Balance of Systems

Solar panels get all the attention due to their good looks, but it’s the inverters that hold all the brains behind your system. Here’s what you need to know.

Also on the rise: J-Power Development plans to deploy solar+storage at a coal plant site, pv magazine launches a Hydrogen Hub site, KKR buys into Sempra Infra, and NREL ponders what it will take to boost PV module reuse and recycling.

Solar inverters are increasingly smart, but their sophisticated power electronics expose potential cyber security gaps. Work is underway to harden the devices from intruders who may be out to cripple the electric grid.

Tests by 7X Energy show that ground cover material showed promise, but projects will likely still need to prove the long-term durability, degradation rates, and validation of installation labor and O&M.

Also on the rise: Pivot Energy completes community solar projects, Enphase deal opens a new market segment, IREC gains from a solar donation, and NREL storage study outlines a four-step adoption process with big implications for the grid.

Also on the rise: Salient Energy wins a grant to advance its zinc-ion battery tech, Ingeteam supplies equipment for a California solar project, and a new call for to avert global “energy apartheid.”

Also on the rise: Moss Landing energy storage enters service, Duke Energy buys a 144 MW project, military housing gets rooftop solar, and researchers win a grant to study grid-forming PV inverter technology.

Trina Solar is spearheading an effort to standardize 210mm silicon wafers and modules, aiming to improve production efficiency, supply chain optimization and innovation.

Also on the rise: Canada an an EV supply hub; SEIA board expansion; a trio of projects explore energy storage + fossil; things are looking up for JinkoSolar down under