The UK’s energy retail market is witnessing an exodus of customers leaving the so-called Big Six for independent suppliers, who are attracting them with home solar systems and a battery to match. Liam Stoker uncovers what’s behind the trend for new energy suppliers taking to domestic PV.
The growth potential of energy storage has drawn interest from some of the biggest names in the power business and beyond. With the trend set to continue, Andy Colthorpe explores how three of the recent targets are faring under new ownership.
As the building blocks of energy storage systems, batteries have a key role in influencing system design and economics. Davion Hill of DNV GL explores the importance of testing the performance of individual battery cells in minimising the exposure of battery buyers to technical risks.
Asset management practices must mature and standardise to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating deployment of solar. Ypatios Moysiadis, vice-chair of an industry group tasked with drawing up new best practice guidelines, explains how.
Anti-reflective coatings have been a standard technology on solar modules for some time, but several companies are now targeting the market for older solar farms. Sara Verbruggen reports on the promising early results from trials of these performance-boosting technologies.
It is ironic that Spain, whose government is infamous for its history of damaging PV policy U-turns, is also now home to the figurehead project of large-scale solar’s return in Europe after years of hiatus. The Don Rodrigo project in the southern region of Andalusia is the first mega-scale PV system to go without subsidies on the continent, standing at 175MW capacity.
Having suffered from a chicken and egg status, bifacial solar is making ground and the advent of single-glass modules could lower costs and tip the odds in 2019. John Parnell reports.
Ensuring the stability of solar tracking systems and modules during wind events is one of the top concerns of solar site owners, project developers and EPC contractors. A poorly designed single-axis tracker can result in damage to solar trackers and modules, leading to costly downtime, insurance claims, or even possible injury. Todd Andersen outlines the innovative methods that engineers at Array Technologies have uncovered and use to address this major potential setback for solar projects.
Hurricane-strength winds are a clear threat to solar installations in island nations, where PV is becoming an increasingly popular solution to climate change-related issues. Joseph Goodman and Frank Oudheusden, co-authors of a recent study on designing hurricane-ready solar systems, offer an insider’s view of how the challenge is being met.
A little more time and money spent upfront on properly understanding site drainage and soil conditions and designing solar projects accordingly can avoid much larger profit losses and reputational damage further down the line. HDR’s Gretchen Dolson looks at some of the methods for ensuring PV sites stay afloat.
