Later this year, a new set of industry guidelines will for the first time codify a set of best practices for EPC contractors. Ahead of publication, members of Solar Power Europe’s O&M task force look at some of the critical areas of PV system integration where high-quality EPC work can most effectively influence a project’s lifetime performance
Despite the importance of reliability to the cost competitiveness of PV, large data sets enabling high-level investigation of the technology’s performance in the field are relatively scarce. Dirk C. Jordan, Chris Deline, Bill Marion and Teresa Barnes of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Mark Bolinger of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study a unique data set of 100,000 PV systems in the US, drawing out tips for better reliability that have relevance to other parts of the world.
Huawei has launched its next generation ‘FusionSolar’ residential smart PV solution with the emphasis on innovative smart technologies to provide the easiest and highest safety installation standards and long-term operability that aims for 100% self-consumption.
Canadian institutional fund manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has acquired a portfolio of 73 Spanish solar plants from renewables investor Q-Energy.
BayWa r.e., Enel Green Power and Solarcentury are among the 20 participants in a new European Union-funded project that aims to increase the performance and reliability of solar PV components and systems.
Spanish EPC Elecnor has been appointed as the lead contractor for the first phase of Australia’s largest hybrid solar and battery energy storage facility.
Industrial conglomerate GFG Alliance has signed an agreement with Ignis to co-invest in the development, construction, operation and maintenance of Spanish solar and wind projects with a capacity of around 1.2GW.
Ginlong Solis has introduced to the European market its latest utility-scale string inverter. The ‘Solis 255kW-EHV’ high voltage (1500V) inverter is designed to maximize PV power plant yields in the new era of high-performance large-area solar panels including bifacial panels, while significantly reducing plant LCOE (Levelized Cost of eElectricity) costs, compared to central inverters.
Soltec has launched its next-generation ‘SF8’ single-axis tracker system to meet the needs of utility-scale PV power plants adopting the new wave of large-area solar panels.
RainWise has introduced the ‘PVmet 500’ weather station series for commercial and utility-scale PV power plants, which is said to be the world’s first compact and customizable multi-function professional grade weather station specifically designed for PV efficiency monitoring. The PVmet 500 provides a cost-effective solution, measurement accuracy, and IEC-61724-1 compliance and handles multiple communication protocols for fast field acceptance.
