Magazine Archive 2016

Breaking the rules Just as the physical grid was designed for one-way flow of electricity from centralized generation to distributed loads, political and regulatory structures are also based on this centralized architecture. As such, these structures have had a difficult time adapting to a new reality of two-way flows of electricity, with multiple services supplied […]

Smart home market battle widens Given the central importance of solar generation to a smart home today, solar monitoring plays an incumbent role in the control and command of usage. However, the ultimate user interface between the user and the smart home is fast evolving through the use of intense electronics programming among dozens of […]

Disruption in building services What is the biggest challenge for the Internet of Things in the home? Viktor Grinewitschus: There is one fundamental question that is really important for the industry: Where is the value creation? How do manufacturers define themselves and what is the functionality of their devices? If you make a device completely […]

Microgrids – Smart renewable energy clusters provide independence from the grid Microgrids are defined as a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) within clearly-defined electrical boundaries that act as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. They offer a potentially cheaper, more reliable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional centralized […]

Residential energy storage gets smarter Residential storage installs were up 5% during the first quarter of this year, according to GTM Research. But Navigant Consulting suggests that global residential energy storage will grow from 95 MW today to 3.8 GW by 2025. Within that market, North American residential storage is expected to rise 55% from 15 MW today […]

Stories from the electricity market Peter in Munich shares his power with Paul in Flensburg and Martha in Frankfurt. That is the claim on the sonnenCommunity website, where a bold headline promises “It’s time to declare your independence.” At Senec it goes like this: “Mission: 100% independence,” and, “With the Senec-Cloud you’ll store up unneeded […]

Solar smarts When we talk about intelligent interaction between photovoltaic systems and the electric grid, the inverter is the key piece of hardware. Not only does it convert DC power to AC while matching the voltage, frequency, and phase of the grid, but increasingly inverters are being asked to do more to support the grid, […]

Company Vignettes The Solar-Log 370 is an advanced residential solar PV monitoring device with grid feed-in control. The residential revenue-grade meter combines the Solar-Log monitoring technology with GE’s popular 1-210+ meter. Optional features include automatic incentive reporting, self-consumption metering, inverter direct monitoring for near real-time visualization of plant data, connection to weather sensors, remote disconnect, and […]

Germany’s Daimler is beginning to use its expertise in the electric vehicle space to deliver high quality storage systems for commercial markets. Go big AND go home Large-scale storage: Germany’s pioneering approach to all things PV has spilled over into battery storage at scale, attracting the attentions of car giant Mercedes-Benz in the process. Alongside […]

Interview: pv magazine caught up with Guy Beaucarne, whose team at Dow Corning has developed an electrically conductive adhesive especially for use in the PV Industry. The adhesive could lead to the creation of thinner cells, and significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of solar modules.