Technical Papers

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.

Curtailment of PV generation is an increasingly common phenomenon in India as the country’s solar capacity expansion outstrips the grid’s ability to accommodate it. Tom Kenning reports on efforts being made to address the problem and the role storage could play in providing a solution.

One argument frequently used against building-integrated PV is its high cost relative to normal building materials. But as Laura Maturi and Jennifer Adami argue, evidence gathered from real-life BIPV projects. suggests otherwise

Last year Sungrow became the first to market with both a string and central inverter at 1,500V. Geng Tian, director of product and engineering of Sungrow North America, tells Ben Willis how the evolution of inverter technology will help propel the next leap forward in PV plant design.

The digitalisation and distribution of the energy system is creating potentially more points of vulnerability for hackers to exploit. Catherine Early looks at how the PV industry is responding to ensure plants are kept safe from attack.

Project Briefing - Project name: Clay Hill Solar Farm Location: Flitwick, Bedfordshire, England Project capacity: 10MW Storage capacity: 6MW/6MWh

Understanding the impact of soiling on PV modules and thus the most appropriate cleaning regime, is critical to preventing losses in module power and plant yield. The Fraunhofer CSP team describes a statistical method they have developed for accurately characterising the losses from soiling in desert conditions