High-level photovoltaics
The expedition to Manaslu Peak (8,163m) in Nepal, led by Alex Txikon, will not consume a single liter of fossil fuels thanks to two portable photovoltaic installations. The initiative is being promoted by Eki, a foundation created by Spanish solar company Solarpack and supported by the Basque Energy Agency (EVE).
Romania improves rebate scheme to speed up rooftop PV development
The Romanian government has changed the rules of the Casa Verde Fotovoltaice (green PV home) scheme to support residential solar installations under the country’s net metering regime. The new provisions improve the installation process and settlement of rebate payments.
SunPower launches home monitoring app for solar, storage
The SunPower solar monitoring app draws inspiration for its user interface from unlikely non-energy sources such as Spider-Man.
LG Electronics offers hybrid system combining heat pump, PV and storage
The system generates electricity and heat for residential houses and small businesses. An integrated energy management system should guarantee maximum self-consumption of the solar power produced.
Stochastic fractal search algorithm to measure parameters of PV modules
An international research team has used, for the first time, a powerful metaheuristic and a nature-inspired algorithm to improve the estimation of the parameters of PV cells and modules. The algorithm imitates the natural phenomenon of growth and uses the diffusion process, based on random fractals.
Malaysia to allocate another 500 MW of rooftop PV under net metering
The NEM 3.0 program will run until the end of 2023 and will see the participation of residential, commercial and industrial prosumers as well as public entities and government ministries.
France publishes first-quarter FITs for PV systems up to 100 kW
The feed-in tariff granted reduces each quarter, in line with how much solar capacity was installed in the previous three-month period.
Flexible heat pumps ideal for power grids congested by solar and wind
Dutch transmission system operator Tennet, which also serves Germany, is planning to create flexible electricity demand and reduce grid congestion by promoting the use of smarter heating systems and heat pumps that can also be powered by solar and wind energy. According to its experts, intelligent control of heat pumps may result in the creation of between 0.5 and 1 GW of temporary grid flexibility by 2030.
Solar for self-consumption keeps growing in Spain
Around 569 MW of new PV systems were installed last year under the country’s rules for self-consumption. Around 56% of this capacity was deployed in the industrial segment, while commercial installations had a 23% share.
Tesla sharpens focus on solar
In an earnings call this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boldly claimed that the company will soon be “the market leader in solar.”
