PV Tech Power Papers

PV Tech Power Editors JP Casey and John Lubbock and Reporter George Heynes caught up with several experts to talk about the skills shortage in the solar industry in the UK and abroad and how this growing industry is approaching the issue.

Maria Popova of the European Federation of Energy Traders makes the case for power purchase agreements from renewable sources, as the sheer volume of renewables growth required to reach Europe’s climate target means that public financial support is unlikely to be sufficient for the task, and market-based instruments and mechanisms need to be deployed alongside.

PV Tech Power Editor John Lubbock examines the challenges of reforming the UK’s electricity market in the face of the increased rollout of renewables in the country.

Yezin Taha, Founder and CEO of Nevados Engineering, on how solar tracking technology can help eradicate the still common practice of levelling sites prior to installing solar panels – and thus avoid the problems, environmental impact and cost associated with site grading. This is an executive summery of a recent white paper by Nevados.

Antarctica is one of the harshest and most inhospitable environments for human activities due to its extreme climate. Traditionally, research stations in Antarctica were powered by fossil fuels. The comparably simple requirement of supplying a research station with electricity and heat in most other parts of the world can become much more challenging in Antarctica. The picture can be quite different when using solar power, as is the case at Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station in the continent’s Queen Maud Land. PV Tech Power’s Simon Yuen talks to Slovenian solar company Bisol and the International Polar Foundation about features of renewable energy production at the research station which was established in 2009.

PVTech Power reporter George Heynes got in touch with Solargis, a Slovakia-based weather data and software provider for solar power investors and operators, for a deep dive into maximising solar technologies in hot locations.

PV Tech Power Reporter George Heynes on the troubles the UK is facing as its electricity network is being adapted to accommodate multiple renewable energy sources.

Tristan Erion-Lorico, VP of Sales and Marketing at PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), on the Inflation Reduction Act and its implications for the selection of materials going into producing solar modules.

As Europe is increasing its solar PV capacity to reach its goal in the REPowerEU plan, countries in the bloc are accelerating solar PV installation. But some EU countries also look at the solar potential in North Africa, as the region boasts better solar irradiance and longer sunshine hours. PV Tech Power Editor Simon Yuen examines a project that is envisaged to transfer power from Egypt to Greece, and experts’ views on the challenges and benefits of a Mediterranean interconnector.

PV Tech Power Editor JP Casey looks at the balancing act legislators in Texas face when considering grid reliability and the ratio of the different methods to generate power in the US state.