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Ireland allocates 497 MW of PV in third renewables auction

Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and network operator EirGrid today revealed the 20 solar projects totaling 497 MW that were provisionally selected in the latest auction round of the country’s onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). The procurement exercise concluded with an average strike price of €0.10047($0.10596)/kWh.
Markets & Policy

India’s Gautam Solar to expand PV module capacity to 2 GW

Gautam Solar says it will invest $18.1 million to double its annual PV module production capacity to 2 GW.
Markets & Policy

AMEA Power reaches financial close on 120 MW of solar in Tunisia

Dubai-based AMEA Power has signed concession and power purchase agreements (PPA) with the Tunisian government for its 120 MW solar project in Metbassta, northern Tunisia.
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Markets & Policy

Poland to offer building permit exemptions for PV systems up to 150 kW

Amendments to Poland's renewable energy laws will go into effect in October, permitting the installation of solar systems up to 150 kW in size, without the need for building permits. Piotr Pająk, a local PV analyst, says the changes will support investm...
Markets & Policy

SolarSpace launches first phase of 5 GW solar factory in Laos

SolarSpace, a China-based PV cell and module manufacturer, announced the first phase of a 5GW high-efficiency solar cell plant in Laos, giving momentum to its overseas production capacity.
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Technology

Carbon electrode perovskite solar cells on track to commercialization

Carbon electrode back-contacts for perovskite solar cells promise simpler, less energy-intense manufacturing, but low power conversion efficiency has held back adoption. However, this may change now, as researchers are overcoming the barriers to commerci...
Energy Storage

Powering bio-based earth homes with photovoltaics

Moroccan researchers have investigated the potential energy savings of PV systems integrated with biomaterial-based walls in rural areas. They say that solar-powered earth homes could achieve a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of $0.218/kWh.
Installations

Solar industry should focus on virtual power plants, says US official

Solar industry veteran Jigar Shah, the director of the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) Loan Programs Office, says that virtual power plants are the path to success, as solar net metering now faces an uncertain future.

Press Releases

JinkoSolar Provides Its SunGiga C&I ESS to Zhaoguang New Energy in Shandong

JinkoSolar has delivered a set of SunGiga liquid-cooling C&I ESS (JKS-215KLAA-100PLAA) to Zhaoguang New Energy to better manage its overall electricity expenses by charging the batteries during low-cost valley hours and discharging them during high-cost peak hours.

JinkoSolar Supplies 43MWh of Its SunGiga Liquid Cooling C&I Energy Storage System

JinkoSolar today announced, it signs a frame contract to supply its 43MWh of SunGiga liquid-cooling battery systems (JKE215K100LDLA) to Rixin Hongsheng Smarty Energy Co. , Ltd.

Enea buys a 35 MW photovoltaic farm in Greater Poland from Pad Res

The Genowefa Photovoltaic Farm is expected to produce more than 35,000 MWh of green energy annually. The operating installation was purchased from PAD RES, a leading developer in the clean energy sector.

Pexapark raises €20m of fresh capital to accelerate global renewables growth

New funding from Telstra Ventures, Swisscom Ventures and A&G Energy Tech Transition Fund will support Pexapark in its mission to equip renewables players globally with the solutions to succeed in the energy transition

Opinion & Analysis

Featured

Higher wind production pushes down prices in European electricity markets

In the third week of September, European electricity markets prices fell compared to the previous week. The decline was due to lower demand and a significant increase in wind energy production in several markets, which offset increasing gas and CO2 prices. On September 25, TTF gas futures reached their highest level since early April and on September 18, Brent reached its highest settlement price since November 2022.

Conventional grids place power plants in the crosshairs

Warnings about the need to decentralize Ukraine’s electricity grid, made 10 years before the Russian invasion, fell on deaf ears at the time. In the wake of war, nations across Eastern and Central Europe are alive to the risks embodied in traditional energy networks.

Solar module price falling, with no end in sight

Solar module prices have never fallen so sharply in such a short period of time. One reason for this is the “PV module glut” in warehouses in Europe, according to pvXchange’s Martin Schachinger.

Seasonal solar patterns present opportunity in North Africa

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, explains that the climatology of Africa leads to very different seasonal generation patterns from what European solar producers experience. Data analysed by Solcast, via the Solcast API, shows this seasonal variance from summer to winter in 2023.

China solar cell prices hit record lows

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.

How solar tariffs destroyed tens of thousands of jobs in Germany

Calls for barriers and duties are resurfacing in Europe as solar module prices sharply fall. German PV analyst Karl-Heinz Remmers recalls the 2009-13 period, when the European Union introduced anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties. This drove the loss of 80,000 jobs in the solar industry, despite or perhaps because of the tariffs on PV modules and raw materials.

Markets & Policy

Featured

Australian firefighters contain blaze at Tesla battery facility in Queensland

A fire broke out this week in a Tesla Megapack 2.0 battery unit at the Bouldercombe battery facility in Queensland, Australia.

SolarPower Europe predicts 1 million solar workers in EU by 2025

SolarPower Europe says in its latest report on EU solar jobs that the European solar industry employed 648,000 people at the end of 2022, up from 466,000 the year prior. It says the sector will reach 1 million full-time employees within three years.

Scatec switches on 30 MW of PV linked to 20MW/19MWh of storage in Cameroon

Scatec has turned on two solar-plus-storage facilities in northern Cameroon, with 30 MW of solar and 20 MW/19 MWh of energy storage.

The Hydrogen Stream: Germany expands global hydrogen alliances

Germany advanced its hydrogen ambitions this week with a fresh call for the International Green Hydrogen Promotion Program in Latin America, a collaborative deal with the UK government, and a tie-up between DHL and Sasol for sustainable aviation fuels based on green hydrogen (eSAF).

Indonesia’s largest floating solar plant to expand to 500 MW

Abu Dhabi-based Masdar and PLN Nusantara Power, an Indonesian state-owned electricity generator, have agreed to more than triple the size of the Cirata floating PV power plant in West Java so it can generate 500 MW.

Chinese PV Industry Brief: TCL Zhonghuan, Longi lower wafer prices

This week, Longi and TCL Zhonghuan reduced slightly the prices of their wafer products. Meanwhile, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association reports strong ouput growth for the solar industry.

Installations

Featured

Solar-linkable pico-hydro turbine system for commercial buildings

Scientists in Australia have proposed to use a a propeller pico-hydropower turbine to recover the energy used for pumping water in a solar-powered commercial building. They have found that the mini hydro system is a relatively low-cost solution, able to recover approximately 10% of the energy used for pumping seawater.

Fluke unveils high wattage, current-specific solar module I-V curve tracing hardware

Fluke aims to take the PVA-1500HE it acquired from Solmetric to the global market. It claims the new hardware will fill a gap in the worldwide market with a U.S.-preferred tool.

LG Energy Solution to offer lithium iron phosphate batteries in Europe

LG Energy Solution will soon release its lithium iron phosphate batteries in the European market, featuring compatibility with single-phase and three-phase inverters. The South Korean manufacturer will offer two configurations, with capacities of 12.4 kWh and 15.5 kWh.

Australia’s rooftop PV installations hit 1.4 GW in H1

New statistics from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator show that 2023 could be another record year for distributed solar.

Germany’s new solar installations hit 1.05 GW in August

Germany’s new solar installations surged to 1.05 GW in August, contributing to 8.99 GW of newly installed PV capacity for the first eight months of this year. This marks significant growth from the 4.8 GW installed during the same period in 2022.

Vertical agrivoltaics to reduce PV curtailment, increase water efficiency

An international research group has analyzed a vertical bifacial agrivoltaics system in a drought-stricken part of Chile. They say that the solar array can improve water efficiency for crop irrigation, while the vertical system configuration optimizes PV power generation throughout the day, minimizing curtailment.

Technology

Featured

Huasun claims 23.96% efficiency, 744.4 W output for heterojunction solar panel

The Chinese manufacturer said TÜV SÜD confirmed the results. It launched the G12 series of heterojunction solar modules, with a focus on utility-scale projects, in the second half of 2022.

Phosphorus-arsenic nanoribbons may improve solar cell performance

UK researchers have developed ultra-thin nanoribbons, just 1 atom thick, by combining phosphorus and arsenic alloys. The nanoribbons offer excellent conductivity, even at temperatures exceeding -143.15 C, and have the potential to enhance charge flow in solar cells.

Panasonic introduces half-cut HJT residential solar modules

Panasonic unveiled its new residential solar modules – including half-cut heterojunction (HJT) models, along with a home battery system and energy management device – at the recent RE+ trade show in Las Vegas.

French developer builds agrivoltaics facility with irrigation system

TSE has installed a 2.9 MW agrivoltaics plant in northern France with sensors to trigger an irrigation system. The irrigation setup can reportedly achieve significant water savings. The company is selling the electricity under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

Honeywell invests in US iron flow battery specialist ESS

Honeywell purchased $27.5 million in ESS common stock and intends to purchase $300 million in ESS product, with $15 million prepaid. The collaboration enables Honeywell to integrate ESS technology into its global offering, and ESS gains license to Honeywell’s flow battery intellectual property.

Assessing non-linear tradeoffs in photovoltaic mini-grids

Researchers in Sweden investigated the complex non-linear tradeoffs between capacity expansion costs and reliability levels of off-grid PV mini-grids and found that capacity expansion based solely on cost-minimization may result in several reliability issues.

Manufacturing

Featured

Sunmaxx builds 50 MW PV-thermal solar module factory in Germany

Sunmaxx PVT, a photovoltaic-thermal solar module specialist, has started building an automated 50 MW module factory near Dresden, Germany.

Luxra, Rayzon Solar set up PV module production venture in India

Swiss-German company Luxra Group and India’s Rayzon Solar have agreed to set up a joint venture for PV module production in India. The partnership will combine Luxra’s technology and Rayzon’s operational expertise in PV panel manufacturing.

Riello Solartech unveils hybrid inverters for rooftop PV

Riello Solartech has developed new hybrid inverters for rooftop PV, designed for commercial and industrial applications The Italian manufacturer says they have a European efficiency rating of roughly 98%.

Fraunhofer ISE, AMOLF claim record efficiency of 36.1% for silicon-based multijunction solar cell

The two research institutes said the multijunction solar cell is based on silicon, gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). The device utilizes a specially designed metal/polymer nanocoating that reportedly optimizes the distribution of light scattering beyond the total internal reflection critical angle in the cell.

Chinese PV Industry Brief: China to add 170 GW of PV in 2023, says S&P

S&P Global Commodity Insights says it expects China to install 170 GW of solar in 2023, with global capacity additions to potentially surpass 400 GW.

Suburban grids most vulnerable to high levels of EV, heat pump, PV

Researchers from the Netherlands have assessed the potential integration of heat pumps, electric vehicles, and PV systems into distribution grids. They have discovered that suburban grids could face a higher risk of overload. By using actual data from Dutch distribution grid operators, they believe their methodology could be applied to study energy systems in other nations.

Energy Storage

Featured

Rinnai launches hot water heat pump for residential applications

The new heat pump can purportedly provide hot water at a temperature of up to 70 C. It is specifically designed for climatic conditions with temperatures ranging from -10 C to 42 C, as well as coastal locations.

Fortescue moves forward with hydrogen project in Canada

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has submitted a proposal for the “Project Coyote” green hydrogen and ammonia production facility in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Tesla proposes battery storage factory in India

Tesla has submitted a proposal to the Indian government to set up a Powerwall battery storage factory in India.

US energy storage deployments to exceed 10 GW this year

Energy storage is rapidly expanding as the sector scales to match growing renewable energy supplies, according to a new report by Interact Analysis.

The Hydrogen Stream: H2EX’s Australia ‘natural hydrogen’ survey set for Q4

The International Energy Agency has warned that lagging policy support, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions threaten the profitability of low-emission hydrogen, while the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has identified hydrogen seeps in South Australia.

Briggs & Stratton launches new lithium iron phosphate battery packages

The battery packages include a battery, an inverter and a control system. The US manufacturer claims its storage systems have a lifespan of over 10,000 cycles and a depth of discharge of 80%.

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