PES was fascinated to hear from Piotr Markowski, Chief Executive Officer at Corab, about the company’s transition from satellite dish production to PV systems. How is it putting its expertise in the manufacture of steel and aluminium products to good use and what are the similarities in terms of quality, safety and now, market demand… Read more »
PES was delighted to speak to Guido Volberg, Senior Consultant Product Regulatory Affairs, at Stäubli Renewable Energy to find out more about the issues and challenges the PV industry is facing in terms of misinterpretation of test reports and false expectations regarding compatibility. PES: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Guido…. Read more »
Photovoltaic energy is a crucial element of energy transition. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) solar power is on track to set a record for new global deployments from 2022, with an average of 125 GW of new capacity planned globally between 2021 and 2025. Photovoltaics is on its way to becoming the leading… Read more »
Many of us dream of an idyllic lifestyle, far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. A place where your nearest neighbour could be miles away and you awaken each morning with clear skies and an awe-inspiring vista. Fully self-sufficient, you live off the earth, fully aware of the delicate balance of mother… Read more »
Amidst the renovation wave unrolling in the EU, smart and scalable local energy generation solutions are in high demand, with solar power being one of the major instruments. While many still believe that installing solar panels on top of an existing roof is a good solution, there are better alternatives. Solarstone, leading producer of building-integrated… Read more »
Our energy infrastructure is a very fragile and sophisticated system. There needs to be sufficient energy to meet demand at all times. We as users must not be affected by this, because who wants to think about whether to take a shower or put a pizza in the oven? To enable planners to respond to… Read more »
Electric vehicles play a key role in society’s drive towards net zero. But the cost of charging them is likely to be a barrier to their popularity. PES was delighted to hear from Alfred Karlstetter, General Manager at SolarEdge Europe about the possibility of EV charging using solar technology. Could our cars be powered by… Read more »
Renu Robotics, based in San Antonio, Texas, has developed innovative autonomous technology for the solar and energy industries, including an all-electric vehicle that can mow during the day or night, cutting vegetation management costs and carbon emissions. PES spoke to CEO Tim Matus to find out more. PES: Tim, it’s good to talk to you… Read more »
As the drive to mitigate climate change continues, PES was keen to catch up with Cemil Seber, Vice President, Global Marketing, Product Management & Corporate Strategy at REC Group, to hear of their plans for maximising solar panel performance in order to close the emissions gap. PES: Welcome to PES Cemil, it’s great to touch… Read more »
Increasing the sustainability of the PV market as it grows is crucial. PES takes a look at some of the research and development taking place to help make this a reality. PHOTORAMA is an EU funded project focusing on improving the recycling of PV panels and recovery of raw materials. Could this circularity model be… Read more »
The End-of-life (EOL) management of PV Panels has been discussed for over a decade, with many reports, strategies, policies, and industries created to minimise their waste impact. As the cohesiveness of the European and USA PV value chain evolves, so too does access to new thinking and ways of designing, manufacturing, and operating to move… Read more »
Renewable energy is on the rise globally, with solar and wind becoming the cheapest way of generating energy in more and more countries, according to IEA. It is also important for many countries as a key strategy for CO2 reduction and energy independence. However, an important question remains: where to install all the renewable energy… Read more »
The worldwide installed base of photovoltaic capacity currently is around 890 GW, generating 994 TWh solar energy in total. A growth of more than 200% is expected before the end of 2026, translating to an installed PV capacity of around 1,900 GW. But how can manufacturers ensure that PV modules perform to expectations, even after… Read more »
The rising cost of energy has been making headlines throughout Europe and beyond in recent months. But is heating the forgotten element in the drive towards net zero and can solar help drive down costs and take us a step closer to a greener way of living? PES was keen to get the thoughts of… Read more »
Austrian-based company my-PV has been successfully developing smart technology for the intelligent use of solar energy for over a decade. Now the company has moved into its new headquarters in Sierning, the design of which was unmistakably inspired by the sun. The PIKO CI commercial inverter from KOSTAL forms part of this pioneering project, demonstrating… Read more »
Video surveillance provides an excellent deterrent against intruders on solar farms. Just as the technology never switches off, neither does the research and production of the systems themselves, particularly when it’s in such high demand. Providing remote video monitoring for solar farms is a 24/7 operation so it’s perhaps only fitting that the production of… Read more »
While installing a solar system is the first step in going solar, maintenance is also a big part of keeping the system running well. That’s where the concept of truck roll comes in. But these instances in which a technician needs to be dispatched can be expensive endeavours. Hoymiles has microinverter distributors across the globe,… Read more »
PES was delighted to learn from geotechnical engineer Thomas Berglin at FTC, about the importance of foundation design for solar projects. After all, without a solid foundation, the grandest structures imaginable will not stand the test of time, much less a simple solar rack. PES: Thomas it is a pleasure having you with us. Would… Read more »
As solar develops, customer behaviour and demands are changing, so we thought it was timely to catch up with Eturnity’s CEO, Matthias Wiget, to get his take on things. What factors are driving the market and what tools and solutions can help, particularly in terms of technology? PES: Welcome back to PES Matthias. It’s lovely… Read more »
As the market for PV grows and production ramps up with it, keeping productivity levels high is important, yet not without its challenges. PES discussed the common issues and how they can best be overcome, with Jyry Hyvärinen, Sales Manager at Endeas. PES: A very warm welcome to PES Jyry, it’s lovely to speak with… Read more »
With the economics of solar power looking increasingly favourable, there is a rush to invest and expand. PES was delighted to have a conversation with Kees Hoogendijk, Managing Director, EKO Instruments Europe. We discussed how sensor technology could help improve ROI and mitigate any potential imbalance in the supply and demand of experienced or qualified… Read more »
With solar measurement forming an important part of the data landscape, and particularly so as power plants increase in size and output, PES was keen to learn from Roman Affolter, Technical Head of Meteorological Services, CSP Services about the latest bankable solar resource assessments for high-quality regional irradiance mapping. PES: It’s lovely to welcome you… Read more »
Since speaking to Steve Davies, EMEA PV Market Manager at DuPont Teijin Films and Alessandro Anderlini, Business Manager responsible for the EMEA markets in Coveme’s PV Solar and Specialty Films Divisions last year, how are the issues around sustainability and reliability of products being addressed and what more can we expect in 2022 and beyond?… Read more »
Optimizing the performance of solar panels often comes down to ensuring their cleanliness. The level and type of soiling, the local weather and the surroundings of your plant can lead to soiling problems and the subsenquent energy output drop due to the reduced light transmission. So, ensuring your modules are clean while protecting them with… Read more »
Intersolar Europe 2022, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry, will take place from May 11 to 13, 2022, at Messe München. Its focus on photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies and solar power plants couldn’t come at a better time. Under the motto ‘connecting solar business’, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, project planners and developers… Read more »
Can the Internet of Things (IoT) help provide preventative maintenance to allow for the timely replacement of faulty modules and enhance the efficiency and performance of long-term power production? PES looks at how this technology can help improve return on investment. Inverter outages at commercial and utility-scale solar installations are the cause of 81% of… Read more »
Despite the promising market outlook for solar energy due to the increasing global demand for alternative energy, PV manufacturers face numerous challenges. They must strive to lower their production costs while enhancing the efficiency and quality of their solutions. To keep ahead of the stiff competition, market players are poised to adapt their technology to… Read more »
Photovoltaic energy is a crucial element of energy transition. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) solar power is on track to set a record for new global deployments from 2022, with an average of 125 GW of new capacity planned globally between 2021 and 2025. Photovoltaics is on its way to becoming the leading… Read more »
With the wind being an unpredictable beast, optimising the performance of turbines and reacting quickly to changes in conditions involves a huge amount of data gathering and analysis. Sereema takes a look at how digital technology is being used to enable quick decision making with everyone in sync. As the wind industry market grows in… Read more »
As wind farms move further offshore, how can they be protected from corrosion while keeping costs down and maintenance time to a minimum? To find out what solutions might be available to help solve this conundrum and get an overview of where the market may be heading next, we spent time talking to Laura Hall,… Read more »
Lidar technology has come a long way since NASA first used it during 1971’s Apollo 15 mission to the moon. Modern lidar systems have applications across many industries, and they are being used extensively by the wind power industry for both current and emerging onshore and offshore applications. Matthieu Boquet, Head of Market and Offering,… Read more »
PES was delighted to have the chance to speak with Mahmoud Hamada, PhD, MBA, Managing Director of SAMAWATT, to find out how machine learning algorithms can help reduce grid imbalance penalties. With government subsidies covering these penalties no longer an option, how can small and medium-sized renewable energy farms without the necessary market trading expertise,… Read more »
While traditional turbine inspection methods can be slow and error-prone, advancements in Artificial Intelligence technology may hold the answer to finding defects faster. A solution that will only grow in importance as wind farms themselves grow and offshore locations become increasingly hard to reach. PES was keen to find out more about the possibilities of… Read more »
Everyone has now woken up to the benefits of automation, integration and digitization in the wind industry, but what’s the next phase and how can we continue to support the global market consolidation with technology? We asked Onyx Insight’s Product Owner Jon Hodson and Joshua Greenslade, Machine Learning Engineer to share their thoughts. PES: Welcome… Read more »
The weather plays an important role in the operation and maintenance of wind farms, helping to determine output, scheduling maintenance and predicting potential downtime. Accurate forecasting is therefore essential for forward planning. But what about hindsight forecasting? Can looking back over the history of weather patterns help us make wise assumptions for the future too?… Read more »
The high prices paid for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management leases in the recent New York Bight Auction have drawn attention to the high stakes involved in developing offshore wind projects. The highest winning bid was more than a billion dollars for lease area OCS-A 0539 paid by Bight Wind Holdings, a partnership between… Read more »