PV Tech Power Papers

In a four-year project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, a consortium of German experts assessed the quality of actual PV power installations. The researchers now report on how the effects of several common module failures on module and string performance highlight the importance of consistent quality assurance to prevent risks to financial success

A spate of extreme natural disasters in 2017 have highlighted the vulnerability of PV power plants to damage. Becky Nace-Grover looks at how the PV and insurance industries should ready themselves for a future where such events are likely to become more frequent

Abu Dhabi’s giant 1.2GW Sweihan PV plant made headlines last year for achieving a record low bid price. With construction well underway, Tom Kenning and John Parnell look at how the project is being executed.

Clean energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah, one of the pioneers of solar finance, is turning his attentions to other low-carbon energy technologies such as storage. He tells Andy Colthorpe about his latest equity round and the freedom he enjoys to back projects he thinks will have greatest impact

Blockchain technology is being touted as the next big step forward in the digitalisation of the energy system. But storage and storage management software are the critical pieces of the puzzle needed to maximise its potential, writes Carsten Reincke-Collon.

New storage and renewable energy technologies offer a potentially disruptive alternative to costly, unpopular investment in grid infrastructure improvements. Alex Eller looks at the opportunities for non-wire alternatives to maintaining transmission and distribution networks

As inverter technology advances in step with the development of the smart grid, so too are testing and certification regimes. Tim Zgonena of UL looks at how standards are evolving to ensure inverters are keeping up with the demands of a rapidly modernising power network.

Southeast Asia’s PV markets are entering a post-subsidy phase, creating numerous policy and regulatory challenges for developers. But, as Tom Kenning heard at November’s Solar and Off-Grid Renewable Southeast Asia event in Bangkok, there are still plenty of opportunities.

Many mature solar markets are seeing strong investor interest in acquiring operating solar assets. But as the lessons from Italy show, transactions in the secondary PV market come with numerous legal risks attached, necessitating thorough due diligence, write Arturo Sferruzza and Ginevra Biadico of Norton Rose Fulbright

A working group of the international PV Quality Assurance Task Force has been undertaking research and testing initiatives aimed at improving the design and long-term reliability of module junction boxes and bypass diodes. Vivek Gade and Narendra Shiradkar, who are active leaders of this work, report on efforts to shine a light on a hitherto poorly understood aspect of module reliability.