Polish oil company plans 100 MW solar park at brown coal mine
The solar park is expected to be connected to the grid infrastructure of a coal power plant located nearby. Polish oil group Orlen is targeting 2 GW of renewable energy assets by 2030.
Passive cooling with porous materials for PV modules
Researchers in the Middle East have proposed a new passive technology to cool off solar modules, based on highly conductive porous materials.
Axpo signs first solar PPA in Switzerland
Swiss energy company Axpo will supply electricity to a supermarket chain from a 2.2 MW solar plant under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The facility is being deployed at the Muttsee dam, at an altitude of almost 2,500 meters above sea level.
More than 800 MW of floating PV under development in Greece
Greek conglomerate Gek Terna has unveiled plans to deploy three large-scale floating PV plants at three different water reservoirs. Total investment in the projects is expected to amount to €170 million. Furthermore, the national utility PPC is reportedly planning to deploy another 50 MW and InterPhoton Group is considering to build a 500 MW facility.
Canada installed 70 MW of PV in 2020
The country’s cumulative installed solar capacity surpassed 3 GW at the end of December, according to new statistics from the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.
Lowest bid in Malta’s third PV tender hits €0.12/kWh
The highest bid in Malta’s latest procurement exercise was €0.129/kWh. The Maltese authorities selected eight PV projects, with capacities ranging from 1 MW to 3 MW.
Big interest in Australia’s proposed 1.5 GW solar-wind-hydrogen hub
The Western Australian government has called for expressions of interest for its proposed 1.5 GW solar-wind-hydrogen hub at the Okajee Strategic Industrial Area. This week, it said that 65 companies from around the world are interested.
UK added 545 MW of solar last year to hit 13.9 GW
The news comes on the day a private equity investor in the English North East announced plans to jointly develop a 1.4 GWp solar portfolio with Canadian Solar.
The Indian market for off-grid solar refrigeration
Standalone solar-powered refrigerators present a $20 billion opportunity in India for vaccine storage, milk chillers, households, micro enterprises, and cold storage for farm produce, according to a new report by Gogla.
Rollercoaster for the European PPA market in 2020
The Covid-19 crisis temporarily paralyzed the business for large scale unsubsidized solar projects across Europe. At the end of the year, however, demand for projects that are financed through electricity purchase agreements regained speed. Pexapark estimates that there is currently 10 GW of renewable energy capacity under signed PPAs in Europe, most of which is for solar power.
