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Innovation Continues In The Solar Industry
The solar industry has come a long way since its
inception, evolving from
an experimental technology to an integral part of our daily lives that we
take for granted.
By Jennifer Sensiba
May 29, 2023
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The solar industry has come a long way since its inception, evolving
from an experimental technology to an integral part of our daily lives
that we take for granted. But, despite the long history and seemingly
established nature of the technology, innovation continues. In this
article, I’m going to cover several things that show how this
innovation continues, but first, let’s look at the long history real
quick!
How Solar Became So Routine
Solar energy might seem like some new thing that came along
during our lifetimes, or perhaps something that only became practical
in the last few years, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The story of solar energy began in 1839 when French physicist
Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect. He
observed that certain materials could generate electricity when
exposed to sunlight. This groundbreaking discovery laid the foundation
for the development of solar cells.
In 1954, Bell Labs introduced the first practical solar cell
made of silicon, which had an efficiency of about 6%. This early solar
cell was primarily used for space applications, powering satellites
and space probes. It wasn’t until the 1970s that solar cells became
more widely available for terrestrial use, due to growing concerns
about fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution.
The oil crisis of the 1970s led to a surge in interest in
renewable energy sources, including solar power. Governments around
the world began investing in solar technology, funding research, and
offering incentives for solar installations. In the United States,
President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof
as a symbolic gesture to promote clean energy.
Over the years, advancements in solar cell technology have
significantly improved their efficiency and reduced the cost of solar
installations. The price per watt of solar power has dropped
dramatically, making it more accessible to both residential and
commercial customers. Today, solar panels can convert around 20% of
the sun’s energy into electricity, with some advanced models reaching
up to 24% efficiency.
Looking back at all this, there’s a clear trend of improving
technology, so we shouldn’t assume that we’ve reached the peak of
solar technology. There’s still plenty of room for innovations, both
large and small.
Integrating Hardware & Software
The first news item I want to share comes from Aderis Energy,
LLC, a technology pioneer in the field of distributed renewable
energy. The company has achieved a significant milestone in its
commitment to a sustainable energy future. Through its innovative
integrated software and hardware platform, Aderis Energy has delivered
solutions for utility, commercial, and industrial (C&I) scale
generation projects worldwide, cumulatively representing an impressive
2 gigawatts of clean, renewable power capacity.
“We are excited to see our solutions enable 2 gigawatts of
renewable energy, and this achievement marks one of many significant
milestones in our commitment to fostering a sustainable, distributed
energy future,” said Colton Ward, Technical Sales Executive of Aderis
Energy, LLC.
Aderis Energy distinctively serves the renewable energy sector
by concentrating on C&I scale generation projects and offering a
variety of integrated product solutions. These solutions include
monitoring and control, power plant control, storage integration,
interconnection solutions, and weather stations. Aderis assists
customers in cost-effectively overcoming intricate utility integration
obstacles such as inrush mitigation, zero export power plant control,
custom inter tie protection relaying, and utility DERMS integration,
among others.
“Our platform is a comprehensive solution, enabling our clients
to meet complex utility requirements and maximize the benefits of
their distributed energy resources,” said Brad Micallef, President and
COO of Aderis. “As we continue to provide state-of-the-art solutions,
our mission remains steadfast: to support the rapid deployment of
clean energy resources that results in sustainability and a
considerable positive impact on the environment.”
Floating Solar Could Top 6 Gigawatts By End of 2030
By 2031, the global floating solar market is anticipated to
surpass the 6 gigawatt mark, according to Wood Mackenzie. This growth
is driven by PV developers facing challenges in meeting the rising
solar demand and exploring alternative development technologies.
“The global solar industry, including PV developers, continue
to battle limited land availability and increasing land costs for
ground-mount solar projects, which is driving demand for floating
installations,” said Ting Yu, consultant at Wood Mackenzie, at SNEC PV
Power Expo in Shanghai recently.
The report goes on to show how it’s growing by leaps and bounds
in Asia, but is still experiencing significant growth in Europe and
the United States, too.
This trend is expected to continue and even accelerate because
there’s just no new land coming onto the market, especially near where
the power is needed (larger cities, which are often near a body of
water or the ocean). So, people will continue needing to innovate to
keep making more clean power. This isn’t necessarily better technology
on the cell itself, but having more places to put cells means more
solar power.
Anti-Soiling Technology Increases Output By 3%
Soiling, a frequently overlooked problem that involves the
gradual accumulation of fine particles like dust, dirt, or sand on
solar module surfaces, can significantly impact the performance of a
PV system. A practical study took place at the Green Energy Park
research platform in Ben Guerir, Morocco, to assess the effectiveness
of antistatic and hydrophobic coatings for PV panels under
challenging, semi-arid weather conditions.
Following nine months of operation, the findings revealed
considerable efficiency improvements in the coated PV panels compared
to the reference system. In the initial three-month cleaning period,
the coated PV panels’ average efficiency gain was about 10%. During
the subsequent six-month non-cleaning period, the efficiency gain
persisted at around 5%. The coated systems’ cumulative energy gain, in
comparison to the water-cleaned reference, achieved an average of 3%
after the outdoor exposure period.
Still Plenty Of Room To Grow
While implementation seems to be where most of the news is at
these days, we should definitely keep watching out for future
technological developments like these. Incremental additions to our
solar power add up over time.
Things like improved solar cells that make more energy per
square foot, bifacial solar panels, improved trackers, advanced
coatings (like the one above), and improved ways to pair it with
energy storage will add up to big differences over time.
Featured image provided by Aderis Energy
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
exactrix@exactrix.com
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