Last year saw 96GW of distributed PV installed in China, an all-time record. But as Carrie Xiao reports, even as the distributed market segment begins to surge, problems associated with its rapid development are beginning to emerge.
By Michael Parr at the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance
The EU and the US are leading efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of PV manufacturing through targeted import tariffs. As well as supporting decarbonisation efforts, such policies could also promote geographic diversification in the solar supply chain and greater supply resilience, writes Michael Parr of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance.
The foundations of a solar project offer multiple opportunities for driving down system costs. Arash Yazdani of PRI Engineering describes some of the key steps involved in investigating the specific conditions of a project site and developing a foundation design that will stand the test of time.
Cost and risk factors can make countries facing energy access issues the most difficult for developers to build solar projects, despite their huge potential. Tom Kenning reports on two plug-and-play solutions that may provide a solution in off-grid locations.
Covering 15 states, the MISO area is one of the largest transmission networks in the US, yet solar and storage have had a battle to gain recognition in the territory.
The two-pronged attack of vastly growing solar capacity and the shift to n-type technologies has converged to make silver a real pressure point for future solar manufacturing.
Replacing outdated inverters can significantly boost the yield of a PV power plant and rectify equipment failures. Jörn Carstensen of Germany-based green-tech looks at the technical, financial and logistical considerations involved in a successful inverter repowering project.
