World

Slowly but surely, environmental concerns are making their way into mainstream thought throughout the PV industry. A look at recycling offers an example of this, with stakeholders trying to get ahead of the high volumes of end-of-life modules already on the horizon. pv magazine examines the technologies that will be needed, alongside policy and economic support, to keep the bulk of these modules out of landfill and ultimately to establish a circular economy for PV materials.

The system generates electricity and heat for residential houses and small businesses. An integrated energy management system should guarantee maximum self-consumption of the solar power produced.

Dutch transmission system operator Tennet, which also serves Germany, is planning to create flexible electricity demand and reduce grid congestion by promoting the use of smarter heating systems and heat pumps that can also be powered by solar and wind energy. According to its experts, intelligent control of heat pumps may result in the creation of between 0.5 and 1 GW of temporary grid flexibility by 2030.

The monocrystalline module provider added a new product to its Hi-MO 4 series. The new panel has a power output of 410/420 W and a conversion efficiency between 20.5% and 21.0%. The width of the module is standardized, while three different length options can be chosen to maximize capacity in a rooftop project.

Sector coupling may be somewhat of a buzzword, but it also points to opportunities for PV beyond the power markets, which may quickly reach limitations during peak hours of irradiation. Combined energy, food and clean water production presents one such opportunity, with benefits for developers, utilities and communities.

In an earnings call this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boldly claimed that the company will soon be “the market leader in solar.”

IHS Markit is predicting the world will add 30% more solar capacity this year.

The growth of the global renewables sector in 2020, despite the negative impact of the pandemic, underscores how companies are prioritizing sustainability, BloombergNEF says in a new report.

The Bangladeshi government has launched a pilot hydrogen production project as part of its effort to reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Falling module prices will help PV post another record year after an estimated 132 GW was installed worldwide in 2020, according to an energy transition investment trends report published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.