Hail damage accounts for about half of all solar facility loss claims, says GCube
GCube Insurance says that hail damage accounts for less than 2% of filed claims but constitutes more than 50% of total costs for solar facility loss claims.
What drives solar adoption not equal across income levels
Lawrence Berkeley researchers studied how solar buying decisions are influenced across varying income levels and offer rationale for policy changes and incentives to spur adoption among low- to middle-income households.
AGL to put nickel-hydrogen battery tech to test at Torrens Island
Australian energy giant AGL will install a nickel-hydrogen battery at its Torrens Island power station site in South Australia as it seeks to explore the potential opportunities that the technology can provide for stationary energy storage applications.
Solar productivity negatively impacted by emissions and aerosols, study finds
A study by engineers at UNSW, published in the Renewable Energy journal, shows that aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions reduce the productivity of photovoltaic installations and that this differs according to the global region.
Performance parameters for residential heat pumps linked to PV, storage
German researchers measured a PV-powered heat pump with battery storage in a single-family home in Freiburg, Germany, for a period of a year. It features smart grid-ready tech that adjusts operations based on the grid.
New research claims PV outperforms afforestation in combating climate change
Scientists from Israel have calculated how long it would take for PV plants and afforestation projects to offset their warming impacts caused by the darkening of land. The results showed that in drylands, PV fields could be over 50 times more efficient than afforestation.
AGL to trial forecasting tool to transform energy demands of C&I sites
Melbourne Airport is among the organisations taking part in a two-year trial intended to help commercial and industrial energy users shift their demand away from peak times, easing pressure on the grid and supporting the integration of more renewables.
‘Cool roofs’ increase power yield in bifacial rooftop PV systems
A Spanish-Algerian research group has tested how “cool roofs” could help increase power yield in rooftop bifacial PV systems. Cool roofs are based on coating materials with high reflectance properties.
New MPPT approach for multi-string PV systems under partial shading
Egyptian researchers has developed a multi-string PV system with a converter control strategy, achieving 99.81% efficiency with a direct duty cycle for maximum power point tracking (MPPT).
Message framing techniques to boost solar sales
A Dutch-German research team has tested how a series of framed messages may be used to boost PV system sales, addressing both self-interest and environmental concerns, and has found that all the proposed messages are effective at promoting the purchase of solar panel installations.
