Our 2020 annual highlights – this time virtual

These are no doubt special times that we are currently experiencing. Instead of being in the middle of preparations for upcoming trade fairs over the past few weeks, such as the Intersolar Europe in Munich, many companies have been switching to a virtual alternative to highlight and present their products and topics of the year. We have done the same at IBC SOLAR. What will this look like? We have created an innovative platform for our customers that not only presents the highlights, but also gives an interesting insight of the future of the industry – over a period of eight weeks. Starting on the 20th July 2020. (more…)

Supplier portrait: Stäubli Electrical Connectors – Small components. Big impact.

Every so often we present one of our suppliers and partners on our blog.This time, we are introducing Stäubli, long-term partner of IBC SOLAR and world market leader in the field of photovoltaik connectors. The Swiss group Stäubli was founded in 1892 and is active worldwide. In addition to coupling, robotics and textile solutions,the company is also well known in the photovoltaic industry due to its high-quality plug connections for photovoltaic modules. Stäubli has already networked over 300 GW with their solutions. A remarkable number. And we at IBC SOLAR can now look back on more than 20 years of partnership with Stäubli (formerly Multi-Contact)! (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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