IBC SOLAR is getting active

Do something good for your health and at the same time think about the environment – with a JobRad both is possible – regardless of whether it is a classic version or an e-bike. The employees of IBC SOALR AG can now enjoy this benefit. Since April of this year, there has been the possibility to start pedalling with a specially selected company bike.  (more…)

Spain and the boom in solar energy

If you look at the list of European countries that have attracted attention in recent years with a strong increase in solar energy, there is no way around Spain. No other country is currently experiencing such a large PV boom. Spain breaks its records of newly installed capacity year after year. For example, from 135 megawatts (MW) in 2017 to a total of 551 MW (2018). And the latest forecasts are also impressive and show a further increase in 2020 with 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of newly installed services. This means that by the end of 2020 the country will have a total photovoltaic output of 8.7 GW. But where does the strong growth come from? A market outlook:  (more…)

How to use sector coupling effectively

A fully electric heated house in Upper Austria (source: my-PV)

Power-to-heat: heating with electricity has long been considered uneconomical and harmful to the climate. With the energy transition, the focus is once again on heat generation using self-generated green electricity. Both efficiency and cost-effectiveness are now under good auspices. Sector coupling is moving more and more into the spotlight and is already showing what our future green energy system can look like. (more…)

Flagship project in Africa: Using solar power to counteract fluctuating power grids

The association Connecting Continents e.V., based in Kirchroth/Germany, has been running a secondary school on Pemba, a small island belonging to Zanzibar/Tanzania in East Africa, for 15 years. A total of 300 pupils, half of them girls and a quarter orphans, attend the school, which is one of the best in the region. The school has been under the direction of headmistress Mrs. Bi Mwaache for many years. Together with her team, she helps students to obtain a state-certified degree every year. In order to concentrate even better on her work with the students, Mrs. Mwaache and her family have recently moved into a freshly finished house only 1 km away from the school. But the electricity supply in the region is very unreliable. Therefore, a photovoltaic system with a battery storage system has recently been installed, which supplies the family with CO2-neural solar power.

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Sabine, Victoria who will be next? The next storm is as certain as the sunrise

In recent years a series of storms have swept across Europe. The list comprises some prominent storms in Germany like hurricane Niklas (2015), storm Xavier (2017), hurricane Friederike (2018), hurricane Sabine, and storm Victoria (both in 2020). During the last hurricane named Sabine, winds reached speeds of up to 177 km/h. Even in the lowlands, speeds of around 150 km/h could still be measured. This is a good enough reason for us to take a closer look at the calculation of PV systems. Because one thing is for certain – there will be more hurricanes on the way!

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