The solar industry’s manufacturing footprint, and indeed the projects themselves, are becoming ever larger, with more panels and other associated equipment being packaged and shipped globally. Now, as Emilie Oxel O’Leary, CEO at Green Clean Solar explains, the industry is getting serious on its end of life obligations and establishing a true circular economy
By Ryan D. Quint, North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Ryan D. Quint, senior manager at North American Electric Reliability Corporation take a look at the key considerations – and difficult balance – of managing grid connection from a transmission operators point of view.
Solar project sites with meaningful terrain variance are becoming the norm. Nextracker’s latest innovation in single-axis tracking mitigates the cost and schedule risk associated with deploying projects on challenging terrain.
By Jan Vedde, senior project manager, European Energy
Jan Vedde, senior project manager for European Energy, takes a look at the key technological trends in the solar PV market, from changes to silicon cell manufacturing to the benefits of bifaciality.
Last year analysis by renewables performance aggregator and insurance provider kWh Analytics highlighted the extent of solar asset underperformance against P50 estimates in the US. Here, the company’s Sarath Srinivasan details some of the reasons behind that underperformance.
Prior to 2019, there was an ample number of insurers willing to provide renewable energy insurance, leading to plentiful, affordable cover being available for solar power project finance transactions. However, with increased claims and risks, price rises and lower availability of cover is impacting the sector. Duncan Gordon, head of Renewable Energy at specialist energy insurance brokerage and risk management firm Gallagher, provides an overview of how solar power project owners can navigate a challenging insurance market.
Accurate generation modelling and forecasting is integral to not just the financial performance of operational solar farms, but how they are integrated into modern grids. A study from Monash University in Australia has proven how artificial intelligence approaches can help drastically improve performance forecasts. Dr. Christoph Bergmeir, who led that study, details its key learnings.
UK-based solar PV inspection and data analytics company Above details how its ‘Follow PV’ project, launched alongside the University of Essex, is enhancing the research and development of autonomous drone technology in utility-scale solar.
By Andor Savelkouls, Jonathan Bell; Altenex Energy
Andor Savelkouls and Jonathan Bell of Altenex Energy, a subsidiary of Edison Energy, assess the flaws in how corporates currently procure renewable electricity, and how slight tweaks to the system can make it more accurate and cleaner.
Radovan Kopecek and Joris Libal analyse recent efficiency announcements against the backdrop of new and emerging solar PV technologies, and plot the course for solar’s next steps.
