Tag Archive for: photovoltaic

Swiss firm Sun-Ways is testing a system to discreetly install solar panels between railway tracks, showcasing innovative photovoltaic design.

Invisible solar panels hide in railroad tracks to thwart critics

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Solar Panels In Railway Tracks: A Sensible Solution

Laying solar panels in between railroad tracks makes pretty good sense. The main criticisms of rural solar development involve appropriate land use and aesthetic issues, but those matters have long been settled for the many railroad rights-of-way criss-crossing the globe. Railroads are established, permitted, and permanent elements of modern infrastructure. Aside from freight yards and other busy parts of a rail system, railroads are also empty of traffic for long periods of time, allowing for ample sun exposure.

In addition, railroads can offer the solar industry the important element of flat and relatively level sites for development, without having to construct new access roads and other infrastructure. Although the flat configuration and the absence of tracking is not optimal for solar energy harvesting, that can be offset by the savings of reducing racking systems to the bare minimum. The railroad solution also enables developers to avoid disrupting natural habitats or taking space away from other potential land uses.

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Source: Clean Technica

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New German research shows residential PV remains optimal despite energy price breaks, with significant savings during 2019-2022 market volatility.

Photovoltaic systems are a no-regret investment decision

Scientists at the RWTH Aachen University have analyzed the influence that the political measures adopted by the German government to combat rising energy prices in recent years have had on residential PV system profitability and have concluded that price breaks on electricity gas do not “reverse” the economical advantage of deploying a solar array.

The researchers analyzed, in particular, the measures taken by the German authorities after the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and those following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Their analysis focused on the possible savings achieved by PV investments made for single-family homes (SFH) during the period.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Solar energy potential is immense with solar tech improving and costs dropping. Global installations are surging but challenges remain.

Even solar energy’s biggest fans are underestimating it

Every day, the sun’s rays send 173,000 terawatts of energy to Earth continuously, 10,000 times the amount used by all of humanity. Which is to say, the potential for solar energy is immense, and we’re nowhere near the limit.

That’s why solar energy is such an appealing prospect, particularly as an alternative to the fossil fuels that cause climate change. And over the past decade, solar energy technology has vastly improved in performance and plummeted in cost.

As a result, photovoltaic panels have cropped up like dandelions across fields and rooftops at a stunning pace. Yet even the people most plugged-in to the energy industry and most optimistic about solar power continue to underestimate it. In fact, it’s a long-running joke among energy nerds that forecasters keep predicting solar will level off as it continues to rocket up to the sun.

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Source: Vox

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Bayer and Turku Energia have secured a building permit for a large-scale solar park in Turku, Southwest Finland.

Bayer to switch to fully local renewable energy in Finland

The photovoltaic power station will consist of 7 956 solar panels spread across an area of four hectares in Artukainen, a district located about five kilometres west of downtown Turku. The panels will produce 3 400 megawatt-hours of energy a year, reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by about 3 000 tonnes over 15 years – equivalent to the emissions of 23 000 flats.

Turku Energia will own and operate the park, selling the energy to Bayer. The two companies also put pen to paper on a multiyear contract for wind energy produced at in Satakunta by Suomen Hyötytuuli, an affiliate of Turku Energia.

“Bayer’s Finland operation has been carbon neutral since 2021, and the energy Bayer uses in Turku has already been fully renewable,” commented Tomi Penttilä, head of production for Bayer in Turku. “With the new solar park and wind power agreement, the electricity we use will be produced even more locally.”

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Source: Good News from Finland

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Researchers from Purdue University have studied the impact of traditional photovoltaic systems and agrivoltaics deployed in corn croplands.

Assessing viability of agrivoltaics in corn fields

A team of researchers from Purdue University have found agrivoltaics have the potential to increase energy production and reduce carbon emissions while having a minimal impact on crop production.

In the research paper “The viability of photovoltaics on agricultural land: Can PV solve the food vs fuel debate?,” available in the Journal of Cleaner Production, the team analyzed five scenarios featuring corn croplands in the midwest region of the United States.

The first is the baseline scenario, with corn grown over the whole area. The second features a traditional solar system installed on 25% of the area, replacing the corn crop. The other three scenarios feature agrivoltaics with corn growing beneath them, with an estimated 5.5% of the land occupied by solar structures and unavailable for crop growth. A full solar panel density is used in the third system, followed by half and a quarter panel density in the fourth and fifth systems.

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Source: PV Magazine

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A study published in the journal Earth’s Future presents a futuristic vision of transforming highways & major roads into sources of PV energy

The roads of the future could be sources of photovoltaic energy

An international team of researchers presented a solution for the future of solar photovoltaics and road infrastructure with multiple benefits and challenges.

A study published this month in the journal Earth’s Future presents a futuristic vision for transforming highways and major roads into sources of photovoltaic energy.

The proposal includes a network of elevated photovoltaic solar panels that would not only generate clean electricity, but adding an unexpected advantage to the project’s attractions, would also offer shelter to motorists during adverse weather conditions.

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Source: REVE

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Transported 900 metres along the Seine, a 78 kW temporary photovoltaic power plant has docked at the Athletes’ Village

Mobile floating PV plant powers Paris’ Olympic village

It is the largest floating and mobile solar power plant in the world. Moored on the banks of the Seine, the temporary photovoltaic installation, rented especially for the Olympic Games by energy company EDF ENR to a subsidiary, helps supply green electricity to the Olympic and Paralympic Square, the central and festive site of the Athletes’ Village, where athletes and journalists gather. There are also shops and giant screens projecting live images of the competition.

Operating on pure self-consumption, the temporary solar power plant does not feed-in electricity into the grid, requiring real-time adaptation of electricity production to the site’s consumption. Spread over 470 square meters and with a capacity of 78 kWp — the consumption of 94 apartments in the Village — the installation’s main advantage is that it can be set up and dismantled very easily.

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Source: PV Magazine

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This vertical solar panel could be the answer to the prayers of an industry desperately seeking new ways to exploit solar energy.

The mystery of this vertical solar panel: it generates more energy, but experts don’t understand it

A mystery hangs over the vertical solar panel. It generates more energy, but there’s still something experts don’t understand. If you were surprised by what we told you about the first solar panel that produces hydrogen, you can’t miss what comes next. Solar panels are a viable solution in the energy transition the world is undergoing.

They provide an efficient and cost-effective way to produce clean, renewable electricity and help mitigate climate change and the energy challenges facing humanity. They also provide opportunities for employment and economic growth. Opting for self-supply through solar panels is a lifesaver for people living in rural or remote areas where grid electricity is not available.

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Source: Eco News

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New testing conducted at France’s oldest PV system have shown that its solar modules can still provide performance values in line with what the manufacturers promised.

Solar modules deployed in France in 1992 still provide 75.9% of original output power

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French association Hespul was created in 1991 to set up the first photovoltaic plant connected to the national network in France. Following the inauguration of the Phébus 1 power plant on June 14, 1992 in Ain, Hespul decided to expand its activity to promote photovoltaics in France, which at the time was almost non-existent.

The association has now revealed that around 10 m2 of the panels, corresponding to around 1 kW, were dismantled from the system last year and submitted to a series of tests according to the international standards.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Valencia, a city in Spain is starting to use its cemeteries to generate renewable power. The project has been dubbed RIP (Requiem in Power).

This Spanish city plans to turn its cemeteries into the country’s largest urban solar farm

The project has been dubbed RIP, standing for Requiem in Power.

A city in Spain is starting to use its cemeteries to generate renewable power.

Valencia, on the east coast, aims to install thousands of solar panels in graveyards around the city.

The project has been dubbed RIP – standing for Requiem in Power – and was launched this month with the first photovoltaic panels installed.

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Source: Euro News

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