Solar Impulse completes historic flight across the Atlantic
Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard landed the solar-powered plane in Seville on Thursday morning, achieving one of the most iconic stretches on the journey, and getting one step closer to completing the mission to fly around the world using nothing but solar energy.
Energiewende U.S.: PG&E to phase out California’s last nuclear plant in favor of renewables
The California utility has also set a goal of 55% renewable energy by 2031, which is more aggressive than the state’s current renewable energy mandate.
Fraunhofer CSE unveils plug-and-play PV systems
Installation and commissioning of a string inverter system in 75 minutes was demonstrated at the organization’s “2016 Demo Day” The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) has demonstrated two installations of its Plug and Play solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as part of its “2016 Demo Day” in Boston. The organization’s Plug and Play PV […]
Solar market hitting new heights, as costs keep dropping
The solar market is growing at an unprecedented rate, with a possibility that there could be 700 GW of installed PV across the world by 2020, according to a new report from SolarPower Europe. There is great reason to be excited within the solar industry, after experiencing a record breaking year in 2015, which saw […]
Europe’s solar forecast: partly shaded
European markets: In a continent seeking ever closer union but ever stronger opposition, solar’s ability to stand on its own two feet – free from subsidy – will prove crucial in the coming years, as seen in the disparate approaches many European nations are taking towards PV.
Hanwha Q Cells sets 19.5% efficiency record for standard 301W multicrystalline module
Verified by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab, the rating of 19.5% efficiency for a standard module of 1,670 x 1,000 mm2 sets a new world record for multicrystalline panels; Hanwha achieved the result using its Q.ANTUM cells with four busbars. Korean solar module producer Hanwha Q Cells has raised the bar for multicrystalline module efficiencies, confirming this […]
Overheating and incompatible plug connectors
Black sheep I: In a Bavarian solar farm, experts discovered overheated junction boxes after commissioning and, later, overheated plug connectors as well. The prime contractor was willing to fix both defects. The crossed plug connectors from different manufacturers, which are relatively common in the PV farm, are still a headache for the operator. In a […]
IPL puts the first utility-scale battery system on the MISO grid
The 20 MW battery will provide primary frequency response services and can assist with the integration of solar and wind. Last Thursday Indianapolis Power and Light (IPL) connected a 20 MW lithium-ion battery to the grid in Indianapolis, Indiana, as the first such large-scale battery to be connected to the transmission grid in the entire […]
SolarCity/Silevo must pay duties on Chinese-made PV cells
In its final ruling, U.S. trade authorities have stated that SolarCity’s heterojunction silicon solar cells are subject to duties on Chinese-made cells. Last Friday, the International Trade Association gave its final ruling on whether or not Silevo’s “Triex” heterojunction PV cells are subject to anti-dumping and anti-subsidy import duties on cells and modules imported from […]
Greenskies jumps to #1 in the U.S. C&I solar sector during Q1
GTM Research says SolarCity fell to second place in the commercial and industrial market during the quarter. The first quarter of 2016 saw a shake-up in the ranking of leading commercial and industrial (C&I) solar installers in the United States, according to the latest report from GTM Research’s Leaderboard service. The company says that Greenskies […]
