PV Tech Power Papers

As solar finds itself deployed in more exotic climes, it is also having to operate in increasingly harsher environments. Ulrike Jahn of VDE Renewables and Dr. Bert Herteleer of KU Leuven assess how such climates affect PV performance and what must be taken into consideration when formulating O&M strategies.

New technologies are emerging to help constrained grids integrate an increasing number of solar projects. Molly Lempriere takes a look at three case studies of where technology is helping to decarbonise the grid faster.

Accurate generation modelling and forecasting is integral to not just the financial performance of operational solar farms, but how they are integrated into modern grids. A study from Monash University in Australia has proven how artificial intelligence approaches can help drastically improve performance forecasts. Dr. Christoph Bergmeir, who led that study, details its key learnings.

The sun wasn’t shining in Glasgow for COP26 and many in the solar sector lamented the lack of mention in countries’ pledges. Nonetheless, some vital announcements were made that will be crucial to the industry’s growth and its role in reaching net zero, writes Sean Rai-Roche.

Solar PV has taken off in the MENA region in recent years, driven by positive governmental policy, prominent tenders and decarbonisation targets. But challenges remain, both for smaller companies wishing to enter the market and in the operation of plants. Molly Lempriere takes a look at the market drivers and the challenges of competing.

Operations and maintenance will face huge changes as automation and predictive analytics transform the way projects are managed, writes Sean Rai-Roche.

With subsidies now a distant memory in most markets, solar is increasingly finding itself deployed via government tenders and corporate PPAs. But what are the prospects for those to mature, and to what extent will merchant revenue models emerge this decade? Jules Scully reports.

The grid of 2030 will span vast areas, be highly automated and require a huge amount of storage as it seeks to connect terawatts of renewable capacity. Sean Rai-Roche speaks to experts about our future infrastructure needs.

While the technological advancement of solar over the coming decade will play a significant role in driving deployment, actual installations will largely be driven by two factors – manufacturing capacity and national decarbonisation targets. Jules Scully examines how much solar can be made, and deployed, by 2030.

While Mono-PERC is the eminent solar cell technology presently, its dominance is expected to be short lived with n-type TOPCon cells primed to takeover. But when will that technology shift happen? What does it mean for heterojunction? And what does that mean for tandem cells or perovskites? Liam Stoker finds out