System Integration

The dollar-per-watt metric has traditionally formed the basis of PV module purchasing. But as Anza CEO Mike Hall argues, this simplistic formula can lead to costly mistakes and stand in the way of getting the best value from procurement decisions.

Grid bottlenecks have emerged as a significant obstacle standing in the way of the energy transition in the United States, with gigawatts of projects sitting in interconnection queues. Michele Boyd, Will Gorman, and Diane Baldwin report on work taking place at the federal level to address the interconnection challenge.

In late 2023, researchers at Fraunhofer ISE put into operation the world’s first medium-voltage string inverter as part of a project to explore the power electronics for the next generation of large-scale PV power plants. According to the project’s leader, Michael Geiss, the signs are looking positive for the introduction of medium voltage in PV.

Booming solar deployment in solar markets worldwide has led to fears that a bottleneck in the availability of qualified contractors could squeeze project completion rates. As JP Casey discovers, the reality is more complicated than that

The rapid emergence of new PV technologies such as bifacial has in some cases outpaced the evolution of suitable technical and regulatory specifications. The occurrence hotspots in non-shaded areas of half-cell bifacial solar modules highlights the need for a rethink of international standards, write Sergio Suárez, Jose María Álvarez, Daniel Villoslada, Ignacio Fernández, Sofía Rodríguez and Gustavo Navas

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.

Gamesa Electric’s latest white paper explores the advanced functionalities that solar and battery inverters should be able to provide to enable greater integration of renewables into the grid and thus contribute as a key element to enhanced grid reliability and stability

Falling solar module prices in recent years mean it can be beneficial to oversize the DC capacity in PV plants. John Leslie of BTY presents findings from a study that suggests developers should, in certain cases, investigate using higher DC/AC ratio designs.

Building on the successes of floating PV projects installed on lakes and dams globally, offshore installations are an emerging opportunity for developers, potentially when co-located with wind farms. George Heynes explores how the industry can move beyond pilot projects to large-scale, commercially viable installations, detailing the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Renewables deployment in the US is at risk of stalling unless distributed interconnection policies are improved to make them more efficient. Fortunately, there are a host of well-developed solutions for many of the major interconnection challenges being seen in the country today, writes Gwen Brown of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.