In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that North America in November experienced a divide in irradiance patterns across the continent.

In the land of a thousand lakes and long, harsh winters, a surprising gold rush is under way – not for precious metals but for sunlight. Finland, often associated with its stunning natural landscapes, has become an unlikely contender in the global renewable energy market, particularly in the realm of solar power.

In this Opinion and Analysis piece, Lumi Adisa, Director of Energy Market Analytics at NEOM and ex-Investment Director of Energy Markets at Octopus Investments Australia, presents a deep dive into the unprecedented impact of rooftop solar in the NEM. As rooftop solar continues to drive changes in the intraday demand and price trends, it is evident that customers will remain a significant part of the energy transition for years to come.

A cold snap rocketed demand for electricity in Europe’s main markets in the final week of November compared to the previous week, according to Aleasoft Energy Forecasting.

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.

Polysilicon prices fell by as much as 0.63% in China this week, according to the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA).

Energetica Industries, an Austrian PV manufacturer, can no longer meet its payment obligations. A total of 120 creditors and 94 employees are affected by the insolvency proceedings.

Bangladesh has approved more than 1.5 GW of solar projects over the past seven months, with recent developments including tariffs for 200 MW in November and 310 MW in October.

A consortium of financial institutions last week announced they co-invested $52 million to help finance the development of a 50 MW greenfield project in Sierra Leone titled Planet Solar spearheaded by Frontier Energy and Planet One Group.

A report from Ernst & Young (EY) shows that despite inflationary pressures, solar remains the cheapest source of new-build electricity. The global weighted average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV is now 29% lower than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie predict that 33 GW of solar will likely be added in the United States in 2023. Despite economic challenges in the near future, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity by 2050.

Scientists have assessed the performance of Italy’s first publicly funded BIPV project, which was installed in 2001. Their analysis shows that only one of the 10%-efficient panels in the 11 kW array experienced a severe fault that caused the complete loss of functionality.

Canada’s Hydrostor has struck a deal to provide backup power to a remote town in the Australian state of New South Wales by using a compressed air energy storage plant that will be built in an underground cavern at one of the region’s closed mines.

Currently, India has an installed solar power of around 73 GW, according to ICRA. New solar capacity additions in fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 are estimated at 17 GW and 20 GW, respectively.

An Australian court has fined a subcontractor providing piling services at Columboola Solar Farm AUD40,000 ($26,300) for failing to comply with a health and safety standards after an aerosol can explosion caused a metal bar to strike a worker.

A research team in Germany has developed bimetallic two-dimensional supercrystals with remarkable catalytic properties. They can be used to produce hydrogen from formic acid decomposition and reportedly achieve record-breaking results.

Acenes are benzene molecules with unique optoelectronic properties. Singlet fission solar cells can produce two electrons from one photon, making the cell more efficient.

To understand better the long-term effects of humidity on durability of glass-glass modules, Austrian researchers carried out lengthy damp-heat tests on double glass modules made with EVA and POE encapsulants. They identified several POE advantages, such as improved interfacial strength and less water uptake, among others.

Canadian Solar says its majority-owned subsidiary, CSI Solar Co., will supply 1.7 GWh (DC) of e-STORAGE batteries to an under-construction energy storage facility in Coalburn, Scotland.

Japan’s Toshiba says its new PV output photocoupler for solid-state relay could be used for battery management systems, onboard chargers, and inverters.

EKI Energy Services says it will oversee the production, marketing, installation, and after-sales services of “Surya Nutan,” an indoor solar cooking system designed and patented by IndianOil. The initiative will be supported by carbon finance.

Minimax’s PVProtect system, which is recognized by German insurers, detects solar panel fires and fights them in their early stages.

New research from the United States showed agrivoltaic plants on grassland may not only maintain grass productivity but also increase forage quality. The scientists took their measurements at the Jack’s Solar Garden (JSG), an elevated, south-oriented agrivoltaic research facility using single-axis-tracking systems near Longmont, Colorado.

Profils Systèmes, a French aluminum carpentry specialist, has developed Wallis&Energy, a new solar veranda that is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing buildings and new structures.

The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 63 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are six new results reported in the new version.

Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) is inviting applications for engineering, procurement and construction services of a 115 MW utility-scale solar plant, 171.5 MWh battery energy storage system and 12 MW wind plant at unspecified locations at unspecified locations in the Caribbean country.

The Government of Comoros wants to improve the supply and storage of solar on its islands and is inviting applications for the development, operation and maintenance of multiple PV plants with a combined output of 9 MW, as well as battery and storage facilities totaling 20 MWh.

EnergyAustralia has released the concept design for a 335 MW pumped hydro energy storage and generation project it plans to develop at Lake Lyell, in the Australian state of New South Wales.

From using heat pumps in decommissioned power plants, to utilizing them for storage and carbon capture – scientists from China have listed the ways in which heat pumps can help the global energy transition move forward. They showed that their potential is beyond heat electrification.

Authors of the “World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2023” define the future role of nuclear energy in the global energy mix as “irrelevant” and “marginal.” The authors add that there were 407 operational reactors producing 365 GW in the middle of the year, which is less than installed capacity predictions for solar by the end of the year.