A European research group has adapted a soiling model for use across the continent, analyzing scenarios with complete and partial rain cleaning to calculate energy losses and increases in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), marking Europe’s first techno-economic PV soiling assessment.
RWTH Aachen University in Germany has investigated the safety of battery storage systems and compared it with other household appliances or technologies. The study aims to create a reliable database for classifying fire risk for consumers and regulators.
As the installation cost of residential PV decreases and the grid parity is achieved in more regions, the residential PV market is gaining a new momentum. However, safety is a major concern due to various reasons, such as poor product quality, lack of construction experience, and tight schedules.
The debate continues over whether super-sized, high-power solar modules are a good thing for the industry and they appear to be here to stay. Vicente Parra and James Whittemore, from Enertis Applus+, consider the pitfalls to avoid when designing high-power solar projects.
The European Heat Pump Association has compiled an up-to-date overview of subsidies for residential heat pumps in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland.
SolarPower Europe says in a new report that households in Germany, Spain, and Italy can more than triple their savings by pairing PV with heat pumps. It said this combination helped families to save between 62% and 84% on their annual energy bills in 2022.
Aurora Solar offers guidelines to make the most of a solar installation by avoiding losses.
Interest in N-type bifacial modules has rapidly increased due to their ability to generate more power than conventional P-type bifacial thanks to their higher bifacial factor, lower degradation, lower temperature coefficient in addition more energy density and power class.
A new report by the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) estimates that lost revenue from PV module soiling amounts to more than €3 billion ($3.2 billion) per year – an amount that is only set to increase as PV systems grow larger and more efficient.
The German parliament has approved a new package of tax breaks for rooftop PV, including a value-added tax exemption for PV systems up to 30 kW in size.
The new measure should come into force on January 1. It is part of the Tax Plan 2023 package and still needs final parliamentary approval.
The new provisions are part of the new version of the country’s renewable energy law, which was approved today by the German parliament.
Homes and small businesses in England and Wales will be able to claim a discount off installation costs from a fund that will allocate $188 million annually as part of the subsidy program.
The Japanese authorities will provide a maximum rebate of JPY 303,500 ($2,350)/kW for solar projects ranging in size from 10 kW to 50 kW. Projects above 50 kW will be assigned a rebate of JPY 205,900/kW.
The Directive No. 2022/542 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on April 5. According to the new provisions, member states will be free to apply a VAT rate of 0% to 5%.