have created a balloon-integrated photovoltaic system that reportedly represents a feasible solution for emergency PV power generation in mid-to-high latitudes. It consists of a customized balloon, 19%-efficient thin-film cadmium telluride solar cells, an exhaust valve, control and storage modules, fixed ropes, and a cord reel, as well as an upper hemisphere and a lower arc surface.

Australia’s record uptake of rooftop solar is delivering significant benefits for some installers, with new analysis by industry consultancy Solar Nerds showing triple-digit percentage point annual growth rates for some companies.

Developed by researchers in South Africa, the proposed technique is based on the water cycle algorithm (WCA), a population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm that is inspired by the water cycle process in nature and how streams and rivers flow into the sea.

A new study by Germany’s Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) points to strong potential for solar deployment across the nation’s roadways and highways.