PV Tech Power Papers

Energy storage is among a number of key technologies which can bring much-needed flexibility to electricity networks and therefore to energy markets. With Europe at an unprecedented crossroads in its energy system planning, now is the time to factor in that critical flexibility, argue Julian Jansen and Lars Stephan of Fluence.

There has been an uptick in energy storage investment in Southeast Asia, a region still largely powered by coal and experiencing high growth in population and energy demand. Andy Colthorpe speaks with companies working to establish a framework of opportunities in the region.

Batteries from electric vehicles can find a ‘second life’ in energy storage systems, making more use of these valuable devices, and offering a potentially low-cost way to sidestep supply chain bottlenecks. Cameron Murray meets some of the companies harnessing used automotive batteries to play a part in the energy transition even without wheels.

Electric vehicles are batteries on wheels, and often with quite large batteries too. Bidirectional charging means vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-building are technologically feasible, but barriers to adoption include manufacturer warranties and customer acquisition. Cameron Murray meets three companies taking a practical approach to scaling their V2X propositions.

The largest climate package in US history promises to turbocharge the country’s solar sector, but considerable uncertainty remains around the impact the Inflation Reduction Act will have and how it will be enforced by authorities, writes Sean Rai-Roche.

While renewables procurement is more challenging for SMEs with smaller power demands and less energy sector expertise, PPA aggregations offer a solution. Meghan McIntyre of Schneider Electric explores the deal structures for such aggregations and how project developers can benefit from them.

Spanish multinational electric utility giant Iberdrola has created something not only unique to Spain, but also to the wider European continent: Europe’s largest solar PV plant. Situated in the central-western region of Extremadura, the ‘Francisco Pizarro’ project, named after the renowned Spanish conquistador, has a generation capacity of 590MWp and came into operation in August 2022. The plant has nearly 1.5 million PV modules installed.

As the floating solar sector becomes more mature, larger projects are being deployed in a range of water bodies, presenting a host of construction challenges. Jonathan Touriño Jacobo talks to project developers about how the latest technology is driving growth.

Presenting findings on the exposure of PV panels to the harsh environment of the Arabian Desert, a team from the Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute details the multiple mitigation approaches to solar soiling.

Rarely does the planning and design phase of solar farms consider the subsequent operational management and its costs. Jörn Carstensen, managing partner at greentech, explores how unforeseen effects from development, procurement and construction can have a significant impact on the economic viability of PV plants.