Understanding renewable energy ‘drought’ at solar, wind sites
An international research team based across Canada, China and the U.S. have said developers must stop focusing not only resource availability, and also consider resource variability and resource extremeness, to avoid extreme or prolonged reductions in renewable power generation at solar and wind sites.
SolarEdge posts $1.21 billion net loss in Q3
SolarEdge reported $260.9 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2024, down from $725.3 million in the same quarter last year. The Israeli manufacturer also posted an operating loss of more than $1 billion, with 850 MW of inverters and 189 MWh of batteries shipped for PV applications.
Utility-scale solar additions hit 46.8 GW since start of 2023, says Wiki-Solar
PV data consultancy Wiki-Solar says the world’s top solar developers have added nearly 50 GW of new solar capacity since early 2023, raising their cumulative capacity to 146.7 GW – more than one-fifth of the global total.
Solar module manufacturing capacity could exceed 1.5 TW by 2035, says IEA
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest report, which maps out the future evolution of clean energy manufacturing, says the combined global market for PV, wind turbines, electric cars, batteries, electrolyzers, and heat pumps will rise from $700 billion in 2023 to more than $2 trillion by 2035.
IRENA calls for greater gender inclusion in decentralized energy sector
The International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) latest report says that women’s roles in decentralized renewable energy are critical to achieving universal electricity access in underserved communities.
Grid defection is profitable in some solar-rich U.S. locations
Researchers from Canada’s Western University assessed eighteen case studies across thirteen US states and found in areas an economic case for disconnecting from the electricity grid in some areas with high solar irradiation and high electricity rates. They say economic grid defection and utility death spirals are becoming salient issues in the U.S.
Solar corporate funding down 23% so far this year
Total corporate funding in the solar industry reached $22.3 billion over the first nine months of 2024, representing a 23% year-on-year decrease. Mercom Capital Group says that while global uncertainties are affecting investor confidence, an increase in debt financing and resilience in newly-announced large-scale project funding remain bright spots for the sector.
Researchers capture first-ever images of electric charges across semiconductor materials within a solar cell
A team from the University of California Santa Barbara used ultrafast electron microscopy to record photocarriers as they diffuse across a silicon and germanium heterojunction. It is the first time the movement, which lasts picoseconds, has been captured as a moving visual.
IEA forecasts over 4,000 GW of new solar by 2030
The International Energy Agency says renewables are on course to meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030, with solar accounting for 80% of the growth in capacity.
IEA calls for stronger solar, wind integration measures
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest report warns that failing to support integration at the point of deployment could jeopardize up to 15% of solar and wind projects by 2030. This shortfall would reduce their combined share of the global electricity mix by 5%.
