Magazine Archive 06 – 2024 | Down to the wires

Though it already hosts several of the world’s largest solar installations, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s solar industry is still young, with limited local infrastructure and expertise. Project developers are learning quickly that building PV in harsh desert environments requires a careful eye on quality. New testing laboratories are looking to meet demand.

In addition to establishing a registered entity in Germany, Runergy has set up expert teams with local knowledge in countries such as France, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Poland, solidifying its position in Europe.

Introducing a new technology to the PV marketplace brings many challenges. Oxford PV did so while supply chains were disrupted because of the pandemic, which complicated things further. That hurdle has been overcome and shipments of perovskite tandem modules are set to commence as soon as September 2024, says Chris Case, the company’s long-serving chief technical officer.

As low prices present new challenges to industry players, Suntech argues that manufacturers should not lose sight of the need for high-quality products with long-term durability. Customers also need to prioritize quality and durability over price alone.

George Touloupas, senior director of technology and quality at consultant Clean Energy Associates (CEA), analyzes the April 2024 results from the outdoor pv magazine test installation in Xi’an, China.

The Swiss Army knife qualities of lithium-ion batteries have helped scale the technology. Now their ubiquitous nature means they are ideally placed to help electricity system operators balance the grid, argues Gerard Reid, co-founder and partner of Alexa Capital.

An annual inspection of the performance of energy storage products that are available in Germany, conducted by the HTW Berlin – University of Applied Sciences, has shown how important it is for buyers to know how effective their devices are at providing electricity during low nighttime loads.

The bidirectional flow of electricity to and from the grid and electric-vehicle (EV) batteries, known as “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G), could offer substantial opportunities to integrate more renewables. Deploying V2G services at scale has proven complex, however. We Drive Solar, a Netherlands-based supplier of bidirectional charging technology, is one of several companies that have successfully moved past the demonstration stage. Robin Berg, CEO at We Drive Solar, explains how.

Battery energy storage system (BESS) technology has come a long way since 2012. Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO and co-founder of Accure Battery Intelligence, reflects on the fast-paced evolution of BESS and asks what will come next for an industry with plenty of stored potential.

The solar market has had a remarkable three years. During a record year for European PV generation, new solar capacity installed in 2023 was almost equally split between residential, commercial and industrial (C&I), and the utility end-customer segments, with a minor share for self-consumption schemes. Grids must be well prepared for the challenges ahead.