Jolywood switches on 1.5 GW TOPCon solar cell factory in China
The Chinese bifacial module maker has commissioned a 1.5 GW TOPCon cell factory in China’s Zhejiang province, which raised its total TOPCon cell capacity to 3.6 GW. Another 16 GW facility is being planned for the Shanxi province.
Rwanda seeks consultants to support development of mini-grids
The Development Bank of Rwanda wants to finance developers to build photovoltaic and mini-grids ranging in size from 10 kW to 1 MW.
Tata Power builds 300 MW hybrid wind-solar project in India
The project was secured by Tata Power in an auction held by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).
Hitachi wins tender for big battery in Australia, set to pay for itself within five years
Hitachi Energy has won Northern Territory Labor’s tender for the Darwin-Katherine ‘Big Battery’, which is expected to unlock more capacity for residential and industrial PV, generate cost savings of $9.8 million and pay for itself in approximately five years.
California to require solar power and batteries in commercial structures
The state has updated its Build Energy Efficiency Standards to include requirements for solar plus storage on all commercial and multifamily homes, while also requiring that all new residential construction – which already requires solar – to be energy storage ready.
The weekend read: 24/7 hourly matching – a new granular phase of renewable energy sourcing
It’s what Google calls its “biggest sustainability moonshot yet” – 24/7 hourly matching – a new granular phase of renewable energy sourcing. The pursuit of 24/7 moves beyond buying enough renewable energy to match annual consumption, to matching consumption every hour of every day. Some say 24/7 matching could push up the price of renewables, but others say 24/7 is the only way to drive home decarbonization, minimize greenwashing, and create a truly net-zero energy system.
The Hydrogen Stream: Fuel cell solutions for electrical peak load coverage
Rolls-Royce is supplying its mtu hydrogen technology for the container terminal currently under construction at the Port of Duisburg in Germany. Furthermore, German energy company RWE wants to produce green hydrogen at the Pembroke Power Station site in Wales and Norway’s Scatec discussed plans for large-scale seawater desalination, hydrogen and ammonia production based on renewable power with the Egyptian government. Meanwhile, the EU has adopted a set of legislative proposals to decarbonize the EU gas market by facilitating the uptake of low carbon gases, including hydrogen.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: CPIA expects no more than 55 GW of new PV capacity this year
The world’s biggest solar market is expected to add between 45 and 55 GW of new solar in 2021, the head of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association has revealed. Furthermore, Longi has further lowered its wafer prices and Xinyi Solar said it wants to build a new US$942 million solar glass factory in Yunnan Province.
Solar for hydroponics
An international research team has examined combining solar power generation with energy-intensive hydroponic horticulture and has found that this may be a viable solution depending on project size and available incentive policies. Their approach considered various factors impacting PV system efficiency, including environmental factors, the type of solar array, and the electricity demand from the hydroponic farm.
South African utility Eskom allocates land for renewable energy producers
The land will be available for lease in a competitive bidding process. Selected developers will be offered a 20-year contract and the possibility of deploying solar parks with a capacity of up to 100 MW. Eskom says the move will help alleviate South Africa’s energy crisis.
