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.

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 new provisions are part of the new version of the country’s renewable energy law, which was approved today by the German parliament.

Belgium’s federal government has decided to reduce to 6% the VAT on PV systems and heat pumps deployed on buildings erected over the past ten years. This measure was previously applied only to projects developed on buildings that were more than ten years old.

Researchers in China have analyzed how the marine environment influences the performance of PV modules deployed on ships, and have found that salt particles can be detrimental to their performance as these act as both heating agents and a factor reducing solar irradiance. The temporary cooling effect provided by seawater is not sufficient to offset the impacts of salt spray and ensure increased power yields.

Asier Ukar, director of the Spanish unit of German technical advisory PI Berlin, tells pv magazine about his experiences of conducting quality control inspections in Chinese factories during the global pandemic.

Greece’s energy regulator has announced the results of the country’s latest round of tenders for renewable energy, which saw the incumbent utility offer the country’s lowest bid for a solar PV project.

According to an investigation conducted by public bodies, cross-mating of connectors was the main common denominator of the incidents studied.

A new handbook published by the World Bank and Solar Research Institute of Singapore contains advice on how to plan and build floating PV. The guide is intended to help developers with site identification; feasibility studies; finance; environmental and social issues; procurement and construction; and operations and maintenance.

A high-resolution geospatial assessment of the rooftop solar photovoltaic potential in the European Union

Cell cracks effect on performance is less well understood.

The world’s biggest solar market reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of 174.63 GW at the end of last year.