The decision by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to halt interstate transmission charges for solar power until at least 2019 key catalyst in SECI’s decision to tender further 750 MW of solar at Bhadla Solar Park.
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Catch up with the Solar Superheroes!
A busy summer season sees our heroes traveling the globe to wow onlookers with their solar-honed skills. But the specter of Coal’s polluting prowess is never far from the surface… read the latest installments now! Episode 3, Part 2 & Episode 3, Part 3.
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Installations
Spain’s Balearic Islands to replace thermal power generation with solar parks
The government of the archipelago is planning to decommission parts of thermal power plant Es Murterar and to increase the share of renewables through the deployment of large-scale PV capacity.
Manufacturing
Heraeus signs silver paste development partnership with China’s Solar Space
The German metallization and silver paste specialist will collaborate with Solar Space on the creation of regular new dual printing and other techniques in the pursuit of optimized metallization paste performance.
Manufacturing
China’s BYD to open PV R&D facility in Brazil
The facility at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas to become BYD’s first overseas R&D facility for PV, and will be set up with initial $1.5m in funding. Subsequent financial support will be based as a percentage of firm’s domestic net sales.
Markets & Policy
Andbank España launches new solar fund
Through the new fund, the Spanish financial services provider hopes to initially raise up to €20 million.
Markets & Policy
Czech Republic allocates additional funds for commercial PV
In addition to the Green Savings Programe, the Czech government has now started to provide solar incentives through the Operational Program for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Competitiveness (OPPIK).
Markets & Policy
Italy simplifies rules for PV storage
The rules were harmonized with the regulation for revamping and repowering of PV systems issued by the GSE in March.
Technology
Cheap gas and renewables are making U.S. merchant power untenable
A new report by Power Research Group and Wilkinson Barker Knauer finds that cheap natural gas, wind and solar make it impossible for merchant plants to recover invested capital, and threaten the basic operation of wholesale power markets.
Markets & Policy
Featured
So close, no matter how far in former Yugoslavia
Ex-Yu roundup: The history of the former Yugoslav countries is mired in political upheaval and war, and irreversibly shaped by the country’s dissolution in the 1990s. While Slovenia and Croatia have gone their own way in leading the charge towards solar deployment, a lack of funding and policy transparency coupled with bureaucratic inertia is limiting PV rollout.
Paraguay to issue renewable energy law by the end of 2017
Although mired in significant delays compared to other Latin American countries, Paraguay is now preparing to issue its first legislation to support solar and wind power.
...China Singyes inches forward with spin-off of materials unit
China Singyes Solar Technologies has confirmed that it still aims to spin off China Singyes New Materials and list its shares on the secondary board of the Hong Kong stock exchange.
...Alberta launches $36 million solar rebate scheme
Rebates can cover up to 30% of the costs for buying and installing a residential or commercial PV system. The program is expected to enable the deployment or around 50 MW of solar capacity.
...Installations
Featured
Module replacement as a last resort
Repowering: The German Renewable Energy Act (REA) places strict limits on exchanging solar modules to restore profitability to PV plants. Plant operators should contact the network operators in advance to preserve the old feed-in tariff and avoid having to pay back tariffs already received. Proving solar panels are defective can be very complicated.
India: GE signs 140 MW inverter deal with Solairedirect
Inverter division of GE is partnering with Engie subsidiary Solairedirect to supply 1 MW central inverter solutions to 140 MW of solar projects being developed in India, complete with 25-year service agreement.
...ABB microgrid to control solar, wind power on island of Aruba
The microgrid will be supplied to WEB Aruba N.V., a utility that controls a large portion of the island’s power. Technology and software is designed to better integrate high levels of renewable power while also delivering storage backup and load shedding capabilities.
...Brazil’s hydroelectric company Chesf builds another MW-sized PV plant
The installation will be located in the state of Pernambuco and will be also used to test different PV components.
...JinkoSolar supplying 38.4 MW solar plant in Japan’s Hokkaido
The Tier-1 Chinese solar company will supply its solar modules to a new utility-scale solar installation being built at Tomakomai, located on the southern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
...Technology
Featured
Quantifying Risk: CEA introduces benchmarking
Quality assurance: Having been involved in assuring quality with over 16 GW of PV installations, Clean Energy Associates is putting its experience to good use. Its new Supplier Benchmarking Program brings together its proprietary data set with an analytical methodology, delivering a tool to judge the ability of PV module suppliers’ ability to deliver on promises of durability and reliability. Director of Technology and Quality George Touloupas sets out the program.
Bernreuter Research: Silicon consumption drops to 3.6 grams/W by 2020
The use of diamond wire significantly reduces wafer saw losses. Some photovoltaic manufacturers have begun to switch their production, after technical problems appear to have been resolved.
...U.S. researchers develop new method for solar desalination
A team of researchers from Rice University in Houston, Texas has developed a new method for using solar power to desalinate sea water. Part of a federally funded research effort into water treatment , the team has developed a system utilizing a combination of membrane distillation and nanophotonics to turn salt water into fresh drinking water.
...Australian universities create Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science
Several of Australia’s top universities are working together on gaining a better understanding of excitons. The Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science is a partnership led by the University of Melbourne alongside other top Australian universities and organizations, and consists of a team with a broad range of expertise in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and other disciplines.
...New alloy could pave the way for next generation solar cells
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new semiconductor alloy that can capture near-infrared light in the leading edge of the visible light spectrum. This could be a major step forward the development of a new generation of solar cells called “concentrator photovoltaics”.
...Manufacturing
Featured
“The circular economy is possible”
Recycling: As PV module deployment continues to grow, so does the issue of end of life. Germany’s Loser Chemie has long worked on the recycling of thin film PV modules and has recently made major strides in applying chemical separation technology to the crystalline silicon (c-Si) space. The question is not how, but when large-scale recycling of PV modules will be reality, says Loser Chemie’s Wolfram Palitzsch.
Ingeteam supplies inverters for 100 MW project in Australia
The Spanish company has delivered system components — including 1,500 V (DC) central inverters — to Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, as part of a turnkey deal for a solar array in Clare, Queensland.
...Bluecell halts solar cell production in Germany
Three years after acquiring the cell production business of insolvent Sunways, Bluecell has also given up. The 100 MW production equipment at the company’s facility in Arnstadt will be sold by the end of 2017.
...India: Anti-dumping case comes at crucial time for solar, says Mercom Capital Group
Government “highly unlikely” to disrupt soaring solar market by acquiescing to demands to introduce anti-dumping tariffs on solar modules and cells from China, Taiwan and Malaysia, says Mercom Capital, but others argue duties are only way to ensure survival of domestic industry.
...Netherlands’ DSM develops new sand-resistant solar glass
The Dutch specialty group believes its sand-resistant coating for solar panels will be particularly suitable for desert areas. The new technology is currently being tested at a solar plant in China’s Gobi Desert.
...Energy Storage
Featured
More than just self-consumption
C&I storage: The commercial and industrial segment of the storage industry represents something of a middle ground between the known benefits of residential and large-scale storage. pv magazine looks at how this sector is shaping up, and which companies are most active in the space.
Germany’s KfW granted incentives to 3,200 solar storage projects so far this year
The German development bank reports robust demand for storages systems combined with PV power generators. Starting from July 1, the repayment subsidy will drop from 19% to 16%.
...Lyon plans battery tender for AU$1.88bn solar plus storage projects
The highly ambitious solar and battery storage developer Lyon Group has unveiled yet another big project, this time a AU$660 million solar plus storage project in Victoria, adding to its growing portfolio in South Australia and Queensland. The latest plan for a 250 MW large-scale solar plant, paired with 80 MW/160 MWh of battery storage at […]
...Foresight Group acquires 35 MW storage system in UK
The investment firm active in the renewable energy industry has bought the Port of Tyne battery storage project from Renewable Energy Systems in latest addition to its growing clean power portfolio.
...Enphase Energy signs license agreement with manufacturing partner Flextronics
Deal sees the U.S. microinverter specialist license its marketing, sales and manufacturing rights to Flextronics, one of the world’s largest global electronics manufacturers and a longstanding partner of Enphase.
...Keep up to date
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Press Releases
Obton enters the Canadian market with full effect through an equity investment into the experienced renewable energy developer Perimeter Solar Inc.
Obton enters co-ownership deal with recognized Canadian project developers, Perimeter Solar Inc. The co-ownership means that Obton now owns 49% of the company, who has more than 280 MW under development in Canada.
CleanCapital closes investment round led by FinTech leaders and pioneers
CleanCapital, an online marketplace for clean energy investing, announced today the closing of the first round in Series A funding, as part of an ongoing capital raise.
Sungrow and YUASA enter into strategic partnership in Japan
Sungrow announced that it has partnered with YUASA Trading Co. , Ltd, a renowned Japanese trading company, to distribute its PV inverters in Japan, aiming to provide better sales services for Japanese customers.
SolarPower Europe unveils SolarPower Live Map on solar’s brightest day
On the year's longest and brightest day, SolarPower Europe, launched the most dynamic and accurate tool for close to real-time mapping of solar power generation in Europe.