From pv magazine Germany

Germany installed 919 MW of new PV capacity in September, according to the latest figures from the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). This compares to 1,056 MW in August and 750 MW in September 2022.

In the first nine months of this year, developers connected 10.72 GW of solar to the grid, compared to 5.6 GW in the same period a year earlier.

This means that the German government's goal of achieving a newly installed capacity of 9 GW for this year has already been exceeded. With a view to the goal of a cumulative installed capacity of 215 GW by 2030, the monthly increase – viewed linearly – would have to be 1,578 megawatts, as determined by the Federal Network Agency. This value has not been reached in any month so far this year.

The country's cumulative solar capacity surpassed 77.67 GW at the end of September.

In September, the combined capacity of rooftop systems supported with feed-in tariffs or market premiums totaled 666 MW. This is also the lowest value since February and a significant decrease compared to previous months when there were more than 800 MW in this segment – with the peak value of almost 937 MW having been reached in June.

Reduced moisture in the Amazon delivered clear skies and increased irradiance across the tropics of South America. Solar assets in the region saw 110-120% of average monthly irradiance through September.

A strong and slow-moving storm early in the month lessened irradiance in southern Brazil, but the rest of mid-latitude South America saw mostly normal irradiance, according to data collected by Solcast, a DNV company, via the Solcast API. The Altiplano Plateau saw the highest irradiance for the whole continent. This is in line with historical averages, as the area records some of the highest irradiance levels in the world.

In September the tropics saw higher irradiance than usual. This was due to clearer skies caused by the current drought in the Amazon. The northeastern part of the Amazon has been dry since mid-July, resulting in reduced moisture in the rainforest and less evapotranspiration. This is a major source of moisture fuelling cloud formation over rainforest regions.

The region saw regular cumuliform clouds typical of tropical regions, but not the large storms and rainfall events that are typical of the start of the wet season in September. The rivers in the Amazon are reported to be at their lowest level in over a century as there has been a lack of rainfall and ensuing dry conditions in recent months. This has been exacerbated by warm conditions, as South America recorded the warmest September extending from heatwaves.

The Brazilian southern states of Rio Grande de Sul and Santa Catarina saw reduced irradiance. It recorded 10-20% below September averages and is due to an unusually strong extra-tropical cyclone. The storm moved onshore from the Atlantic in early September, and it’s slow-moving nature meant the irradiance impacts were more focussed and intense. Most of the remainder of mid-latitude South America saw much more moderate irradiance at or slightly below the long-term average.

Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with a typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 300 companies managing over 150 GW of solar assets globally.

From pv magazine USA

Enphase has announced the launch of its IQ EV charger for charging electric vehicles at home. The microinverter and home energy storage provider said that the chargers offer between 31 miles (49.8 km) and 61 miles of range charging per hour on its fast chargers.

The EV charger can be paired with Enphase solar and energy storage systems. It handles Wi-Fi connections and includes smart control and monitoring capabilities.

The devices can be coordinated to help solar and battery owners maximize electricity cost savings by charging directly from solar production. With a home battery, the Enphase system enables vehicle charging even when there is a grid power outage.

IQ EV chargers come in 32 A, 48 A, and 64 A configurations, which offer 7.7 kW, 9.6 kW, and 15.4 kW max power respectively.

Each charger has NEMA 6-50P, and 14-50P rated input cables, which are hardwired. It has a ruggedized J1772 connector for universal compatibility and a 25-foot charge cable. The device is rated for both indoor and outdoor use. They come with a five-year warranty from Enphase and is backed with a 24-7 customer support line from Enhpase.

“As a solar contractor that has installed Enphase microinverters for my customers since 2009, I’m glad to see the IQ EV Chargers join Enphase’s product ecosystem,” said Louis Woofenden, owner and engineering director, Net Zero Solar. “I was excited to try out this improved smart charger on the Enphase platform with ClipperCreek heritage. It’s so helpful to be able to easily schedule charge times, manually start and stop charging my EV, and monitor my EV energy use – all from the Enphase App on my phone.”

The 32 A device starts retail at $732 while the 64 A device retails at $1,176 on the Enphase site. Enphase is positioning its charger, microinverter and home battery as a “one-stop-shop” for home energy solutions.

“Installing an EV charger with a solar and battery system simply makes sense and can reduce overall installation costs,” said Jayant Somani, president and general manager, digital business for Enphase Energy.

From pv magazine Australia

While 2023 is still trailing 2021 for small-scale solar installations, the difference is now only 150 MW, or 7%, according to data from Sunwiz. In 2021, the fourth quarter was the most tumultuous three-month period. On the other hand, elevated lead levels and a spike in Google searches suggests that the fourth quarter of this year will contend for the strongest period in 2023.

“I think there’s already a good deal of momentum backed in and that we are going to see elevated levels [of sales],” Warwick Johnston, managing director of Sunwiz, tells pv magazine Australia. “I suspect we are going to have a strong October, so we’re up for a record year.”

Lead volumes this September were up 78% compared to the number of quote requests in September 2021, Sunwiz has found. Many customers are npw turning to Google to find out about installing solar.

“I’m seeing consumer interest levels 10 to 20% up on what they were in the same time of previous year. All this hasn’t yet flowed through to leads proposals and sales,” Johnston said of the spike in Google trends for “solar” and “solar panel.” He said that it's “the highest level it's been … and paybacks [on solar systems] are all improving now, so that bodes well for 2024 as well. My prediction is that we are going to have a strong finish to the year and have a record year for 2023.”

The average size of solar systems in Australia is also at record high, with especially strong growth in 10 kW to 15 kW systems. “The reason is because you’ve got commercial doing really, really well. Record year for commercial.”

Falling prices

Another interesting trend is that while Australian solar system prices are now falling after the pandemic hike, this has not translated to customers spending less overall.

This is demonstrated in the above two graphs, with the total dollar customer spend on top and dollars per watt below.

“If you look at the dollar total spend, it’s pretty consistent and flat. So this to me is saying as panels are getting cheaper, people are putting more of them on,” Johnston said.

Illinois-based ELM Solar, the US reseller of UK-based Naked Energy's solar thermal and photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems, has installed 240 of the British company's TÜV-certified collectors at a student dormitory at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

The university student residence installation is claimed to generate solar heat up to 120 C, with an annual peak capacity of 69.9 kW thermal energy. It is the first North American project for the British company.

The VirtuHOT HD collector uses a heat plate to absorb the sun’s energy and transfers it to the solar fluid to a high-efficiency heat plate. The absorber plate has a low emissivity coding reducing radiative heat loss. The vacuum in the glass tube reduces additional heat loss, resulting in a maximum of efficiency.

Naked Energy also makes PVT systems in a vacuum tube form with an absorber plate, conventional silicon solar cells, a borosilicate glass tube, and an integrated reflector in a mounting system with a 25.4 cm profile.

The absorbers can be tilted towards the sun optimising performance on pitched roofs, flat roofs, and vertical facades. A single tube unit measures 2,165 mm x 300 mm x 265 mm and weighs 20.9 kg. Its aperture area is 0.64 m2 and the absorber area is 0.331 m2. Its peak thermal output is 275 W and the electrical output is 70 W.

“The business development teams at ELM Solar and Naked Energy are currently in conversations with a variety of leads in the United States,” Christophe Williams, Naked Energy CEO, told pv magazine, noting that potential customers in the US range from paper and pulp manufacturers, health care facilities and restaurants, to pilot projects with international utility companies.

“Solar heat technology has enormous potential because it takes the task of heating water, a major energy cost in any building, either off the power or gas grid, resulting in financial and carbon savings for the building owner,” said Lee C. Graves, chairman, ELM Companies, owner of ELM Solar.

According to its CEO, Naked Energy is developing a software platform to ease the planning and modeling of new PVT installations, including cost, performance, and return on investment calculations for PV-generated electricity, solar heating and cooling. Williams also said that a first German project is slated to start construction in January, without providing further details.

Naked Energy claims that its technology quadruples the reduction of greenhouse gases per square meter compared to traditional solar PV panels.

The article was amended on October 20, 2023 to reflect that it was a thermal system and not a PVT system as originally reported.

From pv magazine USA

FERC's new energy infrastructure report shows that solar holds the largest share of capacity additions in the energy mix in the United States. 

In the January-August period, just under 9 GW of solar capacity was added, representing 40.5% of all capacity additions. This represents 36% growth year on year. 

Wind power provided an additional 2.7 GW, accounting for about 12.5% of new capacity additions. When including solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, renewable energy sources contributed 54.3% of capacity additions. 

Much growth lies ahead for decarbonized energy to push out fossil fuel sources. For total available installed generating capacity, natural gas remains the leader. More than 44% of available electricity generation capacity comes from natural gas, followed by coal, wind, hydropower, and solar.

FERC forecasts strong growth in solar for years to come. It expects more than 83 GW of “high probability” solar capacity additions through August 2026. This dwarfs the 4 GW of natural gas additions expected through that date. 

FERC said that the 83 GW of “high probability” solar additions may be quite conservative. There are more than 214 GW of solar additions in the three-year project pipeline. 

Natural gas has 564 GW available installed capacity today, while solar has 92 GW. Looking ahead three years, if solar were to add all the projects in the pipeline to the grid, it would reach 306 GW. The figures suggest that with a healthy ramp-up of projects, solar could feasibly push out natural gas as the No. 1 provider of electricity by 2030. 

Reaching status as the number one provider of electricity will take significant funding. A report from Rhodium Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that the United States’ total investment in clean energy, clean transportation, building electrification and carbon management reached $213 billion over the last year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023). 

The $213 billion invested represents a 37% leap over 2021-22 investments of $155 billion. Clean investment continues to strongly increase each year. In 2018/2019, total investments reached $81 billion, and it has climbed every year since.  

Domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies has become an increased focus in recent years, and rich tax credits and incentives have served as an attracting force. Manufacturing investments totaled $39 billion in 2022/2023, more than doubling the $17 billion invested in the previous report period.  

Solar represented the largest energy and industry investment category in the second quarter of 2023, attracting $8.62 billion. This was followed by storage with $4.08 billion, and wind with $2.03 billion.

A group of scientists from South Korea's Rural Development Administration, an agriculture organization under the country's Ministry of Agriculture, has created an energy system based on photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels and a ground-source heat pump.

The system is intended to provide cooling and heating to greenhouses.

“In Korea, geothermal energy is widely used as renewable energy for agriculture, but if geothermal heat is used for a long time, the heat source becomes insufficient,” the agency said, noting that covering around 10% of the greenhouse's roof with PVT panels may easily compensate for this typical shortcoming of geothermal energy. 

The researchers said the PVT panels are able to produce hot water at temperatures ranging between 30 C and 40 C. “This is then used as a heat source for the heat pump to produce hot water at temperatures ranging from 48 C to 50 C, which is a suitable range for greenhouse heating,” they explained.

In spring, summer, and fall, when heating is not needed, the heat produced by the PV panels is sent to the groundwater layer, stored, and used to heat the greenhouse in winter.

The PVT system used in the project has an overall efficiency of 73% and is able to achieve an electricity output of 3 kW and a heat output of 7.9 kW of heat occupying a roof surface of around 18㎡. The presence of the PVT panels, according to the research group, allowed them to reduce the installed capacity of the existing geothermal system by up to 30%.

The researchers conducted an economic analysis of the system performance and found it may reduce heating and cooling costs in a greenhouse by up to 78% compared to diesel generators. They also estimated that the system may achieve a payback time of 4.4 years. “The PVT panels can increase the energy saving rate of a greenhouse by 20% compared to existing geothermal systems,” the researchers added.

The Rural Development Administration said it has applied for a patent for this technology and plans to distribute it to Korean farmers.

“The price of electricity for agricultural use is rising, putting a huge burden on farm management,” said the agency. “We are actively using new and renewable energy such as solar power, heat, and geothermal heat to reduce the costs and achieve carbon neutrality.”

Researchers from Spain have simulated the effect building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will have on the energy consumption and the economics of high-rise office buildings in the Mediterranean area.

They presented three different BIPV integration scenarios for the GESA building, an office building built in the 1960s in Palma de Mallorca, in Spain's southern archipelago of the Balearic Islands.

“Despite of its iconic and protected status, the GESA building has been abandoned for several years, hence it requires a refurbishment that will also update its skin to the current energy efficiency standards,” the scientists explained. “The inefficient envelope, location (isolated and in a sunny climate), and representability of a typology of office building make it a good reference for studying the impact of refurbishing with BIPV.”

Via the TRNSYS simulation software, which is commonly used to simulate the behavior of transient renewable systems, the group simulated the impact of BIPV taking as reference a representative floor. As in the physical building, among the parameters inserted are the GESA building’s curtain wall structure, which is 77% composed of semi-transparent windows and 23% of non-window opaque areas. As the building, although abandoned, is protected by a local heritage commission, the façade design has to keep its original characteristics.

The reference scenario was based on the existing double-glazing Parsol Bronze window. It was compared to four other scenarios, one with only solar control windows; the second with solar control windows and BIPV modules in the opaque area; the third with only transparent BIPV windows; and the fourth with BIPV windows and opaque BIPV in non-transparent areas.

“The data for the transparent PV used in this study is based on a prototype currently in development, hence there is room to improve the thermal, optical, and electrical properties to better fit the building needs, as well as to increase the PV conversion efficiency,” the research group emphasized.

According to the results, the final energy consumption in the existing reference case was simulated at 51.3 kWh/m2. In the case of only solar control windows, this value reached 45.8 kWh/m2, with very similar results with the addition of opaque BIPV. However, in this case, the building will be able to use 5.8 kWh/m2 and export 2.6 kWh/m2 to the grid.

In the case of only transparent BIPV windows, the energy consumption will be higher, as that module will block more of the solar radiation and, therefore, result in higher heating and lighting demands. Overall, that system will require 49.8 kWh/m2 while consuming 5.1 kWh/m2 and exporting 2.2 kWh/m2. In the case of using window BIPV and opaque BIPV, the demand will reach 47.6 kWh/m2, while self-consumption will take 10.9 kWh/m2 and 5 kWh/m2 will be exported to the grid.

“The results show the potential of the BIPV solutions for improving the energy balance of the building. The transparent PV reduced the energy demand by 6.9% and the total energy balance by 21%,” the scientists added. “The opaque PV further improved the results of the two glazing system solutions, the energy balance improving to 28.1% and 38.3% with the solar control and transparent PV solutions, respectively.”

The researchers also conducted an economical analysis, which they claim showcases the “relevance of the electricity pricing schemes into the promotion of BIPV.” The components and installation cost of the components were mostly obtained from a construction materials database, while the cost of the prototype window BIPV was assumed at €200 ($210.65)/m2.

They looked into two tariff levels. The first is based on current Spanish tariffs and demand, while the second assumes a high penetration of PV into the national grid. In this case, the net load of high-penetration photovoltaics presents a very low price. Another variable was the compensation for the electricity sold to the grid by the building, which they estimated at either 0%, 30%, or 100% of the electricity price.

Currently, 30% of the electricity price is the typical export value in Spain. Under this assumption, with the current price profile, the discounted payback time for solar control will be 24 years, for solar control and opaque BIPV it will be 14 years, for window BIPV only it will be over 50 years, and the combination of both BIPV technologies will result in a payback time of 24 years. In the assumption of high PV penetration and 30% electricity price, however, the payback time in all systems may exceed over 50 years.

“The lower average electricity price and, more importantly, the timing of the generation in the ‘high PV’ scenario explain the significantly worse payback periods,” they concluded.

Their findings are available in the paper “Impact of building integrated photovoltaics on high rise office building in the Mediterranean,” published in Energy Reports, which also included an economic evaluation. The research group comprised academics from The Technical University of Catalonia and the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research.

From pv magazine USA

LG Energy Solutions is set to launch a new residential energy storage system in the US market in November. The enblock S products are stackable, modular lithium-ion batteries designed for easy installation. 

A list of LG installers can be found here.

From pv magazine Germany

The Austrian government has decided to reduce the VAT for solar modules to 0% from January 2024. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler announced the new measure as part of a new economic stimulus package.

“As an association, we have been calling for this measure for a long time and are very pleased that the PV expansion in the small segment will be given a boost next year,” said Herbert Paierl, CEO of trade body PV Austria. “This means that our motto ‘Zero sales tax – zero bureaucracy' will finally be implemented. It is the right step at the right time, as the industry is currently experiencing a decline in demand for photovoltaics.”

North American manufacturer Ecoflow has launched a “retrofit” residential battery solution that it claims can be easily integrated with existing rooftop PV arrays.

“Unlike conventional DC-coupled or AC-coupled battery systems, PowerOcean DC Fit uses EcoFlow's PV-coupling technology to directly connect with existing home solar energy systems on the PV side – meaning users don't need to install additional storage inverters,” the manufacturer said in a statement.

The battery uses lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) as the cathode material and is based on a self-adaptive algorithm that the manufacturer said makes the system compatible with most of the existing solar single-phase and three-phase inverters that are already in use in existing PV installations.

“Using EcoFlow's unique PV-coupling technology, the PowerOcean DC Fit connects its batteries directly with solar panels. Users can leave the AC wiring as it is and don't have to apply for an on-grid permit,” the company stated.

The storage system measures 680 mm x 183 mm x 479 mm and weighs 59.2 kg. It has a capacity of 5 kWh and is expandable to 15 kWh. It also features an output voltage range of 150-800 V and a maximum output current of 20 A.

The new product is IP65-rated and reportedly has a lifecycle of more than 6,000 cycles.

“Each battery pack is connected parallelly and equipped with the EcoFlow BMS (Battery Management System) to prevent one battery's issues from affecting other packs,” the manufacturer said, noting that the new product comes with a 15-year warranty.

German PV manufacturer Technaxx has introduced a new solar table for residential use.

The table embeds on its surface monocrystalline solar panels with 410 W of output and a power conversion efficiency of 20.97%. Its pre-assembled micro-inverter allows for 400 W of output.

“We use PERC technology for our solar modules, which feature high-efficiency cells and are equipped with three bypass diodes,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine.

The product can be purchased for €699-951.00 ($736.52-1,000), according to the company's website.

When not used as a tabletop, the table panel can be tilted to 20, 30 or 35 degrees for energy generation. Its activity can then be tracked via an app, remotely, as the table transmits the data via Wi-Fi. The table measures 173 cm x 114 cm x 84 cm and is suitable for up to eight people.

“Our solar modules are TÜV certified for mechanical stress, including 2400Pa wind load and 5400Pa snow load,” the company said. “However, single-point stress can damage the module and hail.”

Researchers led by the German University of Technology in Oman have looked into the effect of dust accumulation on PV systems and claim to have identified an optimal cleaning cycle in economic terms.

The scientists have conducted the research on an experimental setup located in an area next to their campus. “The research might be valid to countries with dry weather, humidity during summer, and high temperature,” the research's corresponding author, Ali Al Humairi, told pv magazine. 

“Photovoltaic energy is considered the most viable renewable energy source in the Middle East and North Africa region due to the high solar irradiation level and the number of clear sky days during the year,” the group said. “However, environmental factors such as dust limit the optimum utilization of the source.”

The experimental setup included two identical strings of nine PV modules connected in series, with one string being dry-cleaned daily and the other not. The 5.85 kW ground-mounted system was south-oriented and had a tilt of 17 degrees. The modules were based on polycrystalline cells, and each had a peak power of 325 W. The system included an inverter with 98.5% efficiency.

The observation of electrical and weather parameters began in November 2020 and ended in April 2021. “The experiment was conducted in the winter and spring seasons, which generally have less soiling rate and air contamination,” the researchers explained.

Comparing the cleaned string to the non-cleaned string, the academics found that dust led to up to a 28% reduction in the PV current performance and up to a 24.2% reduction in the PV power. Overall, the average difference in the current performance was 14%, and in PV output it was calculated at 11%.

“The difference between the uncleaned and the cleaned modules’ output current has increased exponentially during this period,” they said regarding the current. “In November, the difference in current is about 2%, which increased with time; in December and January, it is about 5% and 10%, respectively. The momentum intensity slightly dropped in February and recorded a difference of 18%. This was followed by a less momentum increment in March and April, resulting in a difference of 22% and 28%, respectively.”

As for the PV power output, they found no substantial effect in the first three months, with the difference being 0.1% in November, 1.9% in December, and 7.7% in January. However, it was much more noticeable in the next three months – with a 14.7% difference in February, 19.3% in March, and 24.2% in April.

For its economic analysis, the team used a fixed rate tariff of $0.11 per kWh. The cleaning rate was set at $1.30 per hour per worker, and according to the paper, one person could clean the whole system in one hour. Using this data, they have found the recommended cleaning interval to be once every one or 1.5 months, resulting in 8 to 12 cleaning cycles per year.

The group presented its findings in the paper “Experimental Investigation Of The Soiling Effect On The PV Systems Performance And The Cleaning Intervals In Oman,” published in Solar Energy Advances. It also included scientists from the Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat University, and Germany’s Duisburg Essen University.

“The effect of the accumulated dust was evident in the third month of the experimental period, indicating the necessity of conducting a cleaning cycle for fewer than three months to avoid losses,” the researchers concluded. “However, the results could vary depending on the location, season, geographical and meteorological conditions.”

A group of researchers from the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) in Pakistan has developed a PV system fault forecasting technique based on variations in solar cell current and voltage parameters.

“Existing fault detection techniques detect faults after their occurrence,” the research's lead author, Ihsan Ullah Khalil, told pv magazine. “Our proposed fault forecasting technique forecasts the fault so that predictive maintenance can be assured. It uses the rate of change of solar cell parameters to identify which fault is occurring.”

According to Khalil, solar cell parameters start changing even before a fault occurs. “The IV curve is divided into 172,000 data points, so we get 172,000 values of I and V,” he further explained. “Then, by using each value of I and V, and the values of Im and Vm, we extract the same number of values for each solar cell parameter. Finally, we model the rate of change of each variable for the first 100 data points. For the first hundred data points, I and V are almost the same up to the first decimal point.”

The proposed algorithm is claimed to be able to extract cell parameters at either no faulty conditions or faulty conditions and to sense fault at its inception level.

Machine learning-based regression techniques are used for the model, which the scientists said is able to detect variation trends of each parameter against each fault at the inceptive stage. The algorithm initially models the initial trend against a single voltage, current, and power value. It then splits the data set and models the variation of solar cell parameters using four variants of linear regression. “Linear regression has given excellent results,” Kahlil said. “One of the major contributions is introducing a lemma for the fault index formula that is not been discussed in the literature before.”

The scientists claim that the results demonstrate that the solar cell extraction method they used offer superior performance compared to existing forecasting techniques, as it analyzses the variation in cell current and voltage for the detection of faults at an incipient stage. “The significance of the proposed algorithm rests in its early fault detection capability, which contributes to the development of adaptive protection systems for photovoltaic installations,” stated the researchers.

Their findings were introduced in the study “A novel procedure for photovoltaic fault forecasting,” published in Electric Power Systems Research.

BIPV is one of the most promising pathways to net-zero energy buildings, representing an opportunity for hundreds of gigawatts of solar-generating building components to be installed worldwide. However, integrating BIPV into design is not easy, given the vast range of data and technical factors to be considered and the difficulties that designers and developers face in choosing and sourcing materials.

“BIPV design and management is a complex process which involves requirements geophysical, technical, economical and environment factors throughout the life cycle of the system, ranging from acquiring architectural visual effects to higher solar insolation in given location, efficient energy generation and economic operation and maintenance of the BIPV system,” Rebecca Yang, a researcher for RMIT’s Solar Energy Application Group, told pv magazine. “Lack of consideration for PV integration of the building envelope in the early design phase is one of the main reasons for complicating the design and construction process of BIPV systems.”

Yang has led the development of a new tool, BIPV Enabler, which is the first of its kind to combine BIPV product, regulation, technical, economic and construction data. The tool was developed with Australian data and features maps, a 3D shape library, solar visualizations, hourly weather data and pricing information for materials and feed-in tariffs.

“The Zero Carbon Australia Buildings Plan promotes BIPV to reach a full uptake on suitable buildings by 2030. BIPV is at Technology Readiness Level 9, but adoption has been slow in Australia because it reframes distributed solar energy as a building product which needs close collaborations between the PV and building industries,” Yang said. “It is difficult to develop a business case for a BIPV project without accessible information and value-for-money solutions.”

Yang said that BIPV Enabler is the perfect solution for building designers and developers looking to select the right solar option, be it for a new build or an existing building, by retrofitting BIPV.

“We’re making integrated-solar a more attractive option to developers, slicing the time it would normally take to research and implement incognito solar devices,” she said. “Our software aims to translate technical complexities into a packaged, user-friendly platform that integrates product, technical, economic and construction data to create the best BIPV solution for individual building projects.”

Yang, the director of the Australian PV Institute and head of the BIPV Alliance, said that the platform serves building professionals in making design choices and enables PV suppliers to showcase the value of their products to clients.

In BIPV Enabler, users have several key functionalities. They include the ability to select building types and project locations with an interactive map. Users can also create building models using the 3D geometric building shapes library or default arch and draft workbenches within FreeCAD. In addition, the platform allows users to visualize the solar irradiance on the building envelope.

The software, funded by RMIT and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, was initailly announced last year and opened to users mid this year. “We provide a one-year usage for free at this stage,” Yang said.

She claimed that with minimum effort and some funding support, the RMIT team could redesign BIPV Enabler to cover other countries. It is now on the lookout for such collaborative opportunities.

Solar photovoltaic, solar thermoelectric and wind energy production

In the week of October 9, solar energy production decreased compared to the previous week in the main European electricity markets. The largest drop, 23%, was registered in the Portuguese market. In the other markets, the drop in solar energy production ranged from 19% in Germany to 8.1% in Italy.

Despite the weekly drop in solar energy production related to the seasonal change, when comparing solar photovoltaic energy production in the first half of October 2023 with the same period in previous years, since 2019, the record was broken in all analyzed markets.

During the first half of October 2023, the highest photovoltaic energy production, 2036 GWh, was registered in the German market, an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2022 and 62% compared to 2019. In Mainland Spain, photovoltaic energy production for the first 15 days of October 2023 was 1613 GWh, an increase of 37% and 286% compared to the same period in 2022 and 2019, respectively. The lowest production, 160 GWh, was registered in Portugal, but still represented an increase of 33% compared to 2022 and 228% compared to 2019. For the week of October 16, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s solar energy production forecasts, solar energy production is expected to decrease in the analyzed markets.

In the case of wind energy production, the week of October 9 brought a week‑on‑week increase in most of the markets analyzed at AleaSoft Energy Forecasting. The largest increase, 51%, was registered in the French market. In this market, 261 GWh was generated with wind energy on Friday, October 13, which is the highest value registered since the beginning of August. In the other markets, the increase ranged from 8.6% in Germany to 43% in Italy. The exceptions were the markets on the Iberian Peninsula, where overall wind energy production fell by 12% compared to the previous week.

For the week of October 16, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s wind energy production forecasts indicate that wind energy production will increase in all analyzed markets, except for Germany.

Electricity demand

During the week of October 9, electricity demand increased compared to the previous week in most of the main European markets. Increases ranged from 0.6% in the Belgian market to 6.2% in the German market. In the case of Germany, the rise was related to the recovery of the labor rate after the previous week’s celebration of Germany’s Unity Day on October 3. Something similar happened in Portugal, where Portugal's Republic Day was celebrated on October 5, which favored a 5.3% increase in demand in that market in the second week of October.

On the other hand, demand fell in only two of the main European electricity markets. In Spain, the drop was 7.6%, and it was related to the celebration of Spain's National Day on Thursday, October 12. Demand also fell in the French market, in this case by 0.6%.

During the same period, average temperatures fell in most of the analyzed markets, ranging from 2.0 C in Great Britain to 0.1 C in Germany and Italy. The exception was France, where average temperatures increased by 0.4 C compared to the first week of October.

For the week of October 16, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s demand forecasts, electricity demand is expected to increase in most of the main European markets, with the exception of Germany.

European electricity markets

During the week of October 9, prices in all European electricity markets analyzed at AleaSoft Energy Forecasting rose compared to the previous week. The largest percentage price rise, 70%, was reached in the Nord Pool market of the Nordic countries, while the smallest increase, 1.7%, was registered in the EPEX SPOT market of the Netherlands. In the other markets, prices increased between 5.0% in the EPEX SPOT market of Germany and 20% in the IPEX market of Italy.

In the second week of October, weekly averages were below €95/MWh in most of the analyzed European electricity markets. The exceptions were the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese markets. The Italian market reached the highest average, €145.30/MWh. In the case of the MIBEL market of Portugal and Spain, the averages were €125.39/MWh and €125.41/MWh, respectively. In contrast, the lowest average price, €9.25/MWh, was reached in the Nordic market. In the rest of the analyzed markets, prices ranged from €77.92/MWh in the German market to €90.55/MWh in the N2EX market of the United Kingdom.

Despite the increases in weekly average prices, in the second week of October, negative hourly prices were registered in the German, Belgian, British, Dutch and Nordic markets, influenced by high wind energy production values. The lowest hourly price, ‑€7.10/MWh, was reached in the Dutch market on Sunday, October 15, from 14:00 to 15:00.

But in the second week of October hourly prices above €200/MWh were also registered on several occasions in most of the analyzed European markets. This was also the case on Monday, October 16 in all analyzed markets, except for the Portuguese and Nordic markets. On that day, the highest hourly prices were registered from 19:00 to 20:00 CET. In the German, Belgian, French, Italian and Dutch markets, a price of €240.00/MWh was reached. In the case of the French and Italian markets, this price was the highest since August 24. On the other hand, in the case of the Spanish market, an hourly price of €220.00/MWh was reached on October 16 from 19:00 to 20:00 CET, which was the highest price since the end of January. On the same day and hour, the British market also reached the highest hourly price since January, at £241.19/MWh.

During the week of October 9, the rise in the average price of gas and CO₂ emission rights, the increase in demand in most markets and the general decline in solar energy production led to higher prices in the European electricity markets. In the case of the MIBEL market, wind energy production in the Iberian Peninsula and nuclear energy production in Spain decreased, contributing to the increase in prices.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s price forecasts indicate that in the third week of October prices in most of the main European electricity markets might continue to rise, influenced by declining solar energy production and increasing demand in most markets. In the case of the German market, the decline in wind energy production might also exert an upward influence on prices.

Brent, fuels and CO₂

Settlement prices of Brent oil futures for the Front‑Month in the ICE market remained above $85/bbl during the second week of October. The weekly minimum settlement price, $85.82/bbl, was registered on October 11. On the other hand, the weekly maximum settlement price, $90.89/bbl, was reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 7.5% higher than the previous Friday.

In the second week of October, concerns about the impact of the Middle East conflict on oil supply and OPEC’s global crude oil demand growth forecasts exerted their upward influence on Brent oil futures prices. However, data showed an increase in crude oil stocks of the United States that exerted some downward pressure. On the other hand, in the second half of the week, the United States started to impose sanctions on tanker owners carrying Russian oil at a price higher than the maximum price imposed by the G7, which might also have an impact on supply.

As for settlement prices of TTF gas futures in the ICE market for the Front‑Month, they increased during the second week of October. On Monday, October 9, the weekly minimum settlement price, €43.95/MWh, was reached. This price was already 12% higher than the previous Monday. The weekly maximum settlement price, 53.98 €/MWh, was reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 41% higher than the previous Friday and the highest since mid‑February.

In the second week of October, prices were influenced upward by supply concerns due to instability in the Middle East, labor disputes at Australian liquefied natural gas export facilities and a pipeline leak in the Baltic Sea. In addition, the forecast of cooler temperatures in Europe also contributed to price increases, as these would favor an increase in gas demand for heating.

Settlement prices of CO₂ emission rights futures in the EEX market for the reference contract of December 2023 remained above €80/t during the second week of October. The weekly minimum settlement price, €81.75/t, was registered on Monday, October 9, and it was 1.2% higher than the previous Monday. Subsequent price increases led to a weekly maximum settlement price of €85.95/t, reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 6.8% higher than the same day of the previous week and the highest since the end of August.

Source: Prepared by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting using data from ICE and EEX.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s analysis on the prospects for energy markets in Europe and the financing and valuation of renewable energy projects

Taipower, a state-run utility in Taiwan, has created a new bidding platform to sell renewable energy to small and medium-sized businesses.

“A single bidder may choose between six different packages according to their own needs,” Taipower said in a statement.

Netherlands-based Triple Solar BV has launched a thermal battery for residential applications.

The manufacturer said the thermal storage system can be used in combination with its heat pumps. “Compared to a traditional hot water boiler, the thermal battery is up to four times smaller,” it said in a statement.

Triple Solar sells the new product in three different sizes. The smallest battery measures 640 mm x 365 mm x 575 mm and weighs 136 kg. It features a heat loss rate of 0.67 kWh/day and its capacity is 167 l.

The medium-sized device has a size of 870 mm x 365 mm x 575 mm, a weight of 187 kg and a capacity of 217 l. It has a heat loss rate of 0.77 kWh/day. The largest product has dimensions of 1,050 mm x 365 mm x 575 mm and weighs in at 233 kg. Its capacity is 333 l and it has a heat loss rate of 0.84 kWh/day.

All products operate at a maximum pressure of 10 bars and can reportedly provide hot water at temperatures ranging from 45C to 55 C, with minimum heat source temperature ranging between 65 C and 80 C.

“Households and their homes are becoming smaller and smaller. As a result, there is often no room for a large boiler,” said the company's COO, Cees Mager. “The thermal battery is so compact that it even fits in a kitchen cupboard.”

Triple Solar began selling the new thermal battery on October 12. The Dutch company also manufactures heat pumps and photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels.

From pv magazine Australia

Boundary Power, a union between West Australian regional utility Horizon Power and Victoria-based electric engineering company Ampcontrol, has officially launched a standalone power system (SAPS) that uses solar power and a renewable hydrogen hydride battery to store and generate electricity when required.

Adam Champion, business development manager for renewables at Ampcontrol, said while the Hydrogen Integrated Stand-Alone Power System (HiSAP), is not yet commercially available, it has been created to explore technical factors across design, integration and operation.

“We will be using these learnings as input into our future renewable energy products,” he said.

The first of the HiSAPS, developed in conjunction with Sydney-based hydrogen energy storage system specialist Lavo and Melbourne-headquartered inverter manufacturer Selectronic Australia, has been installed at Ampcontrol’s LED manufacturing facility at Ringwood in Victoria.

Boundary Power General Manager Simon Duggan said the system uses the company’s Solar Qube, an integrated, foldout, solar-battery-generator combination. However, the traditional diesel generator has been swapped out for a self-contained hydrogen power system developed by Lavo.

“Through the collaboration with Lavo and Selectronic we’ve been able to come up with a uniquely designed solution that paves the way for what we can do in the future with standalone powers systems and renewable energy generation,” he said. “It allows us to demonstrate the capabilities of this Solar Qube unit being powered by a hydrogen electrolyser and storage system rather than using your traditional diesel generator. This is a really, really, really exciting time.”

The demonstration unit includes two systems. The standalone SAPS comprises a 4 kWp rack-mounted solar array, a 16 kWh battery energy storage system and a 7.5 kW inverter. This is coupled with a 20 kWh metal hydride hydrogen energy storage system (HESS) with an additional 6 kWp solar array (part of a rooftop array at the Ringwood facility) and 5 kWh of battery storage. The HESS also incorporates its own 2.3 kW electrolyser and 3 kW fuel cell to ensure all hydrogen used is renewably created on site.

“One of the unique things about the HiSAPS unit compared to standard stand-alone power systems is that it generates its own fuel internally,” Ampcontrol Research Engineer Thomas Steigler said. “It’s generating hydrogen and storing that within the unit.”

The entire system, including communications equipment for integration into metering and reporting systems, is contained within a weatherproof enclosure.

The newly unveiled demonstration unit will supply solar power to Ampcontrol’s Ringwood facility during daylight hours to meet daytime energy demand. Excess energy will be used to charge the battery energy storage system (BESS) and then the HESS. The BESS will be discharged to meet the power demand at night and during peak periods. The HESS will meet energy demand gaps where solar and BESS energy are not available.

The project was partly funded by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) Victoria as part of the state government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.

Duggan said the project has offered an insight into the technology required to build hydrogen systems to store and provide electricity and the demonstration plant will provide crucial insight into the technical, regulatory and safety aspects of integrating hydrogen systems into a standalone power system.

“The funding allowed us to collaborate with experts in the field to design an innovative solution to demonstrate real-world application, paving the way for future commercialisation of HiSAPS,” he said.

Anomalous high pressure has delivered clear skies and high irradiance across both Mexico and eastern Canada whilst cloud associated with rain and storms depressed irradiance on the west coast of the US and Canada. Areas across Mexico and southern Texas saw reduced cloud, leading to 120-130% of average September Irradiance, according to data collected by Solcast, a DNV company, via the Solcast API.

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.

Persistent high pressure reduces large cloud formation and redirects low-pressure cloud fronts, leading to periods of clear skies. In September large high pressure systems remained for longer than normal over both eastern Canada and southwestern US and Mexico.

For solar producers, these large and persistent systems have been especially beneficial with Quebec, Ontario and southern Mexico all seeing areas with 140% of the long term September GHI average.

Months like these bode well for the future of large solar installations in the south, with ERCOT having produced 3,301 GWh of Solar in the month. Mexico is also looking to take advantage of their high solar potential, through large solar projects like the planned 1 GW Puerto Peñasco solar plant.

Conversely, low pressure over western Canada & Alaska pulled in cloud from the Northern Pacific, leading to a significant increase in rainfall. This plus a ‘bomb’ cyclone in late September led to reduced irradiance across all of the Pacific Coast, most noticeable in British Columbia, where some locations saw just 70% of average September Irradiance.

Rainfall across the month was 7 mm/day above the September average, and temperatures were 5 C below average. Interestingly, this pattern of high pressure keeping skies clear and creating unseasonably sunny September conditions was also seen across parts of Europe, which also saw similarly high irradiance levels.

Mexico and the southwestern US can expect these conditions to reverse through winter, as El Nino winters tend to see Mexico and the South West under-perform against non-El Nino winter averages.

Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 300 companies managing over 150GW of solar assets globally.

From pv magazine Germany

Germany experienced another accident involving a battery storage system on Oct. 6.

“At around 2 p.m., the fire safety department of the Wernges district was alerted of smoke coming from a two-family house,” Police Chief Inspector Andre Müller of the East Hesse Police Headquarters told pv magazine.

Researchers from China have assessed the accuracy of the WRF-Solar model in simulating global and diffuse radiation, pointing to its sensitivity to aerosol optical depth (AOD), cloud optical thickness (COT), and solar zenith angle (SZA).

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was developed in 2016 within the Sun4Cast project funded by the US Department of Energy. The model is in the public domain and can be downloaded from the official WRF Github repository.

“Since the release of WRF-Solar, its performance in the simulation of diffuse radiation in localized regions in China and sensitivity to atmospheric parameters have not been fully explored,” the research group said. “This study aimed to test the simulation accuracy of WRF-Solar for global and diffuse radiation using satellite-based aerosol optical properties, which were obtained from a moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer.”

The WRF model is widely used for weather forecasting. It uses the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for Global Climate Models (RRTMG) scheme as shortwave radiation input, and the WRF-Dudhia as a radiation scheme. Additionally, the WRF-Solar model uses AOD input for its predictions, while WRF-Dudhia does not.

In their mission to emphasize the sensitivities of the WRF-Solar model, the academics have compared its predictions with real-life observations measured at Wuhan University. As for the AOD sensitivity, the researchers found that simulation error gradually decreased with the increase in the AOD. The parameter measures the scattering and absorption of light by tiny particles, or aerosols, in the atmosphere.

“The standard deviations of simulation errors corresponding to three different AOD ranges, of less than 0.4, between 0.4 and 0.8 and greater or equal to 0.8, were 162.12, 158.15 and 135.45 W m-2 of diffuse radiation, respectively,” they said. “However, when the AOD is greater or equal to 0.8, the model overestimated the diffuse radiation, with an average bias of 58.57 W m-2.”

As for COT, which measures how effectively a cloud layer scatters and absorbs sunlight, the researchers found the error to decrease with a COT increase. The standard deviations of the bias corresponding to COT range lower than 20, between 20 and 40, between 40 and 60, and more significant than 60, reaching 173.40, 149.45, 133.84, and 99.11 W m-2, respectively.

The scientists also looked at the dependence of WRF-Solar error on the SZA. “The simulation error increased as the SZA decreased,” they said. “When SZA <30 degrees, very discrete biases of simulated diffuse and global radiation were observed, with standard deviations of the bias of 245.40 and 286.65 W m-2 and mean differences of 79.20 and -3.62Wm-2, respectively. However, when SZA is between 50 and 70 degrees, the biases of simulated diffuse and global radiation were small, with standard deviations of 136.90 and 121.77 W m-2, respectively.”

However, comparing WRF-Solar to WRF-Dudhia, the researchers found the former to be superior. “In general, the improved WRF-Solar provides highly accurate forecasts in clear conditions. Under all-sky and cloudy conditions, poor comparison results of WRF-Solar and the traditional WRF model were obtained, and the simulated global solar radiation was largely overestimated.”

Their findings are available in the study “Assessment of the high-resolution estimations of global and diffuse solar radiation using WRF-Solar,” published in Advances in Climate Change Research. Concluding the article, the research group has emphasized the “need for improved representation of clouds and circulation in the model through physical parameterization and enhancements of satellite cloud and aerosol data assimilation techniques.”

The team included academics from China University of Geosciences and Hubei Luojia Laboratory.

From pv magazine Italy

Italian research agency ENEA and Enel Green Power, the renewable energy unit of Italian utility Enel, have developed a PV system that could be used in combination with the production of microalgae for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical use.

“The algovoltaic plant, just completed at the ENEA Research Center in Portici, Naples, as part of an agreement between ENEA and Enel Green Power, allows an annual production of approximately 30 kg of dried algae on a surface area of 40 m2 and a power of 7 kW,” said the Italian research entity.

The system allows the cultivation of microalgae with a high commercial value, from €100/kg to €600/kg for pharmaceutical or cosmetic use, through a fully automated cultivation system integrated with the solar array.

“Algae allow us to exploit the energy coming from the sun better than traditional crops since they have greater photosynthetic efficiency,” said Carmine Cancro, a researcher at the ENEA Smart Grid and Energy Networks laboratory at the Portici Research Centre. “Furthermore, they have a high environmental value as they consume carbon dioxide, transforming it into biomass through photosynthesis and releasing pure oxygen into the atmosphere.”

Cancro said that the system could also be used to retrofit existing PV systems.