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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.

Oliver Glenz (right) explains intelligent combiner boxes including insulation monitoring on string level

HIS Renewables: innovations in the DC field

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CEO Talk: Solar parks are growing in size, with cost pressure, construction timelines and availability all becoming tighter. How can projects be implemented faster, more cost-effectively and more reliably? What role do pre-assembled cabling, aluminium cables and smart combiner boxes play? Oliver Glenz, CSO of HIS Renewables, has all the answers.

IRENA’s latest flagship report sets out seven priorities for the decisive decade to 2035

IRENA: record renewables growth not enough to deliver the transition

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While solar and wind are being built faster than ever, grids, storage and efficiency are falling behind as demand rises. In its new outlook, IRENA says electrification and wider reform are now key to getting back on a 1.5°C pathway.

Inside a Fronius testing centre, the kind of European production base that is set to benefit from stricter inverter regulation

European inverter makers face a cybersecurity reckoning

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As the EU tightens cyber rules for networked inverters, manufacturers must navigate both a new compliance burden and a chance to make "made in Europe" count for more.

Clifden, County Galway – rural homes in the west of Ireland stand to gain from the new boiler scrappage top-up

Ireland – Budget 2027 and home energy, explained

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A new battery grant, fully funded systems for some households and record money for home upgrades: we break down the energy measures in Ireland’s €1.28 billion package.

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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 rooftops, façades, open 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 water, room 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)