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MAN Energy installs world’s largest seawater CO2 heat pump in Denmark

Germany's MAN Energy Solutions has supplied two 50 MW seawater heat pumps for district heating at the port of Esbjerg, Denmark. They use CO2 as a refrigerant and will be powered by nearby wind farms. The project will start producing 350,000 MWh of heat per year in the fall.
Markets & Policy

Chinese PV Industry Brief: TW Solar plans 20 GW module factory in Sichuan province

TW Solar announced it will invest around $1.48 billion in a new integrated solar module manufacturing facility in Chengdu City. Meanwhile, Jinkosolar began to buy new production equipment for its expansion plans from Wuxi Autowell.
Installations

Serbia allocates quota for solar auction, determines market premium

The Serbian government has allocated a quota of 50 MW for its first solar auction. Solar plants with capacity of more than 500 kW will be allowed to participate in the competitive tendering process, with the ceiling price set at €90 ($96.10)/MWh.
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Grid-forming inverters: What advanced grid functionalities should inverters offer?

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TOPCon : dominant plus que jamais

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Indian startup introduces 5 kWh storage system based on second-life EV battery

India's Lohum has designed a 5 kWh energy storage system in collaboration with MG Motor India, as part of efforts to develop second-life solutions for used EV batteries.
Markets & Policy

Bangladesh introduces fiscal breaks for solar-powered water desalination

Bangladesh has introduced tax exemptions to reduce water production costs and promote the use of solar power in 19 coastal districts. This initiative comes in response to grid electricity shortages caused by a decline in coal and fuel imports. The goal i...
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Markets & Policy

Akuo finalizes floating solar project in France

Akuo, a French independent power producer, has secured a 20-year power purchase agreement for a 8.7 MW floating PV array in southern France.
Markets & Policy

Philippines publishes list of qualified bidders for 11.6 GW renewables auction

The government of the Philippines is set to hold the country's second renewables auction on June 19.
Manufacturing

Singulus claims new coating machine can improve PV cell efficiency up to 1%

Singulus says its new production equipment can apply a passivation layer to the edges of half-cell, multi-cell, and shingle cells. Its Generis PET machine is also suitable for batch or inline processing and is compatible with all crystalline solar cell t...

Press Releases

Q ENERGY sells 76 MW solar portfolio in Spain

The portfolio covers two solar projects of around 38 MW each in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real. The power plants are ready to build and expected to be connected to the grid by 2024.

Antaisolar and OSW Signed Strategic Cooperation Agreement for 1GW Global Solar Project at SNEC 2023

Antaiolar announced it has signed a 1GW global solar project agreement with One Stop Warehouse ("OSW"), one of the largest solar distributors in Australia.

Astronergy hits 36GW TOPCon capacity after a manufacturing line tech modification

As the first one in the PV industry to finish the PERC-to-TOPCon PV cell manufacturing line technological modification, Astronergy saw the improved line roll out its first piece of the TOPCon cell on May 22, also a milestone marking the company’s TOPCon cell capacity hit 36GW. Since the beginning of this year, Astronergy has made […]

KSTAR, C&D Clean Energy and T Dinamik Build Strategic Partnership to Boost Renewable Energy in Turkey

KSTAR, who is committed to new energy solutions with more than 42GW installation worldwide, has recently announced a significant strategic partnership the Turkey Exclusive Agency with C&D Clean Energy, a prominent global clean energy solutions provider and T Dinamik, a Turkish renewable energy investor and trading company.

Opinion & Analysis

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European energy market prices went down in first week of June

In the first week of June, prices of most European electricity markets fell and some negative prices were registered, thanks to the decrease in demand and prices of gas and CO2, and to the increase of renewable energy production in some cases. However, prices rose in the Nord Pool and MIBEL markets, with the latter being the highest weekly price, something that did not happen since the first week of November. A record photovoltaic energy production was registered in Germany on June 3.

Polysilicon prices plunge worldwide on bearish market sentiment

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

New York and Ontario steal California’s sunshine, as high pressure systems affect May irradiance

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America in May. New York registered a new record on May 18th, when solar power met 20% of the state power demand, while Los Angeles and San Diego rooftops actually received less irradiance during May than New York’s or Boston’s.

Photovoltaic energy continues to set new records in European electricity markets

Gas and CO2 prices continued their downward trend in the fourth week of May, which led to a general downward trend in prices in European electricity markets and several negative hourly prices were registered, which reached -€400/MWh in Netherlands. The notable exception of the Iberian market, which saw a rise in prices, came from the fall in renewable energy production. During the week, records of solar photovoltaic energy production were reached in Germany, France, and Italy.

Smoke from early fire season impacts irradiance across North America

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for North America since early May. The province of Alberta saw close to 100 wildfires raging from the beginning of the month and solar asset operators throughout the impacted regions can expect reduced efficiency from both the irradiance impacts and increased panel soiling.

Cell prices slip, weighed down by sustained falling upstream prices

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Covid-19

Producing the goods

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) is demonstrating how a solar-powered refrigeration unit and dryer could be self-sustaining and improve food security in Kenya.

African PAYG solar companies have hogged 72% of sector’s investment

The first post-pandemic update on the state of the world’s off-grid solar industry has painted a picture of domination by European companies, but highlighted the potential for new startups in West Africa and an increasing use of PV as a backup to unreliable grid supplies.

Off-grid solar continues to expand

The off-grid solar sector has shown resilience in the face of pandemic-related challenges, with 70 million people gaining access to electricity from early 2020 to the end of 2021. However, the ability to pay for solar energy kits has taken a hit.

AfDB announces cheap loans to back off-grid solar in Africa

The African Development Bank has announced that European and US donors will provide $20 million of concessional loans to support pay-as-you-go solar companies in sub-Saharan Africa.

SolarEdge reports record-breaking revenue

With comparisons with a Covid-hit 2020 inevitably offering a string of positive numbers, there was also little to concern the board of the inverter and battery manufacturer from the returns generated in the last quarter.

Solar job numbers kept on rising in 2020

The latest edition of a clean power jobs survey produced by IRENA and the International Labour Organization has stressed the important role which will need to be played by the public sector if the energy transition’s employment benefits are to be shared equally.

Markets & Policy

Featured

Asia takes the lead on floating PV

Floating PV is consolidating as a growth segment for PV demand, mainly driven by supportive policies and incentives extended by governments across the world. A major reason for this push is the limited land availability in many markets. Despite higher equipment prices compared to ground-mounted installations, developers see the opportunity to save on land and O&M costs. The output can also be as much as 30% higher than a ground-mount PV plant, depending on the site and technology used.

PV-powered offgrid air conditioner for building applications

A British research team has investigated the technical feasibility of an air conditioning unit powered exclusively by solar-plus-storage and has found that two 130 Ah batteries charged by two 400 W solar panels are capable of supporting the system during the night.

Supply-demand mismatches, higher prices to hit utility-scale solar in India

India’s annual utility-scale solar deployment is expected to slow down in 2023, following a record-breaking 14 GW of additions in 2022, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Australian startup unveils 100 kW hydrogen power bank

Endua has installed its first 100 kW standalone hydrogen power bank in Brisbane, Australia. The news comes weeks after the company raised AUD 11.8 million ($7.81 million) to scale the technology.

US researchers beam solar from space

Caltech’s space solar program began in 2011 when philanthropist Donald Bren donated more than $100 million in support of the project. In the first demonstration of solar energy beamed to earth, his vision is now becoming reality.

Survey shows UK heat pump owners satisfied with performance in old homes

A survey of more than 2,500 residential heat pump owners and 1,000 gas boilers owners in the United Kingdom shows that 83% of respondents are as satisfied or more satisfied with heat pumps than their previous heating systems in homes built before 1900.

Installations

Featured

Australia builds big

While the first half of 2022 was one of the busiest periods on record for new wind projects in Australia, with more than 2 GW breaking ground, solar got off to a much slower start with construction on 635 MW of new PV projects getting underway. Rystad Energy’s David Dixon attributes this slowdown to high cost and supply chain challenges and a lack of available power purchase agreements.

French agrivoltaics specialist uses AI for landscape integration

France’s GLHD uses AI tech for landscape integration through a tablet app that displays and visualizes fixed structures at agrivoltaic farms.

SolarEdge launches solar-optimized EV management platform

SolarEdge’s new software-based solution manages and optimizes the electric-vehicle (EV) charging process for sites that have solar resources and large numbers of EVs requiring dynamic load management.

New high-voltage hybrid inverters for residential applications from China

Auxsol’s new three-phase hybrid inverters have efficiency ratings of 97.8% and European efficiency ratings of 97%. They are available in five versions, with power outputs ranging from 5 kW to 12 kW.

China’s January-April solar installations hit 48.31 GW

China reached 380 GW cumulative installed PV capacity at the end of April, according to new figures from the National Energy Administration (NEA).

Effect of wind on solar panel cooling in desert areas

Researchers in Morocco have carried out an experimental investigation which has confirmed that even in hot desert climates, the wind has a positive effect on reducing the PV module temperature, improving the electrical production as well as the conversion efficiency.

Technology

Featured

Copper is the new silver lining

As the PV industry scales to annual terawatt-level production to rapidly curtail the world’s emissions, it will become more challenging to continue the cost reduction trajectory. Increasing module production from current levels of 200 GW to 300 GW to several terawatts each year will consume significantly more material resources than the industry currently uses. This will require consideration of the additional materials to be sourced, writes Alison Lennon, chief scientist at Sundrive Solar and professor at the UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.

Perovskite solar cell based on Mortise-Tenon tech achieves 24.55% efficiency

Chinese researchers have used Mortise-Tenon technology to connect the perovskite absorber with the hole transport layer in a perovskite solar cell. They say that this reduces non-radiative recombination, while improving the cell’s open-circuit voltage and fill factor.

Semitransparent perovskite solar cell with 11.6% efficiency

Italian scientists have used a titanium oxide sponge to successfully prevent lead leakage in a semitransparent solar cell. The device has demonstrated comparable efficiency to semi-transparent perovskite devices and has an average visible transmittance (AVT) of 31.4%.

The Hydrogen Stream: Oman awards large-scale green hydrogen projects

Oman has awarded hydrogen contracts to CIP, Shell, and BP, while Germany has strengthened its hydrogen ties by linking it to broader European initiatives.

Redflow to build 20 MWh redox-flow battery in California

Redflow, an Australian redox-flow battery manufacturer, will build one of the world’s largest zinc-based battery energy storage systems in the United States, after signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the California Energy Commission.

Hybridizing gravity energy storage with batteries, supercapacitors

Developed by Chinese researchers, the novel hybrid storage technology may achieve an efficiency of over 80% and be applied in distribution and transmission grids. The proposed combination is reportedly able to offer the advantages of gravity energy storage and power-based storage systems in a single solution.

Manufacturing

Featured

Catalyst for an EU comeback

Plans for Europe’s largest-ever PV cell and module factory are taking shape, with equipment orders placed and a projected start date in mid-2024. Enel Green Power has received €118 million ($116.36 million) in funding from the EU Innovation Fund to support the project, out of a total €600 million investment. The EU is hoping it will catalyze further investment in similar projects, and start a high-tech comeback for European solar manufacturing.

Waaree signs 10 GW solar module line deal with Jinchen

Waaree, India’s largest solar module manufacturer, has placed an order with Jinchen for a 10 GW production line.

Solar modules removed from Target facility in California meet sustainable end of life

An outdated solar installation was decommissioned and recycled in a partnership between Solarcycle, PowerFlex, and Decom Solar.

Weekend Read: Flex generation

A new generation of flexible, lightweight modules is entering the market. With back contact technology offering its own form of design flexibility and robustness, the new products could crack a hard-to-address market segment.

Chinese PV Industry Brief: TCL Zhonghuan reduces wafer prices, TW Solar announces giant solar plant

TCL Zhonghuan reduced its wafer prices by between 16% and 24%, while its competitor Gokin Solar is raising funds to build additional ingot and wafer capacity. Meanwhile, TW Solar announced a 3.4 GW solar plant across 52 fishponds.

Ecoflow unveils new balcony PV system

US-based Ecoflow has announced the commercialization of a balcony solar device with a portable power station for residential applications.

Energy Storage

Featured

Cobalt clings on

Cobalt is key for boosting energy density and battery life, but it comes with caveats: expensive, scarce, and linked to unethical mining practices, wild price fluctuations, and a tenuous supply chain. In recent years, battery manufacturers and automakers have intensified efforts to reduce or eliminate cobalt in lithium-ion cathodes. But sometimes, old habits die hard, as pv magazine’s Marija Maisch explains.

Saltwater redox flow battery with integrated ultracapacitor

US-based Salgenx says it has successfully integrated ultracapacitors with its saltwater redox flow batteries, resulting in significantly better power response and system performance.

Sonnen connects heat pumps to virtual power plant in Germany

Sonnen has introduced a new software solution to seamlessly integrate heat pumps into private household energy supplies and enhance grid stability. The company’s initial partner is heat pump manufacturer NIBE, but additional partners are expected to join in the future.

Nickel-zinc battery systems with hydrogen, EV charging

ZincFive is supplying battery systems for Advanced Power & Energy’s hydrogen-fueling microgrid and pilot DC fast-charging station in Greenville, Pennsylvania

NGK starts operating sodium-sulfur battery storage for Japanese utility

NGK Insulators has switched on 1 MW/5.8 MWh of NAS batteries under a demonstration project to assess the performance of stationary storage at a site operated by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO).

Mitsubishi to deploy heat pumps, solar, storage in remote island project

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a demonstration experiment to assess the efficiency of heat pumps in demand-response control on the Aran Islands in Ireland and San Pietro Island in Italy. As part of the European Union’s REACT project, solar, wind, and storage solutions will also be implemented to enhance the energy self-sufficiency of isolated islands.

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