News

COP 26: Again not a big hit

Even after the end of the UN Climate Change Conference, we are still a long way from achieving the 1.5°C target that is urgently needed if we are to avoid the most devastating effects of the global climate crisis. According to calculations by the IEA, even if all the pledges made in Glasgow are actually kept, which is by no means certain, the Earth will still heat up by at least 1.8°C. That is clearly too much. But even though the results of COP26 are disappointing, there was also progress in some areas.

Solutions

SMA helps Hibernia Steel go green

SMA technology has helped Hibernia Steel achieve three major benefits. The company has achieved 40% energy self-sufficiency; cut its annual energy bill by 10,000 EUR; and reduced its CO2 emissions by 50 tonnes per year.

Company

COP26 – The Last Chance

It has been six years since the world’s nations agreed to limit man-made global warming to significantly below 2 °C in the landmark Paris Agreement. Since then, there have been many announcements and promises. But we are still waiting for concrete steps and effective measures to curb the climate crisis. It is crucial that COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next week, finally brings a breakthrough. Before it is too late.

News

Keele University takes the next step towards carbon neutrality with solar power

Britain's Keele University recently installed a renewable energy system incorporating an SMA power station, 1MW Battery Storage and 12,500 solar panels. The project fits in the institution’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030.

News

After the parliamentary elections: drive climate protection forward, strengthen industry

Germany voted. The exploratory talks regarding the formation of a new German Federal Government are already ramping up. The demonstrations by the Fridays for Future movement in which more than 600,000 people participated in 470 locations last Friday impressively underlined once more that climate policy must occupy a central role in the negotiations. If the fight against the climate crisis is to be effective, the new Federal Government must not simply settle for “more of the same.” We need faster and far more substantial expansion of renewable energy sources.

How to

Automatic Energy Cost Savings: With Solar power and the SMA Sunny Home Manager

The best way of cutting your electricity costs as much as possible is simply to turn on your home appliances when your rooftop PV system is generating electricity. The problem with that is that we are often at work or otherwise not at home in the middle of the day when the PV system is generating the most electricity. This means that we can’t switch our appliances on ourselves. That’s why we manage our home appliances automatically with the SMA Sunny Home Manager 2.0. It switches our home appliances on when the PV system is generating sufficient electricity. Read on to find out how we can use this system to save hundreds of euros on electricity costs every year.

How to

Why a north-facing system pays off

Whether a pointed gable, tented roof, modern city villa, single-family home or apartment building, it also pays to install PV modules on the north-facing side of buildings. This delivers more energy yields and makes system operators independent of rising electricity prices. With the Sunny Design planning software, you can display up to six module arrays during system planning, allowing you to incorporate more roof surfaces into the design from the outset. We will show you how to do this (including with a carport) for north-facing installations as well, because diffuse light can also result in a good yield. The software allows you to easily design complex systems in a single step.

How to

Zero Cost Electricity Bill – My Solar Journey Part II

It has been over 12 months since our family had a solar system installed. Did we achieve our goal of a zero cost electricity bill? And where do we go with our solar journey now to save electricity and reduce our carbon emissions even further? Read on to find out.

Solutions

Think Opex*

Storage and PV power plants are system-relevant. The energy transition cannot succeed without them. If a power plant fails, the costs mount up very quickly. Michael Ploechl is the head of the SMA monitoring location in Germany and he and his team ensure that it doesn’t come to that. Despite this responsibility, Ploechl generally remains relaxed. He can afford to. Because at two locations in the U.S. and Germany, expert teams analyze the system performance of power plants worldwide 24/7 in real time. The professionals in Rocklin and Ulm ensure that everything runs smoothly. In our interview, he explains why operating expenditure is more important than capital expenditure and how rabbits occasionally cause him some trouble.

How to

Designing your project with PVsyst: Three things to know for optimal use of the software

The design stage of a PV system is crucial to ensure optimal production from the installation and to secure the investment objective. There are several software tools that perform simulations according to the configuration of the installation, its location, orientation and energy requirements, including PVsyst. In this article, Julien Le Bars, Applications and Project Engineer at SMA France, shares his three points for optimal use of the tool (version 7.2.1).