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Challenges and prospects in Albania’s PV market

Albanian researchers say that solar could be key to reducing Albania’s reliance on energy imports, but the nation will need to invest in grid infrastructure, streamline laws, and enhance access to funding to support deployment.
Manufacturing

K2 Systems to offer mounting system for green solar roofs

Germany's K2 Systems says that its new mounting system will be available in the spring. It supports module elevation of 10 degrees to 15 degrees.
Energy Storage

Researchers identify path to fast-charging lithium-sulfur batteries

Australian researchers have designed a new catalyst that has the potential to deliver a new generation of lithium-sulfur batteries that can be charged in less than five minutes, instead of several hours.
Announcements

New pv magazine Global - Material change | March edition

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TOPCon overcoming obstacles: improving performance of backsheet-based monofacial products

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Weather alert – measuring module load in snowy regions

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Hail risk mitigation strategies for solar assets

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Markets & Policy

Japan’s 19th solar auction concludes with average final price of $0.034/kWh

Japan has allocated 134 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest bid for a 19 MW solar project came in at JPY 0.00/kWh, surprisingly, while other bids ranged from JPY 4.94 ($0.03)/kWh to JPY 6.98/kWh.
Markets & Policy

Endesa switches on 1.1 MW/ 5.5 MWh redox flow battery in Spain

Spanish utility Endesa has activated a 1.1 MW/5.5 MWh redox flow battery in Spain. It says it is the vanadium redox flow storage system connected to a PV plant in Europe. It is situated near Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands.
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Markets & Policy

TotalEnergies hits 1.5 GW of on-site solar PPAs

France's TotalEnergies says it has signed 1.5 GW of on-site solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) with more than 600 industrial and commercial customers in more than 30 countries.
Markets & Policy

Cuba addresses energy crisis with 2 GW of solar

Cuban Minister of Energy Vicente de la O Levy says 2 GW of planned solar capacity will come from 92 ground-mounted PV plants spread across the island.
Installations

How to convert PV plants with dual-axis trackers into agrivoltaic facilities

A Spanish group of researchers has investigated how much agricultural production may be hosted by existing ground-mounted PV plants using dual-axis trackers. They outlined a new methodology that reportedly enables to quantify how much space around and be...

Press Releases

The Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo returns to Kenya for its 8th Edition: Powering Lives | Energizing Potential

Between the 8-10th October 2024, government ministers, climate investors, development partners, and pioneering companies from across the distributed renewable energy industry will gather at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi for the sector’s flagship bi-annual event, the 2024 Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo.

Collaboratively Drawing a Bright Blueprint for Green Shipping

On March 13, the highly anticipated Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) event was grandly inaugurated in Singapore. The biennial event drew in over 500 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from 60 countries to observe the most recent innovations in maritime engineering and port technology.

JA Solar DeepBlue 4.0 Pro Awarded the Highest A+ Rating Certificate in Frontrunner Plus Cold Weather Field Test by CGC

JA Solar DeepBlue 4. 0 Pro has been awarded the highest A+ Rating Certificate in Frontrunner Plus Cold Climate Field Test by the China General Certification Center(CGC), an authoritative third-party technical service organization specializing in standard development, testing, inspection, certification, technical and industry research services.

Durapower breaks ground for new Suzhou battery manufacturing factory in China

New factory will expand Durapower’s manufacturing capacity in China • Aims to be Durapower’s first intelligent manufacturing and green factory that meets Industry 4. 0 requirements • Expected to be fully operational by second quarter of 2025

Opinion & Analysis

Featured

Underrepresentation of women in solar requires ‘holistic approach’

In the second article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to its president, Carmen Madrid. She says the solar and energy storage industries are full of opportunities for women, but a correct path must be set.

Atlantic blast hits European solar production

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that irradiance and PV production was more than 15% below normal during February across most of Europe, due to thick clouds in moist westerly winds from the Atlantic.

Wafer prices stable-to-soft on market oversupply

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, offers bite-sized analysis on solar PV module supply and price trends.

Pedaling Power

The co-founder of a Lithuanian company which has developed a new exercise bike that can generate and store electricity makes the case for the contribution “energy harvesting from daily human activity” can make to the energy transition.

Weather records tumble across U.S. as Atlantic pressure keeps eastern skies clear

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that persistent high pressure in the upper atmosphere led to irradiance as high as 30% above normal, and new records for solar generation and temperature in North America in mid-February.

Why gender equality might be the better business opportunity in the solar energy industry within the next decade

In the first article of a series, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) presents data showing that we still have plenty of work to overcome external and internal barriers preventing women from pursuing STEM careers, accessing leadership roles, and being fairly represented across the whole value chain in the solar industry.

Markets & Policy

Featured

Uzbekistan connects first phase of 511 MW solar project

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. (Masdar) has connected the first phase of a 511 MW solar project in Uzbekistan, linking the initial units of two solar plants. Chinese manufacturer TrinaTracker has supplied the plants with 11,248 sets of Vanguard 1P trackers.

Romanian plastics manufacturer secures financing for 4.56 MW of PV

TeraPlast SA has secured financing for 4.56 MW of solar, with approximately one-quarter of the project’s total value obtained through non-refundable financing from the Romanian government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project, which will include a 920 kW storage facility, is set to be completed in June.

French startup offers solar aerothermal system for space heating

Solar Brother, a French startup, has developed a solar aerothermal system for space heating. The system incorporates a PV panel, an aerothermal heat pump module, and cassette filtration, enabling homeowners to save on heating.

Construction begins on 2 GWh of storage in Australia

Western Australian government-owned utility Synergy has commenced construction of its third grid-scale battery as the state government looks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support its planned transition from coal-fired power generation to renewables.

TSUN debuts DC-coupled 1,024 Wh battery

The Chinese manufacturer said its new residential storage system is an ideal solution for balcony PV system. The battery features a maximum input power of 1,200 W and a maximum output power of 800 W.

Indian state tenders 1 GW of pumped storage, 5 GW of solar power

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (MSEDCL) has started accepting bids to provide 1,000 MW/8,000 MWh of grid-connected energy storage capacity from pumped hydro storage throughout India.

Installations

Austrian startup launches portable containerized PV system

Solarcont has developed a portable, containerized PV system featuring 240 solar modules on a folding system for easy removal and storage.

Solitek launches bifacial solar panels for carports

The Lithuanian module manufacturer has unveiled 37O W bifacial dual glass modules for carports featuring 3 mm glass on both sides and an anodized aluminum frame. The new products are certified as overhead glazing by the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt), with a class 4 hail resistance and efficiency of 19.57%.

The Hydrogen Stream: DNV launches hydrogen blending studies in North America

DNV has started working on blending feasibility studies in the Canadian province of British Columbia, while the US Department of Energy has announced $750 million in funding for 52 hydrogen projects across 24 states.

Sri Lanka launches tender for 165 MW of ground-mounted solar

Sri Lanka has launched a tender for 165 MW (AC) of ground-mounted solar, accepting applicants to develop solar plants up to 5 MW ins size, connected to one of 20 selected substations across the country. The winners will sign 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board.

Iberdrola, FCC Ámbito to collaborate on solar panel recycling  

Spain’s Iberdrola and FCC Ámbito have agreed to work together on the development of new circularity solutions for solar panels, to ensure that 100% of the materials in the modules can be recycled.

Algeria’s Sonelgaz awards 3 GW of solar projects

Representatives of Algerian state-owned utility Sonelgaz have signed contracts with local and foreign companies for the construction of 20 solar projects from two tenders.

Technology

Scientists identify new ‘promising’ absorber material for thin-film solar cells

Researchers in the United States have identified zintl-phosphide (BaCd2P2) as a new potential high efficiency absorber material for thin-film PV applications among 40,000 promising inorganic materials. The selected compound has a potential energy bandgap of 1.45 eV and a carrier lifetime of up to 30 ns.

Researchers claim record efficiency for roll-to-roll fabricated perovskite PV cell

Researchers led by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) recorded an 11% efficiency on 50 cm² large-scale solar panels consisting of optimized roll-to-roll fabricated hybrid perovskite solar cells.

DAH Solar unveils frameless double-glass TOPCon panels

Chinese manufacturer DAH Solar says its new double-glass panels have a power conversion efficiency of 22.65% and a power output of up to 585 W.

Bulgaria launches renewables-plus-storage tenders

Bulgarian businesses can apply for funding under two new tenders that aim to facilitate 1,425 MW of renewable energy generation capacity coupled with 350 MW of energy storage. Funding support is only offered for the storage component.

Sunman unveils 520 W glass-free solar panel with 19.3% efficiency

The new panel has a white backsheet and a temperature coefficient of -0.34/C. It weighs 4.1 kg per m2 and, according to the manufacturer, supports all types of installation methods, including roof adhesive and removal mechanical mounting.

Tests show rooftop fires propagate slowly with vertical PV systems

New tests conducted by the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute have shown that vertical PV installations offer improved fire safety compared to conventional diagonal or flat solar arrays. The experiment showed, in particular, how rapidly a fire can propagate under inclined panels.

Manufacturing

Systovi searching for buyer due to ‘Chinese dumping’

French PV module maker Systovi, facing a sharp drop in orders, is seeking a buyer for its design, production, and commercial activities. It has been manufacturing solar energy equipment since 2008 at its Carquefou factory near Nantes, France.

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics for electric ground transport

Canadian custom module manufacturer Capsolar developed a vehicle integrated PV system (VIPV) for an electric material towing application, reportedly enabling 30% to 40% range increase per battery charge.

European consortium targets end-of-life PV panel silicon recycling

A European consortium of 11 commercial and non-profit organizations is developing several technologies to make use of end-of-life PV panels by either re-deploying them or by recovering and reprocessing the silicon.

New modular design for offshore floating photovoltaic platforms

A team of scientists from China and the United States studied ways to optimize floating photovoltaics for offshore use. It found that the robustness of the systems was influenced by the size and number of platforms, as well as the types of connections between platforms.

Quantifying effect of cooling, cleaning in PV systems operating under desert conditions

Scientists in Oman have analyzed the effect of soiling, cleaning, and water injection on the performance of PV panels in Oman. They have found the use of water for cooling may increase power yield by up to 23.9%.

Meyer Burger reports $330 million loss for fiscal 2023

Switzerland-based Meyer Burger had a PV module inventory of 365 MW at the end of 2023. The closure of its panel factory in Freiberg, Germany, will only be reversed if there are very strong political signals, said CEO Gunter Erfurt.

Energy Storage

Featured

Weekend Read: Hanging in the balance

Battery storage revenues in Britain are well below historic highs but an appetite for storage capacity remains. Electricity system-operator modernization, increased competition, and new opportunities could all shape the future of British battery energy storage systems (BESS').

Evaluating the profitability of vanadium flow batteries

Researchers in Italy have estimated the profitability of future vanadium redox flow batteries based on real device and market parameters and found that market evolutions are heading to much more competitive systems, with capital costs down to €260/kWh at a storage duration of 10 hours.

247Solar close to commercializing modular concentrating solar plant

The 247Solar Plants are modular and most of the components are mass produced and can be assembled on site.

Thyssenkrupp, Fraunhofer IKTS to set up 1 GW of electrolyzer production by 2030

Thyssenkrupp nucera and Fraunhofer IKTS want to develop and mass produce electrolyzers based on solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technology. They are now setting up a pilot plant in Germany that is scheduled to start operations in about a year.

Energy sharing in multi-microgrid systems with V2G

Researchers in Australia have developed a reconfigurable structure of a multi-microgrid to enhance the penetration of distributed energy resources in the presence of vehicle to grid technology (V2G) and found that both technical and economic aspects of the system have improved significantly.  

After-sale support key to boosting off-grid solar

A new survey from US-based impact measurement company 60 Decibels shows off-grid energy customers are currently facing a series of challenges such as product affordability, gender inequality, customer support, further investment in minigrids, and over-indebtedness. The report, however, reveals that most users say the quality of their lives “very much improved” thanks to off-grid PV.