Solar Philippines plans to finish building 1 GW of solar by next year, with roughly half of that capacity to be constructed outside of the Philippines.
Announcement
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Announcement
Upcoming Roundtables at SPI
Register now for our upcoming Roundtables at SPI in Las Vegas:
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Announcement
Array Changing Technologies 2017
A new format for 2017 sees the Array Changing Technologies feature split over three issues. A panel of European experts assessed the tech shaping Europe’s solar market for June, with a similarly experienced panel on board for July’s North American selection. The winner will be announced in September, so read on to discover which of the 20 entries have been shortlisted for the top prize!
Installations
Etrion completes 9.5 MW in northern Japan
Etrion has connected 4.2 MW (DC) of solar capacity to the grid at two sites in Japan’s Aomori prefecture. The two arrays are part of a 9.5 MW project spanning four locations.
Markets & Policy
Industry reaction: proposed EU solar pricing allows for better enforcement, says EU Prosun
Milan Nitzschke, president of solar manufacturing trade body EU Prosun, believes that the new proposals for MIP by the European Commission’s DG Trade offer a more accurate means of imposing necessary trade tariffs on imported solar cells and modules.
Installations
Sparx completes 13 MW near Tokyo
Sparx Green Energy and Technology — a unit of Tokyo-based asset manager Sparx — has switched on a 12.8 MW solar project in eastern Japan. It claims that the installation — which stretches roughly 10 kilometres between Shiroi and Inzai, Chiba prefecture — is the “longest” PV project in Japan.
Markets & Policy
Organic electrode material could boost lithium ion capacity
Researchers at Germany’s Helmholtz Institute have developed a new electrode material which could improve the capacity and charge/discharge speed of lithium-ion technology, as well as reducing for costly cobalt in the batteries.
Energy Storage
Tata Power DDL deploys its first 15 KWp microgrids in the Indian state of Bihar
Tapping into the high potential for the implementation of microgrid projects for reliable electricity supply to rural areas, the Indian utility is piloting two such installations in the state of Bihar.
Energy Storage
India’s SECI cancels 950 MW of solar tenders, seeks re-tender at lower rate
The Solar Energy Corporation of India has scrapped large amounts of solar+storage tenders at both the Pavagada and Kadapa solar parks as it seeks to renegotiate with states for lower tariffs.
Installations
Belgium: Wallonia’s PV system owners to pay grid-fee starting from 2020
The energy regulator of the Belgian French-speaking region has announced the grid-fee will come into force in 2020, and not in 2019 as previously planned. PV systems operators are expected to pay an annual fee ranging from €330 to €560.
Markets & Policy
Featured
Turmoil in residential solar
U.S. residential: After years of steady, relentless growth, the U.S. residential solar market is struggling with challenges on both the policy and customer acquisition fronts. And as the market diversifies away from California and the Northeast, the future is far from clear.
Zorlu Energy to build MW-sized PV plants in Palestine
The Turkish company has signed a MoU with the Palestinian utility JDECO for the construction of an unspecified number of solar plants in the Middle Eastern region.
...Scatec Solar’s revenue rise in Q2 on growing power production business
The Norwegian developer had a project backlog of 1,143 MW and a project pipeline of 745 MW at the end of the second quarter.
...REC Silicon’s polysilicon sales rise 18% sequentially in Q2, net loss increases
The Norwegian polysilicon producer saw its revenue drop slightly Y-o-Y to $61.0 million in the latest quarter. Average solar grade polysilicon prices, on the other hand, dropped by 6.9% from the previous quarter.
...Installations
Featured
Blue is the new black
Utilities and solar: The old structures of centralized power generation are slowly being eroded by a combination of more affordable solar PV and cleantech innovation. Many of Europe’s big utilities were initially resistant to this changing of the old guard, but a growing number are now realigning their business structures to place PV at the forefront.
Chilean environmental authorities receive proposal for 1 GW CSP-PV project
The huge plant would consist of a 707 MW PV section and a 300 MW unit and would be located in the northern region of Tarapacá.
...Coal provided just 2% of UK power in H1 2017
Just five years after meeting 40% of U.K.’s electricity supply, data from Imperial College London shows that coal only met 2% of the country’s power needs in the first half of the year.
...Canary Islands’s utility Disa buys another 7 MW of solar
Including this operation, the installed PV capacity of the power and gas distributor in the archipelago has reached 20 MW.
...Atlas plugs in 110 MW solar park in central Chile
Power produced by the Quilapilún PV station will be sold to the regulated market under a PPA awarded to the project in an auction held by local power distributors in 2014.
...Technology
Featured
Unleashing the sun
Off-grid in Nigeria: With the largest unelectrified population in Africa, Nigeria holds great promise for off-grid solar companies. Progress on electrifying the country can be accelerated by improving government policies.
Australia’s Greatcell signs MOU with JinkoSolar
Under a non-exclusive Memorandum of Understanding with JinkoSolar, Greatcell noted it would make available developmental perovskite cells for further evaluation.
...U.S. university CPV system outperforms silicon by 54% in test
A single-cell concentrating photovoltaic system developed by researchers at Penn State University reportedly reached 30% efficiency, and generated 54% more energy during a two-day test than a commercial silicon solar in the same conditions.
...Leaked DOE study draft: U.S. grids are getting more reliable, not less
A leaked draft of the study ordered by Energy Secretary Perry appears to show what we already knew: That grids are getting more reliable, not less, as wind and solar are added. But the political tampering with the facts may already be happening.
...Swiss researchers testing planted rooftop areas in combination with PV systems
Scientists in Switzerland are testing the optimum use of combined PV systems and planted flat rooftop areas, and how both systems affect each other. A first prototype has been installed on a roof of a senior citizen residence in the country.
...Manufacturing
Featured
When the levee breaks
Solar and delisting: Trina Solar’s departure from the NYSE could signal a wave of solar firms leaving U.S. stock markets. But many uncertainties remain.
Behind the world’s first Meyer Burger SmartWire line
While it has been slow to gain major traction in manufacturing, Meyer Burger’s SmartWire cell interconnection technology now has a significant reference application, in the form Polish manufacturer Hanplast.
...LONGi Solar first to place order for new Meyer Burger tool
Swiss equipment supplier Meyer Burger today announced the launch of its new MAiA EVO system, and the receipt of the first order for the system from PERC manufacturer LONGi Solar Technology. The tool is set to be delivered in the second half of 2017.
...Solargiga ships 1.16 GW in H1
Solargiga Energy’s shipments of PV cells, solar panels, silicon ingots and wafers reached 1.16 GW in the first half of 2017, up nearly 55% year on year. Revenue from its production business rose 16.2% on the year to CNY 1.97 billion ($291.6 million), according to unaudited preliminary operating statistics filed to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
...Recycling of PV modules: New Fraunhofer ISE study sheds light on end of life issues
Seeking to answer what is happening with final costs once recycling becomes and issue at PV module end-of-life, backsheet manufacturer Coveme points to the importance of fluorine-free backsheets for the PV industry, as they keep the costs down while being environmentally friendly.
...Energy Storage
British solar power developer Solarcentury has been selected to design and build two solar-powered mini-grids in two remote communities of East African country Eritrea. The 2.25 MW project is backed by investment totalling €5.7 million, and draws upon funding from the European Union’s ACP EU Energy Facility (from a total pot of €8 million), the […]
Solarcentury to build EU, UNDP-backed 2.25 MW solar+storage mini-grids in Eritrea
The €5.7 million project is being part-financed by the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme and the government of Eritrea to deliver solar electricity to up to 40,000 homes and businesses in the remotest parts of the country.
...Wirsol, Renew Estate team up on 1 GW
Wirsol Energy and Australian developer Renew Estate have agreed to collaborate on a renewables pipeline of more than 1 GW, starting in Australia. The new venture already has 400 MW of utility-scale solar capacity under development and plans to start construction on its first projects by the first quarter of 2018.
...Nidec ASI: Making storage smarter
In an interview with at Intersolar Europe 2017, Kaila Haines, Nidec ASI Marketing Director, is tracing the evolution of Europe’s large-scale battery storage market.
...Australia’s Redflow seeking AU$14.5m, shifts focus to lead-acid replacement market
Australian stock exchange-listed battery maker Redflow has announced a AU$14.5 million ($11.25 million) funding round, as the Brisbane-based company takes its manufacturing base offshore and turns its attention to a market “sweet-spot” including the off-grid, telecom, commercial and industrial sectors.
...Keep up to date
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Press Releases
Cubico appoints Stephen Riley as CEO
Riley was formerly a Non-executive Director at Cubico since January 2017 and brings a strong operational background, key to support Cubico’s future growth.
Sampoerna Inaugurates Solar Power Generation System in Karawang and Surabaya
This project is inaugurated in April 2017 to be set for long-term supply up to more than 20 years ahead.
Terna: € 130 million loan from the Eib the “Italy-France” interconnection project
Terna and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed today an agreement for a € 130 million loan to support investments for the public part of the “Piemonte-Savoia” project, the new 320 kV DC electrical interconnection that will connect Italy and France.
Fronius Solar Energy expands its global network by opening the first branch office in Hungary
The addition of an office near Budapest has seen the international network of the Austrian solar technology specialist grow once again. Customers in Hungary can now look forward to a faster and more reliable technical support service.