The solar industry endured an eventful 2018 with the US establishing its trade tariffs on module imports and China hitting the brakes on deployment, yet, through sheer determination, everyone ended the year feeling fairly optimistic. There is lots of cause for hope in 2019. Module prices are down for the timebeing, seeding subsidy-free markets. We are on the cusp of technological gains that can tilt that balance even further in solar’s favour. Traction with energy storage is clearing up grid headaches and creating new sources of revenue. Our ultimate 2019 briefing addresses all this and more. Our regular Storage and Smart Power section, meanwhile, includes an in-depth look at California’s vibrant market as decrees turn into deployment.
This year’s Solar Power International trade show dedicated what seemed like
almost as much space to energy storage as solar. As Andy Colthorpe reports, this is likely a strong
indication of the way the world is adopting renewable energy, particularly California, where storage
looks set to play a key role in helping the Golden State realise its green ambitions
Andy Colthorpe speaks to Janice Lin of the California Energy Storage Alliance
on what sort of role energy storage will play in reaching the ‘100% carbon-free retail
electricity’ goal of the state’s SB100 legislation
Energy storage projects often fail to deliver value because of economic
miscalculations. These computational issues, however, can now be mitigated by applying software,
analytics and machine learning, write Enrico Ladendorf and Bryce Evans
Solar farm operators are coming under growing pressure to help maintain network stability by providing accurate generation forecasts. As Dr. Nick Engerer (CTO of Solcast) writes, innovations in short-term solar forecasting are providing operators with new options for making this task less of a distraction from their core business.
Cell cracks have been identified as a major cause of defects in PV modules,
but their effect on performance is less well understood. Researchers Claudia Buerhop-Lutz, Thilo
Winkler, Jens Hauch, Christian Camus and Christoph J. Brabec describe the results of ongoing
investigations into how the electrical power of PV modules is impacted by cracking
Technologies purporting to alleviate performance losses in PV modules due
to soiling from dust and other airborne particles are becoming more widely available. But do they
work? Elisabeth Klimm and Karl-Anders Weiß of Fraunhofer ISE investigate
Amid reports of logistical and bureaucratic
difficulties, Germany’s IB Vogt earlier this
year became the first company to complete
and energise one of the multiple projects
that will eventually make up Benban,
Egypt’s gargantuan solar park in the
western desert governorate of Aswan.
PV systems incorporating bifacial modules require careful design and integration to
maximise the additional yield they offer. Drawing on extensive field studies, researchers from
LONGi Solar describe the optimum design of bifacial systems in the desert conditions of the
Middle East, to which bifacial technology is especially well suited
Bifacial technology is seen by many as the shape of things to come for the solar industry.
But how is it regarded by those on the frontline of choosing equipment that will result in the most
profitable projects? Jenya Meydbray, VP of solar technology at Cypress Creek Renewables, offers
an insider’s view
