Europe

European Union member states have installed a “record-breaking” 56 GW of PV over the last 12 months – consistent with the past three years of 40% year-on-year growth, according to SolarPower Europe. But the association warns that solar’s moment in the sun could soon be over, as energy prices stabilise and project interest rates skyrocket.

SMA Solar Technology AG says it will open a new 3.5 GW inverter factory at an unspecified location in the United States in 2025. The German manufacturer is currently talking with several US states and potential partners to select the best production site.

Smoke from wildfires significantly effects solar output, researchers from UNSW have found. Specifically, Australia’s Black Summer in 2019 – 2020 caused energy losses from residential and utility PV systems estimated between 175 to 35 GWh, equating to a worst-case financial loss of around $6.1 to $29 million.

PI Berlin has developed a new tool to detect problems in inverters such as defective printed circuit boards, faulty switching algorithms, and deficiencies in components and sensors.

TU Deflt researchers made a first attempt to validate reconfigurable solar modules using prototypes in outdoor tests. The panels consist of two or more blocks of solar cells that are connected to a switching matrix and reportedly achieve a 10.2% higher energy yield than conventional shade-resilient modules under partial shading conditions.

Major Australian renewable energy portfolio holder Global Power Generation Australia, jointly owned by Spain’s Naturgy and an arm of the Kuwait Investment Authority, is reportedly going up for auction early next year.

Australian solar thermal specialist Vast Renewables will look to accelerate the development of its concentrated solar power technology after securing a $16.37 million (€10 million) capital commitment from French energy giant EDF Renewables.

Construction of the 380 MW Aldoga Solar Farm being developed near Gladstone on the central Queensland coast is to commence in the first quarter of 2024 with energy generated at the facility to go towards powering the state’s largest green hydrogen project.

Energy giant BP announced today it would take full ownership of solar and wind energy developer Lightsource BP once a deal – pertaining to the purchase of the remaining renewables company’s shares BP does not own – goes through next year.

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.