PV industry veteran Karl-Heinz Remmers recalls the trajectory of solar power this decade and predicts stronger than expected development for the ten years ahead.

The U.K. government was the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. But to achieve this ambition is going to take some major changes – not least of which to the U.K.’s power network.

The past year has marked a watershed moment in the global energy transition, driven primarily by the fact that public awareness of the challenges posed by climate change has skyrocketed.

Lead halide perovskite PVs (LHP-PV) have rapidly emerged over the last decade as a potentially viable thin film PV technology, because of their high efficiency and potential for low manufacturing costs. However, concerns remain over potential impacts to the environment and human health arising from the use of toxic lead in LHP-PVs.

The Lancang-Mekong River is being decimated by hundreds of tributary and mainstream hydroelectric projects from the Tibetan Plateau in China to Lower Sesan in Cambodia. On the Mekong, the Laos Government has constructed the majority of these projects and it is planning even more. But why does it only focus on hydroelectric power plants (HPP’s)? What about other renewable energy sources? Can Nam Ngum solar replace Mekong hydro?

Complaints about sub-standard, cheap PV imports from China – and notably, India – have been heeded by Dhaka, which has issued a requirement for modules, inverters, charge controllers and batteries to attain IEC electrical standards.

A survey reveals greenwashing among major U.S. investor-owned electric utilities, which have been accused of using disproportionately high ratios of renewable versus fossil fuel images and language, while at the same time helping to block renewable energy policies. pv magazine speaks to the lead researcher

Portugal-based EDP used the 2019 Web Summit as an opportunity to undermine the role of fossil fuels.

The Turkish government is planning to assign 100 solar projects with a capacity of 10 MW each across 39 different provinces via a new procurement exercise. The tender will be held on April 20, 2020.

The energy transition is becoming ever more apparent among power companies, as was evident at the European Utility Week event last week in Paris, which showcased the hopes and fears of energy companies. Rebranding next year to ‘Enlit’, the organizers aim to reach the whole energy industry.

The South Korean capital has unveiled a plan to deploy rooftop PV on a million homes and all public buildings. The new initiative is designed to bring the city’s cumulative installed solar capacity to around 1 GW by the end of 2022.

Romande Energie is deploying a 448 kW floating array on the surface of Lac des Toules, a reservoir located at an altitude of 1,810 meters in the Swiss Alps. The installation will likely operate under heavy weather conditions, but it is also expected to produce 50% more power than similar projects built in the plain.

A cooperation agreement was signed by the French corporations to launch the HyGreen Provence project, which is expected to produce annually 1300 GWh of solar electricity and 10,440 tons of green hydrogen by 2027.

The Salt River Project has announced a 250 MW, 1,000 MWh battery project in Little Rainbow Valley, Arizona. The installation will be the largest in the state and among the largest in the United States.

A new series of tweaks by Solar Energy Corp. of India appear to have paid off, as the organization’s ambitious, manufacturing-linked 7 GW solar tender has been oversubscribed by 1 GW.

Scientists at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have received €4.5 million from the Carl Zeiss Foundation to begin a project developing an entirely new solar cell concept they say will combine the printability of organic PV, long-term stability of crystalline solar cells and ferroelectricity of lead-halide perovskites.

An international research group claims to have developed a new bulk perovskite semiconductor material that can capture the excess energy of hot electrons. The material is said to rapidly absorb as heat energy which would otherwise be wasted. With the harvesting of hot electrons, the maximum theoretical efficiency for hybrid-perovskite solar cells could increase from 33% to 66%.

This year’s record-breaking event held in Lisbon, Portugal, included an energy track devoted to renewable sources and technology to address climate change.

Toxicologists are struggling to follow the pace at which perovskite solar cells race from laboratory test benches to factory production lines. While researchers continue to assess the health and safety risks stemming from the lead used at the core of these new materials, the startups commercializing them argue that established encapsulation techniques and sound recycling schemes are enough to safety-proof their potentially disruptive technology and offset broader environmental threats.

China General Nuclear Power Group is reportedly preparing to invest almost $2.5 billion into a huge solar project – plus 2 GW of wind turbines – in the autonomous province of Inner Mongolia. Local authorities say the massive project will be complete in 2021.

A series of new amendments by the Solar Energy Corporation of India appear to have paid off, as the organization’s ambitious manufacturing-linked solar tender has reportedly ended up oversubscribed by 1 GW – of the capacity offered as an incentive at least.

The new cell is based on a p-type transparent conductor made of carbon nanotube fibers. The device is said to offer 16% more efficiency than rival amorphous cells.

A researcher has proposed a new approach to apply maximum power point tracking techniques to optimize electricity production in wind-solar power projects. The permanent magnetic synchronous generator hybrid model used in the study is based on a multi-input rectifier stage which is said to be able to eradicate current harmonics and eliminate the need for extra input filters.

Chinese polysilicon giant Daqo New Energy posted $83.9 million in revenue in the third quarter for gross profit of $18.1 million. The company has an additional 35,000-ton production facility set to come online this year.

With the Q Cells solar business warning it is preparing an instant appeal if a U.S. ITC judge rules against it Stateside, the chemical company parent announced its solar panel business saw a year-on-year, third quarter rise in revenue from KRW818 billion to KRW1,638 billion.

Australian startup Power Ledger wants to scale up its offerings for much larger communities, as it has already verified its technologies in projects around the world. The Australian Energy Market Commission last week proposed a similar agenda.

The investment manager is now Europe’s largest renewable energy fund. The €1.3 billion group already has a 1.8 GW generation portfolio.

The state’s 2019 IRP sees just over 11 GW solar power, and at least 11 GW – with up to 19 GW – of energy storage necessary to meet resource adequacy as part of the state’s legally required 60% renewable portfolio standard by 2030 as prices have fallen 50% since 2017.

Elon Musk has promised a fab near Berlin that will help create up to 10,000 new jobs. Tesla wants to build the facility near the city’s controversial new BER airport.

Scientists led by Moscow’s Skolkovo Institute of Technology have drawn upon several of their recent battery material innovations to create a potassium-ion device. The institute says its development will pave the way for ultrafast and durable, high capacity metal-ion batteries, to supply rising demand for energy storage innovations.