Operations & Maintenance

GE and Virginia Solar Group have initiated commercial operations at a 32MW Kumenan solar farm in western Japan.

Despite preparing investors’ expectations for flat revenues in 2016, inverter maker SMA Solar Technology has reported an increase in sales for the first quarter and exceeded management expectations by more than €10 million (US$11.4 million).

Members of India’s solar industry have spoken out against alleged “unregulated” imports of Chinese solar and wind energy equipment to India.

India-based solar EPC firm Sterling & Wilson (S&W) has been awarded EPC and O&M contracts for 350MW of solar projects in India by Canada-based developer SkyPower.

A new report from GTM Research and SoliChamba Consulting sheds new light on the global PV monitoring market.

Remote schools in West Africa can suffer from high levels of dropouts, a lack of enthusiasm and low rates of literacy and numeracy, but solar technology is now offering a chance to reinvigorate some of the lowest performing schools. PV Tech visited a school that is benefiting from such solar and software installations in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Midway across southern Ghana, near the historic port fishing town of Winneba, lies East and West Africa’s largest solar PV plant. Ghana suffers a severe energy deficit with only around 70% of the population having access to electricity, so it was welcome news that the project was connected to the grid at the end of last week. PV Tech visited the new project, built by China-based power firm BXC Ghana, just ahead of the Solar and Off-grid Renewables West Africa 2016 conference in Accra, Ghana.

Unsubsidised, commercial solar-plus-storage projects of the type being executed in Puerto Rico could demonstrate how to overcome many of the challenges imminent for the world’s PV markets, according to one company with experience in the field.

Sharp Corporation’s energy solutions business, which includes its activities in solar, will continue to operate as a brand in its own right, following the sale of a majority share in the group by Foxconn.

Gantner Instruments has launched a new solution for monitoring PV power plants at the string level. The ‘string.bloxx All-in-one’ system recognises design and production errors with high resolution down to the PV module level.