Technical Papers

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

Tracker systems are emerging as a key tool in efforts to bolster PV system resilience in the face of extreme conditions. Jonathan Tourino Jacobo looks at some of the latest developments underpinning trackers’ growing status as an indispensable ingredient in solar’s continued growth

Research shows the ability of PV systems to withstand extreme weather conditions is down to rigorous design. James Elsworth of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US looks at some of the engineering methods for bolstering PV infrastructure resilience in the face of ever increasing climatic and environmental threats

Aside from the immediate, visible damage, extreme weather events have a longer lasting impact on PV systems. NREL’s Dirk C. Jordan, Kirsten Perry, Robert White, Josh Parker, Byron McDanold and Chris Deline report on research revealing the long-term consequences of hail, wind and other weather phenomena on PV production