Solar curtailment vs. storage
Swiss researchers have looked at whether storage could be cheaper than curtailment in medium-voltage distribution networks with significant amounts of PV capacity. They considered storage costs, operational costs, grid constraints, electricity costs, PV generation models, and loads.
Weekend read: As simple as IBC
The search for ever higher conversion efficiency has driven solar researchers to focus on back-contact cell approaches, and efforts to devise more cost-effective manufacturing are bringing technologies such as interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar into the mainstream, as Mark Hutchins reports.
New global solar capacity additions hit 191 GW in 2022, says IRENA
Global renewable capacity increased by 295 GW last year, bringing the world to a cumulative installed capacity of 3,372 GW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Strong interest in hydrogen certification, Bureau Veritas reports
Bureau Veritas tells pv magazine that there is a great deal of interest in hydrogen certification schemes in Australia, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.
Global study highlights potential of floating solar
An international group of researchers has calculated the potential for floating solar across the world. The results show a generation potential of 9,434 TWh per year across 114,555 global reservoirs, with 30% of their area covered. The United States leads with 1,911 TWh per year of potential, with Australia coming in 8th, with 210 TWh per year.
Europe to launch hydrogen auctions
The European Commission says it will set up the new European Hydrogen Bank by the end of this year, with additional plans to hand out 10-year contracts in a new hydrogen auction. Meanwhile, Fortescue Future Industries is setting up a project in Kenya.
Weekend read: Get what you pay for
Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has calculated the price premium that solar developers will swallow in return for the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) savings offered by the latest generation of high-efficiency PV panels.
Agrivoltaics market valued at $14 billion
The global agrivoltaics market is pegged at a 10.1% annual growth rate, according to a research note by Allied Analytics.
Tesla’s Investor Day: Ramping up the Megapack business
The electric vehicle and storage manufacturer shared insight into its Megapack energy storage business and the Megapack XL, the stationary battery storage product that Tesla says has the highest energy density on the market.
Weekend read: Solar cars, lightyears away?
The integration of solar cells and vehicles looks like a sure bet for the future of cars, buses, and trucks. But for startups that have bet on making solar a feature of their electric vehicles (EVs), times are tough, reports pv magazine’s Tristan Rayner.
