Technical Papers

Digitalisation offers PV plant operators the opportunity to shift from preventive to predictive maintenance practices. Eduardo Sarquis reports on research aimed at shedding further light on the system performance benefits of moving to a predictive O&M strategy

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

Despite having a healthy solar target, Ireland’s most recent renewable energy capacity auction saw a disappointing result for PV. Lena Dias Martins looks at the obstacles causing delays and barriers to the rollout of solar on the Emerald Isle

Proposals to shift the UK’s legacy programme for incentivising large-scale solar to a fixed-price mechanism are under consultation. Marianne Anton looks at the potential impact on project revenues of the proposals on the table

The latest round of the UK’s renewable energy support scheme saw solar scoop almost 2GW of new capacity. Gareth Simkins examines the winning projects and looks ahead to assess how solar is likely to fare in future rounds

Despite having the ideal attributes to become a clean energy superpower, Australia has never quite lived up to its potential. Will Norman assesses the barriers and asks whether recent investment announcements could turn the tide

With the United States on the cusp of an IRA-driven surge in utility-scale PV deployment, Mark Bolinger and Joachim Seel of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory cover key technology and market trends in this synopsis of their annual “Utility-Scale Solar” report series

AI-based monitoring systems can help PV plant operators understand and manage the impacts of extreme conditions in a multitude of ways. George Heynes looks at some of the ways AI is being harnessed to bolster system output and longevity

Hail represents a significant threat to PV modules, more so as climate change increases the potential for severe storms. Simon Yuen looks at some of the methods being used to protect solar projects against hail damage