New control technique for microgrid-connected PV systems
An international research group has applied for the first time integral backstepping control (IBC) as a control strategy for PV systems connected to microgrids. Through a series of simulations, the scientists found the new approach can provide better results than classic backstepping control (BC) and other techniques.
Weekend read: 100% solar offgrid, 100% on wheels
Jason and Kara are Canadian overlanders from the “Everlanders” channel on YouTube. Overlanding is self-reliant travel on the road, driving to remote places across international borders. pv magazine caught up with Jason between legs of their latest road trip.
Allume lands $2.3 million to support roll out of Solshare tech in U.S.
Australian solar technology company Allume Energy estimates that its behind-the-meter Solshare platform can help residents in multi-unit buildings save up to 40% on their electricity bills.
Google to sell rooftop solar mapping data
New application programming interfaces datasets from Google are designed for solar marketplace websites, solar installers, software-as-a-service developers, and any user looking to understand rooftop solar potential of a particular address.
RayGen officially opens 4 MW ‘solar hydro’ power plant
Australian energy technology startup RayGen has officially opened a 4 MW solar and long-duration energy storage project in Victoria, describing it as the world’s “highest efficiency PV project” operating at utility scale.
PV cell technology trends
Ongoing innovation in PV cell technology will have major impacts as solar is deployed at a “multi-terawatt scale” over the next two decades, according to a global team of scientists.
Hydrogen buses less efficient than battery models
Italian researchers have compared the performance of hydrogen and electric buses in northern Italy. Meanwhile, Australian company Worley has collaborated with Princeton University to devise a 10-point action plan for Europe’s renewable hydrogen sector.
Smart meter reforms including free data access and accelerated rollout to be effected by AEMC
Smart meter reform recommendations have been handed down by the Australian Energy Market Commission, which advised accelerating the national rollout and introducing a mandate for customers to have free access to their real-time data. Reaching 100% penetration by 2030 would provide $507 million (USD 328 million) net benefit value to the NEM, the Commission’s review found.
Consumer group debunks residential battery misconceptions
A German consumer protection association, Verbraucherzentrale NRW, has issued a warning about five misleading assumptions about PV-linked residential battery systems.
Jaguar building large-scale storage system with second-life EV batteries
Jaguar Land Rover and Wykes Engineering are building a 2.5 MWh storage system with electric-vehicle batteries taken from Jaguar I-PACE cars. The large-scale system will store wind and solar at an undisclosed location in the United Kingdom.
