Fall in off-grid solar sales deprives 5m people of access to clean power
The latest edition of the Global Off-grid Solar Market Report by the World Bank and GOGLA has called for regulatory and financial support to help off-grid distributors create jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Total and Google Cloud develop tool to predict rooftop PV potential
The Solar Mapper uses artificial intelligence algorithms that compile data extracted from satellite images. It can estimate site solar potential and indicate the most suitable technology.
India still nowhere near energy sufficiency
The government is trying to harness renewables to increase domestic output but will need a more liberal energy market and to consider the structure of procurement auctions, cloying red tape and the financial travails of state utilities if it is to achieve its goals, says Rakshika Kaul of Amp Energy India.
Solar leaders call for overhaul to navigate Covid-19
Faced with raw material and labor shortages, solar manufacturers have stressed the need to find alternative supply chains and to push automation and internet of things applications on the factory floor to keep production running.
Commercial solar rooftops dominate as India nears 6 GW
Bridge to India figures show dominance of Chinese inverters, which supplied almost 80% of installs from July last year to the end of June.
India’s renewable energy capacity needs to grow at 16% CAGR to reach 450 GW by 2030
As of June 30, the country installed 90.5 GW of renewable energy capacity from solar (utility-scale and rooftop), wind and biomass resources.
NREL scientists encourage ‘optimal’ PV curtailment
Solar curtailment might become a valuable aspect of future PV deployment, particularly if grid operators start focusing on ‘curtailment management’ instead of ‘curtailment prevention.’ Management would include measures such as flexible generation, storage, load flexibility, and regional coordination.
Maharashtra utility seeks installers for 25 MW of solar rooftops
The state electric company has issued a call for expressions of interest in installing the residential arrays.
Machine-learning for PV module cleaning
French researchers have developed a machine-learning model to clean low-power PV projects and standalone solar arrays in rural areas isolated from the grid.
The long read: Storage … ready?
The story of residential rooftop solar is one of liberation. Confronted with high module prices, early PV adopters experienced significantly longer payback periods – it was not unheard of for homeowners to be making monthly finance payments higher than their utility bills. But consumers were motivated, seeking independence from the stranglehold that electricity providers had on them with ever-increasing utility rates.
