Commercial & Industrial PV

RMIT University in Australia has developed new software that integrates product, regulation, technical, economic, and construction data. It helps architects and engineers to estimate the cost of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) during the conceptual design phase.

Researchers in China have build a 10 kW spectral-splitting concentrator agrivoltaic system that accomodates small farming equipment below it. The installation relies on 128 concentrator modules integrating each an ultra-white and toughened concentrating curved glass (CCG), a multilayer polymer film (MPF) and 23%-efficient interdigitated-back contact (IBC) crystalline silicon solar cells provided by Sunpower.

In the second week of October, European electricity market prices rose., wit some hourly prices exceeding €200/MWh. The rise was caused by higher gas and CO2 prices, which registered their highest levels since February and August, respectively. Increased demand and lower solar energy production also drove prices up, while wind energy helped prices to fall on some days.

Taipower has developed a new platform to sell renewable energy to small- and medium-sized businesses. The power utility plans to sell 50 GWh of clean energy by the end of this year.

Boundary Power is claiming an Australian first with the unveiling of a 100% relocatable, modular standalone power system. It integrates solar with a hydrogen electrolyzer and storage system, rather than relying on traditional backup diesel generators.

PV has real potential on agricultural land in Italy, where multinationals and entrepreneurs alike share an enthusiasm for solar innovation. This is being hindered by a piecemeal approach to regulation.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that areas across Mexico and Southern Texas saw reduced cloud, leading to 120-130% of average September Irradiance. Meanwhile, storms and a ‘Bomb’ cyclone caused by persistent low pressure over British Columbia delivered cloudier conditions, leading to irradiance as low as 70% of long term averages.

If 157,621 hectares of utilized agricultural area in the European Union incorporated agrivoltaics, it could produce up to 944 GW installed capacity, a new study published by the Joint Research Centre found. Despite the optimism, certain challenges – such as no clear definition and dedicated standards – stand in the way of the technology’s success.

A research team in China assessed the accuracy of the WRF-Solar numerical weather prediction model in simulating global and diffuse radiation. The group’s work highlighted the model’s sensitivity to aerosol optical depth, cloud optical thickness, and solar zenith angle.

ENEA and Enel have developed an ‘algovoltaic’ system to cultivate high-value microalgae, ranging from €100 ($106.19)/kg to €600/kg for pharmaceutical uses or cosmetic purposes. This is possible due to the integration of a fully automated cultivation system with a 7 kW solar array.