Bangladesh to assess impact of integrating renewables into grid
The government has set a very low bar of achieving just 10% of its electricity supply from renewables as it tenders for consultants to advise it on how to incorporate intermittent generation into the national grid.
Solar and hydropower to rescue São Tome and Príncipe from crisis of troubled utility
The United Nations Development Program is seeking consultants to build a 2 MW solar project and three hydropower plants ranging in generation capacity from 1.15-2 MW.
The weekend read: Offgrid goes global
Offgrid solar power has emerged as a vital part of the PV business across the African continent, and is now spreading to other parts of the globe, mainly with solar home systems and microgrids. pv magazine examines the core issues of financing, business models and the quest for user data.
Schletter Group ceases production in Germany
In the future, the solar mountings manufacturer itself will only manufacture in China. The cooperation of the Schletter Group with specialized production partners in Germany and other countries will continue, however. With the end of production in Kirchdorf near Munich, jobs will be lost. The company is seeking proximity to the global growth markets.
Trina claims another efficiency record, for n-type, i-TOPCon, bifacial cell
The 23.22% front-side efficiency of the 244.62 sq cm device – certified by Germany’s ISFH CalTeC – is another landmark for the Chinese manufacturer’s State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology.
Peering into a 55% solar future for the US
National Renewable Energy Lab researchers conducted hourly modelling based on a future energy mix containing 55% solar power and found spring days of free electricity among the results, emphasizing the critical role energy storage will play.
Dubai confirms Saudi’s ACWA won 900 MW solar project tender with $0.016953/kWh bid
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said the solar generation capacity is expected to come online in the second quarter of 2021. The tender will constitute the fifth phase of the mammoth 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
German customs authorities accuse IBC Solar of smuggling Chinese PV modules
Investigators have accused the Bad Staffelstein-based business of having purchased incorrectly-declared modules from China and evading around €23 million in import duties. The company’s head office and the private apartments of board members have been searched.
Pakistan gas field powered by 10 MW off-grid solar system
Italian oil and gas company Eni has completed a solar park at its Bhit Gas Field. The plant, which took six months to build, is integrated into the field’s generation system.
Scientists hit 21.6% perovskite cell efficiency using concentrator PV
An international research group achieved the result on a 9 sq mm, triple-cation based, n-i-p structured perovskite cell using low solar concentration levels. Device instability, however, remains a challenge.
