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Kostal debuts high-voltage C&I storage with modular Helivor HV

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The battery tower scales from a single cabinet to a fully paralleled system, working alongside Kostal's Plenticore G3, Plenticore Plus G2 and the new Plenticore BI 25 battery inverter.

For utility customers, storage is no longer just a nice-to-have

Solar Investors Guide – New trends in PV projects

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Solar park construction is picking up pace worldwide, but the bottleneck is not materials or components. It is land, grid connection points and the people to do the work. Sign up for our investor newsletter to receive this digital edition directly.

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Energy from Asphalt - PMT turns parking lots into powerful energy surfaces

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Large parking lots are part of everyday operations for many companies – yet they often remain unused as energy assets. At the same time, pressure is growing to use these spaces more efficiently: several German federal states have introduced requirements to cover newly built parking lots, while companies are looking for cost-effective ways to generate their own electricity. Photovoltaic carports combine both.

With many years of experience, PMT shows how parking lots can become serious energy infrastructure with the proven PMT CARPORT system.

Pascal de Boer is General Manager Europe at SolarEdge

Pascal de Boer: "The most interesting driver is cybersecurity itself"

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SolarEdge's European chief explains why hyperscaler power demand and cybersecurity concerns around Chinese inverters are reshaping the company's strategy on the continent, alongside AI, US manufacturing and the new Nexis platform.

The reactor and conversion hardware at Rivan's UK facility, running directly on DC power from the adjacent solar array

UK – Rivan's solar-powered SNG plant runs entirely off-grid

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Rivan Industries has commissioned its first commercial-scale synthetic natural gas system, powered entirely by solar and operating fully off-grid, with a 10-unit production run planned for 2027.

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What is photovoltaics?

Photovoltaics (PV) refers to the generation of electrical energy from sunlight. At the heart of this process are the solar-active semiconductors known as solar cells, which capture sunlight and convert it directly into electricity.

From a technical standpoint, a PV system or solar installation functions as a generator. Here, individual solar cells are combined into a solar module, which is protected from the elements. These modules are then assembled into a larger solar generator, which can be mounted on rooftopsfaçadesopen ground or specially designed structures. The electricity generated is direct current (DC), which is converted into alternating current (AC) by an inverter. This AC power can be used directly on site or fed into the public grid via the building’s connection. The electricity is typically supplied to the local utility or grid operator.

Larger PV systems installed on open land are often called solar parks. These feed power into the grid via dedicated transformers and switchgear. In many countries special Acts and regulations govern remuneration for solar power, whether via feed-in tariffs or market premiums for direct sales to third parties.

Self-consumption can be increased by using solar power for heating waterroom heating, air conditioning or refrigeration. Battery storage systems help by storing surplus solar electricity for later use. These so-called solar batteries improve system reliability, especially when solar output dips.

Not all incoming sunlight is converted into electricity. The conversion rate depends on the intensity and wavelength of the incoming light spectrum. This ratio between usable electrical output and the maximum available solar radiation is known as efficiency.

The performance of a solar generator or storage system is defined by its output. When multiplied by the number of sunshine hours, this gives the solar yield – the amount of electricity generated per day, month or year. In addition to charging and discharging power, solar batteries are also rated by their capacity, or the amount of energy they can store. Power is measured in kilowatts (kW) or megawatts (MW), while energy and yield are expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh) or megawatt-hours (MWh). (HS)