PV Tech Power Papers

José Rojo speaks to Roger Font of Banco Sabadell for his take on the financing landscape for unsubsidised PV projects following the COVID-19 outbreak.

The growing volumes of variable solar and wind generation on the grid raise the risk of depressed wholesale prices, particularly at times of high generation and low demand. James Brabben of Cornwall Insight explores the phenomenon of so-called price cannibalisation and how its most serious potential impacts on the renewables industry can be avoided.

The era of subsidy-free solar is well underway in a growing number of markets, with Europe leading the way. As  Solarcentury’s Peer Piske explains, the greater sensitivities around modelling zero-subsidy projects mean new approaches to design and planning are required by developers.

Many of the bifacial modules now offered by PV manufacturers employ bifacial passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC+) technology, making them vulnerable to rear-side potential-induced degradation, in addition to the conventional front-side shunting type (PID-s). Kai Sporleder, Volker Naumann, Stephan Großer, Marko Turek and Christian Hagendorf of the Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics report on new testing methods designed to quantify the expected power PID-related losses in bifacial PERC+ modules in the field.

Understanding of LeTID remains incomplete, although its effects on PV power plant performance are recognised as being potentially significant. Tabea Luka, Friederike Kersten, Matthias Pander, Max Koentopp, Marko Turek, Werner Bergholz and Thomas Pernau of the LeTID Norm consortium outline progress towards developing a standardised test for the defect, a key step in minimising its impact.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles in solar operations and maintenance can reduce costs and save hours of painstaking labour, but only if applied correctly. Aline Kirsten Vidal de Oliveira, Mohammadreza Aghaei and Ricardo Rüther explore the optimal use of aerial inspections and emerging methods for analysing the data they gather to identify faults.

On 10 April 2020, South Africa’s biggest solar PV complex to date sprang into operation as the final phase was completed. The timing was extremely fortunate, just a day ahead of the country’s government announcing a nationwide lockdown as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread worldwide.

Commissioning should be as integral to the installation of a PV plant as a pre-flight checklist is to an aeroplane journey. Sara Verbruggen reports on the latest tools and technologies being deployed to ensure a smooth commissioning process and a project that operates safely and optimally.

Recently name checked as among the cheapest places in the world to develop solar, Chile has emerged as a particularly popular destination for solar finance. But as the country proceeds towards a 100% renewables target, political instability and legacy network issues stand in its way. Molly Lempriere explores how Chile can leap those hurdles on its way to a green grid.

An increasing number of banks are turning away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy financing. As Catherine Early reports, despite the chilling effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry, hopes are high that a tipping point is nearing.