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India’s SECI launches tender for 400 MW of solar modules

Solar Energy Corp. of India Ltd. (SECI) has started accepting bids to supply 400 MW of domestically manufactured solar modules built with made-in-India cells. The modules must be rated a minimum of 540 W each. Bidding ends on Dec. 23.
Markets & Policy

EU governing bodies provisionally approve digital product passport

The European Commission and the European Parliament have provisionally agreed to revise the European Union's sustainability product legislation. If formally approved, it will include the introduction of a digital product passport to increase transparency.
Markets & Policy

Australia’s biggest solar farm to supply power to supermarket chain

The Queensland government has announced that CleanCo is now providing Coles grocery stores with renewable energy for 95% of its electricity needs in the Australian state.
Announcements

New pv magazine Global - Gold standard | Winter edition

pvi winter edition

Live: virtual Roundtables Europe '23

Our Roundtable Europe ’23 is live! Take the chance to register for the free pv magazine Roundtables and participate in the virtual event.

RTEU session 4

Coming next:

The next session 6 about “Agri PV: Harvesting ideas” will continue at 4:15 pm after a short break!

You still have time to register for Roundtables Europe ’23 and take part in the free virtual event.

RTEU23 Session 6

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Installations

Reducing PV module temperature with beeswax, paraffin wax

Scientists in Iraq have applied two different kinds of phase-change materials to lower the operating temperatures of PV panels. Their experiment showed that beeswax and paraffin wax are particularly effective in achieving this goal, even when they are co...
Manufacturing

Sharp unveils 575 W TOPCon solar panel with 22.26% efficiency

Sharp’s new IEC61215- and IEC61730-certified solar panels have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C and a bifaciality factor of over 80%.
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Installations

New model to predict defrost cycles, behavior of air-sourced heat pumps in cold weather

UK-based researchers have developed a novel method to estimate the amount of defrost cycles a heat pump will experience in the winter and how much energy it would require to implement the cycles. The results of their simulation showed a strong relationsh...
Markets & Policy

E.ON acquires German PV distributor Klarsolar

E.ON has acquired German PV distributor Klarsolar, expanding its network of local businesses offering rooftop PV and residential storage systems. The financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed.
Energy Storage

Tesla Cybertruck can power homes

Tesla’s new trucks offer 11.5 kW of power output to homes, and 9.6 kW of output via five plugs.

Press Releases

DAS Solar N-type module gain of 5.22% for Hainan PV plant

With the successful grid connection at the end of 2022, the Hainan PV plant project, which has the N-type and P-type modules supplied by DAS Solar, has once again achieved a remarkable gain of 5. 22%.

Astronergy joins UNGC Forward Faster initiative to accelerate private sector action to reach SDGs

To accelerate private sector action at the pace and scale needed to deliver on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and meet the 2030 Agenda, Astronergy, a pioneer in n-type TOPCon PV modules, joined the Forward Faster initiative called by UN Global Compact (UNGC) recently on making commitment on three key issues related to gender equality, climate action and living wage.

RECOM Technologies and 18 times World Champion Michalis Zambidis join forces for a more sustainable future

RECOM Technologies and Greek kickboxer Michalis Zambidis (Iron Mike) collaborate, contributing to a more sustainable future through the installation of photovoltaic systems.

UAE and Kazakhstan sign landmark agreements to develop 1GW of renewables capacity

The governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Kazakhstan today signed an agreement outlining a commitment to co-operation in the development of Kazakhstan’s renewables sector, including through the development of a large-scale wind power project with a 1GW capacity.

Opinion & Analysis

Empirical approach shows PV is getting cheaper than all the forecasters expect

With the consistently unambitious forecasts for solar trotted out by entities such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) now a matter of record, a German risk management company has tried to predict more realistic figures for 2030 and beyond.

European Solar production a mixed bag in November due to Baltic Low Pressure, Storm Ciarán

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Ireland, the west coast of Great Britain, Northern Italy, and the rest of Eastern Europe saw 10-30% above average November irradiance while other areas saw lower or close to average irradiance than normal.

M10 solar cell prices dive to new record low

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.

Renewable energy has MIBEL recording lowest Euro prices in the final week of November

Strong solar and wind meant MIBEL recorded the lowest energy prices compared to the other major European markets in the final week of November, according to data collected by Aleasoft Energy Forecasting.

Casting the net for solar recruits

Solar-industry companies need to forget ideas about office-based roles and look far afield to source the recruits necessary for the energy transition – and then they need to keep them loyal by offering a rewarding career.

U.S. solar has less thanks to give, as El Niño pattern develops

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that, in November, weather patterns have started to resemble the characteristic El Niño signature, with low pressure in the northwest Pacific, and an enhanced subtropical jet stream spreading from the Pacific across the southern United States.

Markets & Policy

Featured

California deals blow to rooftop solar

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has prohibited the use of battery-tied solar exports to offset delivery charges, following its decision to slash the value of standalone solar exports in order to encourage the pairing of systems with battery storage.

Up to 1,150 families sign up for UK heat pump scheme

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says the latest round for its Boiler Upgrade Scheme – an initiative awarding GBP 7,500 ($9,500) to families in England and Wales to replace traditional boilers for heat pumps – “surged” with a threefold increase in applications.

California’s lithium reserves could power 375 million EV batteries, say researchers

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has prepared a report, funded by the US Department of Energy, to thoroughly quantify the amount of lithium in an underground reserve in the Salton Sea, California.

The Hydrogen Stream: Rolls-Royce opts for SAF, not hydrogen in large aircraft

Rolls-Royce has told pv magazine that it prefers sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for large commercial flights, but it continues to invest in hydrogen for mid-size aircraft in partnership with easyJet.

India’s Bluebird Solar announces 2 GW module capacity expansion plan

Delhi-based Bluebird Solar, which currently operates 400 MW of annual panel manufacturing capacity, says it will ramp up capacity to 1.2 GW by March 2024 and to 2 GW by March 2025.

EDF, Scatec Africa win South Africa’s battery procurement auction

The South African Government’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced French utility Électricité de France (EDF) will develop 257 MW of battery energy-storage systems across three projects, while South African renewable energy company Scatec Africa will develop one 103 MW project.

Installations

China Three Gorges commissions 1 MW pilot PV plant with perovskite panels

China Three Gorges has commissioned a 1 MW pilot solar plant with perovskite panels near Ordos, in China's Inner Mongolia region. This marks the world's first commercial PV system to use perovskite tech and features 11,200 modules from an undisclosed manufacturer.

Hybridizing anaerobic digestion with photovoltaic-thermal energy

Scientists in Spain have proposed to combine anaerobic digestion plants with photovoltaic-thermal panels and have found that this combination may achieve an LCOE of $0.045/kWh across several locations in Europe and North America.

Daikin unveils series of residential air-to-air heat pumps

Daikin has released a line of residential air-to-air heat pumps, using difluoromethane (R32) as the refrigerant, with outdoor unit dimensions of 662 mm x 442 mm x 1022 mm. The output ranges from 2.5 kW to 3.5 kW, and the seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) is between 4.85 and 5.17.

Solitek launches solar carport for residential, commercial applications

Lithuania-based Solitek has launched a carport product line featuring 370 W glass-glass frameless modules. It is designed to withstand a snow load of up to 2.5 kN/m2 and 27m/s of wind loads.

China’s renewable energy capacity tops 1.4 TW

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says the nation’s renewables capacity includes 420 GW of hydropower, 404 GW of wind power, 536 GW of PV, and 44 GW of biomass.

Scientists unveil tool to calculate feed-in, net metering tariffs in residential PV linked to storage

Developed by researchers in China, the novel calculator uses current and voltage sensors, a Raspberry Pi, and an algorithm for fuzzy logic to determine variations in frequency and demand. The tool sends Email notifications with the tariff values to the PV system owners.

Technology

Inverted perovskite-organic tandem solar cell achieves 23.07% efficiency via metal ion-doped absorber

A group of scientists in Korea has a hot-air technique instead of atomic layer deposition to fabricate a perovskite absorber that reportedly shows a higher film quality. They applied this film in a perovskite-organic tandem solar cell, which exhibited low open-circuit voltage losses and high efficiency levels.

Toshiba develops lithium-ion battery prototype for high-voltage applications

Toshiba has developed a 1.5 Ah lithium-ion battery prototype with a voltage of more than 3 V. The device retains its initial efficiency for over 6,000 charge/discharge cycles and enables rapid charging to 80% of capacity within just five minutes.

Day-ahead forecasting for commercial PV with battery storage

A research group in South Africa has developed a novel method for PV output forecasting in commercial buildings. The proposed approach is purportedly able to accurately forecast the output power of a PV plant using real-time weather data.

Australian utility tests nickel-hydrogen battery

Australian energy giant AGL will install a nickel-hydrogen battery at its Torrens Island power station site in South Australia as it explores the potential opportunities that the technology could provide for stationary energy storage applications

Weekend Read: Connecting HJT

The application of busbarless cell interconnection approaches could unlock the potential of heterojunction (HJT) technology, primarily by reducing the historically high silver usage of negatively-doped, “n-type” cell technology. As HJT manufacturing increases, a wave of applications may very well be on the horizon.

Swiss consortium switches on 325 kW vertical PV system on retaining wall

K2 Systems and Solarmotion deployed the vertical array on a retaining wall along a car road in the Swiss canton of Appenzell Ausserhoden. The system utilizes 756 glass-glass modules and is operating under Switzerland’s feed-in tariff program.

Manufacturing

Featured

Chinese PV Industry Brief: Tongwei, Canadian Solar announce new factories

Tongwei is planning a cell and module factory in the Sichuan province, while Canadian Solar is setting up a new wafer factory in the Jiangsu province.

LeTID minimal issue for gallium-doped Czochralski silicon PERC products

Scientists from Trina Solar, Longi, Fraunhofer ISE, and other entities have looked at light and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) in gallium-doped Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si:Ga) PERC cells. They have found little relevant degradation.

Brazil’s solar capacity hits 34.9 GW, surpassing wind in national energy mix

Solar, at 34.9 GW of installed capacity, now accounts for 15.8% of Brazil’s energy mix, ranking second after hydroelectric plants at 49%, but ahead of wind power at 12.2%, according to the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).

Emissions, aerosols negatively affect PV productivity, say Australian engineers

A study by engineers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) shows that aerosols and greenhouse gas emissions reduce the productivity of PV installations, with variations across regions.

Thousands of Irish schools to hit the books for solar

Up to 1,600 schools in Ireland can apply from today to receive 6 kW of solar systems to be installed on their rooftops through a federally funded scheme, the Irish government recently announced.

Photovoltaics for marine wildlife telemetry devices

A US research team has tested mini solar modules in marine data collection devices, using animal hosts for water column profile measurements. The findings suggest that submarine PV can effectively operate in these applications at depths of up to 22 meters.

Energy Storage

Featured

CATL: Staying on top of the battery game

For the seventh year in the row, China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) looks set to claim the title of the world’s biggest battery maker. There are a number of reasons why it continues to maintain its lead in the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) markets..

Spanish gas provider tests hydrogen-powered residential water heater tech

Madrileña Red de Gas is testing a heating system prototype developed by Germany company Vaillant that uses exclusively green hydrogen. The 25 kW system is equivalent in shape and size to a current natural gas heating system.

CIP pushes ahead with 480 MWh battery project in Australia

Danish investment group Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has tapped Canadian PV and battery manufacturing heavyweight Canadian Solar to provide energy storage solutions for the first of several large-scale battery projects it has planned for Australia.

India’s SECI launches tender for 1 GW of renewables, storage

Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has started accepting bids from developers to supply 1.5 GW of renewable energy with storage systems.

Battery prices down 14% this year, says BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF says it has recorded a 14% decline in battery prices this year, mainly due to cheaper raw materials, following an unprecedented rise in 2022.

Danish developer plans massive renewables-storage-hydrogen project in Mauritania

GreenGo, a Danish developer, has unveiled plans for the Megaton Moon project in Mauritania. It will purportedly feature 60 GW of visible-from-space wind-solar capacity and 30 GW of green hydrogen capacity.

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