Staying afloat, whatever the weather
From a little known niche just a few years ago, floating solar has quickly grown to more than 1 GW of installed capacity worldwide, and a source of great hope for the industry’s future, particularly in countries where space for solar is at a premium. pv magazine spoke with experts from leading floating PV test centers in Singapore and the Netherlands to outline the challenges still faced by floating PV as the technology moves towards major growth.
Secrets of monocrystalline silicon
Monocrystalline cells and modules are rapidly overtaking multi as the dominant technology in solar markets globally. To understand why, you need to go up the value chain.
Coating puts busbars back in the game
In late September, Heraeus launched its Selectively Coated Ribbons (SCR) technology. The product will be rolled out in partnership with ribbon supplier Ulbrich. Delivering a 1.9 W power output boost without any equipment investment and with few process changes, Heraeus’ Toralf Eggert and Ulbrich’s Peter Berghofer claim SCR will make conventional busbars competitive with unwieldy multi-busbars.
Flashing key for bifacial value
As new cell and module concepts move into large-scale production, and efficiencies are pushed ever higher, manufacturers of flash testing equipment must innovate to ensure their tools can provide reliable measurements, and cope with ever expanding production throughput. The expansion of bifacial technology beyond niche applications in particular raises new issues for flash testing standards. pv magazine spoke with several flasher manufacturers to shed light on the latest developments in this segment.
Making the connection
From modules and inverters down to the smallest components in a PV system, quality is an issue that needs to be kept firmly in mind. pv magazine spoke with Eric Ast, Head of Business Development at Stäubli Electrical Connectors, about pushing for education on quality in the smaller components and their management, as the company celebrates 20 years in the solar industry.
pv magazine outdoor test
August and September 2018 results:
We are proud to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field at Xi’an, China. Two months’ worth of data (August and September) will be presented this time. However, from December onwards, we will be showing the results of the month that precedes the issue by two months, i.e. the October results will be presented in December, and so on.
Smart new connections
In the new energy world, connectivity is key. But what does this mean in concrete terms, and how does it benefit the energy transition? Find out in our special section in collaboration with The smarter E Europe.
Off-grid, self sufficient
A project in the south of Western Australia demonstrates how solar can provide a reliable energy supply without backup from the grid, and why it is set to spread around the world even faster than many predict. With this project, German battery manufacturer, Tesvolt and Australian EPC Unlimited Energy won the The smarter E award.
Getting rolling
The first companies are demonstrating that today it can be worthwhile commercially to back electric vehicles in combination with solar generation and storage. Particularly in the case of public charging stations, solar power used for electric vehicle charging could become the basis for a profitable operator model in the future.
From diesel to electric
A gas station is located right next to the German Autobahn outside Munich. Another gas station is right in the middle of the Bavarian capital near the famous Isartor. They represent two very different scenarios, both of which are addressed by Siemens Power Technologies International in their e-mobility offer to gas station operators.
