Residential PV

Kärcher, a German company with expertise in cleaning solutions for all industries, has introduced its PV panel-cleaning solutions focusing on the pain points of the Indian solar sector. The range includes high-pressure cleaners, water-driven disc brushes, cleaning detergents, and even safety gear for operation and maintenance professionals.

The nation reached almost 8.8 GW of cumulative installed rooftop solar capacity as of Dec. 31, 2022. Gujarat tops in deployment with a 24% share of cumulative solar rooftop installations.

The investment will fund Tata Power Renewable’s aggressive growth plans as it targets over 20 GW of renewables assets and a market-leading position in the rooftop and electric vehicle charging space across India over the next five years. 

Netherlands-based BirdBlocker has developed a plastic strip that can be placed under solar panels installed on pitched rooftops. The long needles prevent birds from nesting under the modules. The structure is attached to the frame of the modules with stainless steel clips.

Adani (1,755 MW), NTPC (1,618 MW), and Avaada (1,383 MW) were the top developers by projects commissioned in 2022, according to Bridge To India’s latest report.

India installed 13 GW of solar during the Jan.-Dec period in 2022, with large-scale projects accounting for 87% of the addition.

RoyPow introduced a new residential lithium-ferro-phosphate battery this week at Intersolar North America in Long Beach, California.

Researchers in Germany have assessed direct coupling and integration between PV and batteries at the scale of a single PV module. They say their solution could be cheaper and provide superior performance than maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in optimizing PV system performance.

TrendForce says solar demand could grow by more than 53.4% this year due to lower module prices and delayed projects from 2021 and 2022 that are now going online. China will be the largest market this year with 148.9 GW, followed by the United States with 40.5 GW, India with 17.2 GW, Brazil with 14.2 GW, Germany with 11.8 GW, Spain with 11.4 GW, and Japan with 8 GW.

SnapNrack’s TopSpeed solar mount begins installation on the ground, which limits time spent on rooftops.