photovoltaics

A forest, a PV system and clean drinking water

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Often one hears and reads about the potential of photovoltaics and how it can be used everywhere. It is a fact that PV is not only one of the most popular and cheapest types of electricity generation, but also highly flexible and often the solution for difficult situations. The latter applied to the community of Urphertshofen in Middle Franconia, Germany. Here, a photovoltaic system is used for the treatment of drinking water – in the middle of the forest. (more…)

Hybrid inverters conquer the market

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Everyone is currently talking about hybrid inverters, i.e. the combination of photovoltaic and battery inverters. No wonder, because they offer decisive advantages. These devices are particularly efficient, flexible and combine two essential products of a photovoltaic system –   the inverter and the solar battery. Conversely, for the user this means that both space and costs are saved and, of course, less installation work is required. Another plus point of these combination devices is the possibility of a back-up function in case of an emergency. (more…)

Our 2020 annual highlights – this time virtual

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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…)

Roofs, loads and the correct mounting system

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The AeroFix base rail G2 Eco

I will never forget my father´s face when my sister-in-law walked across his newly laid parquet flooring with spiked heels on …This funny example reminds me of, how “not so funny” and also how important sufficient area is for the distribution of relative loads. Because the same situation also applies to PV systems on flat roofs as in these situations, heavy loads can play a role, too. Either caused by snow loads, e.g. in Scandinavia or in the Alps, or by high ballasting weight. As a Certified Surveyor for Photovoltaic Systems, I see more and more cases where installers are confronted with building insurance claims for damaged roof coverings caused by heavy loads. In the case of a commercial sized roof, the resulting claims against the installer can easily get up to a six-digit number of value. (more…)

How to use sector coupling effectively

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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…)