SolarEdge reports record revenue, yet Covid looms over residential PV for the next two quarters
Even though the U.S. market is showing some signs of stabilizing, the decline in installation rates in April alone was 33%.
Enphase PV microinverters shine in Q1, share price is up 15%
Enphase Energy’s Q1 revenue exceeded expectations as the company set an all-time gross margin record and announced plans for a new manufacturing location. Enphase stock is up 15%
Huawei, Sungrow and SMA dominate global inverter market
Analysis from Wood Mackenzie shows global inverter demand grew 18% last year. The ten largest inverter suppliers accounted for 76% of the global trade.
Solar inverters vs. cyberattacks
A U.S. research group is developing inverters and cybersecurity standards to protect solar installations from cyberattacks. The researchers said that inverters can shut down if they are hacked, or contribute to grid instability and result in the overcharging of batteries, while potentially creating problems that we still don’t know how to address.
GE’s ‘grid-forming’ inverter aims to make solar, wind look like traditional generators
GE Research plans to test new controls with its PV LV5 inverter platform — aiming to develop “grid-forming” controls to allow wind and solar inverters to form voltage and frequency levels like traditional generators. The company wants to improve coordination and synchronization among multiple grid-forming resources, and is working to improve the transient stability of systems with high renewables penetration.
Solutions to replacing aging and failing inverters
Optimizer manufacturer Alencon has published a paper outlining the technical challenges and solutions to replacing the largely-obsolete and frequently-failing 600-volt central inverters used in older PV projects.
How the new generation of 500 watt panels will shape the solar industry
With three models of 500-watt solar panels officially unveiled, here’s a look at what that means for the future of project development and the solar industry at large.
The futurology of solar power: robots, hackers, 5G, cheaper modules, repowering, and really cheap electricity
Module efficiencies will continue to increase, while the price of an individual module will stay the same. Not only will this hardware produce more power, it’ll work far longer — with predictions of 30-year module warranties, roughly the projected lifetime of gas assets.
Hardware and Services Brief: Cold rated lithium ion, fencing, a creative installation in Miami, more!
S-5! working with a metal roofing company to install two unique products on one site, SMA has launched a containerized medium voltage transformer that ties directly to their big inverters, and – so far – module pricing is flat in China. Send your hardware and service announcements USA-Editors@pv-magazine.com
Let the solar games begin — more innovation on the Intersolar show floor
Plenty of innovative hardware at the show that isn’t a module, battery or racking — as well as services and the Solar Games.
