INDUSTRY WATCH

economic outlook post-COVID-19 , it also provides an opportunity for countries around the world to look at energy recovery plan with intelligent technologies and green energy sources . Based on a recent report from the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ), Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2020 , it argues that renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever – providing an opportunity to prioritise clean energy in COVID-19 economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the Paris Agreement goals .

Accelerate the growth of wind and solar PV

Based on research from the International Renewable Energy Agency ( IRENA ) from 2020 , green power technologies have rapidly become the most favoured power generation technologies in markets around the world . In 2019 , capital spending in wind and solar PV made up almost half of total power plant investment . Wind and solar PV accounted for 80 % of the growth in global electricity supply in 2019 and now make up the majority of global power capacity additions , up from under 20 % in 2010 .

The rapid growth of solar PV and wind has been paired with impressive cost reductions : close to 80 % on average for solar PV , 40 % for onshore wind and 30 % for offshore wind power over the past ten years ( IRENA , 2020 ).

This will no doubt help to drive the energy recovery post-COVID-19 in favor of wind and solar PV power .

AI drives Digital Transformation with energy industry

During COVID-19 , all industries are relying on digital technology including AI and Big Data to transform their business and finding new ways to doing business and improve efficiency . When it comes to solar PV industry , it is no exception that AI and other key digital technologies play a pivot role in transforming the industry . For example , O & M is a significant challenge for solar farms globally even before COVID-19 , but during the pandemic , it is even more so difficult for solar farm owners to travel onsite to perform any regular checks and maintenance . Back in 2014 , Huawei took the lead in joint research and development ( R & D ) with Huanghe Hydropower Development Co Ltd and conducted a large number of tests for I-V curve which could assess the health of the PV plant by scanning all the PV modules through reverse power supply by Huawei Smart PV solution . This Smart I-V Curve Diagnosis technology can identify 14 common failures , including hidden PV module cracks , hot spots , backplane failures and diode damage .

Following three upgrade versions , Huawei Smart I-V Curve Diagnosis has now applied for over 7GW PV plants worldwide and the number of detected PV modules exceeds 10 million . In addition to this widespread application , the AI-based Smart I-V Curve Diagnosis 4.0 further improves detection speeds , requiring just 15 minutes to completely scan an entire 100MW PV plant . Bifacial , shingled and hybrid mixed PV modules are all supported . While most industry vendors jumped on this trend almost overnight , the required technology is based on www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO

73