2022

There are three main drivers behind the continuing growth of solar today: the economics of energy, the energy crisis driven by the war in Ukraine, and a growing global focus on green and net zero initiatives. What matters is that these three drivers change the dynamics of investment – there is a growing body of capital looking to align with low-carbon, net-zero initiatives. Yet as the debate rages about operational versus overall sustainability, what is the future of solar for ESG finance?

JP Elektroprivreda BiH has revealed plans to select qualified renewable energy suppliers to operate facilities that are connected to its power grid in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Huasun has agreed to supply 10 GW of heterojunction solar modules to Power China, while Zhonghuan Semiconductor has revealed price increases for all of its wafer products.

SunHydrogen has provided a first look at the prototype design for its forthcoming nanoparticle-based green hydrogen technology, and Plug Power has secured a 5 MW electrolyzer order from Lhyfe. A Chinese-US research group, meanwhile, claims to have achieved a highly stable saline water electrolysis using Rhodium nanocrystals.

China’s Bslbatt said its new battery has a rated capacity of 200 Ah. The product comes with a 10-year warranty and can reportedly provide steady operation for up to 6,000 charge cycles.

Scientists in China have studied the formation of contacts in tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells, and the role of high-temperature annealing processes on the quality and performance of cells. Their findings could open up pathways for scientists looking to squeeze even more efficiency out this rapidly growing cell technology.

Energy policy in China’s Inner Mongolia region took a sharp turn on Aug. 30, when the authorities decided to terminate discounted power prices, effective immediately. The full impact of this shift remains to be seen.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation inverter reliability team has determined that inverter settings need to be further developed to help them to respond more effectively to forest fires, which triggered power grid issues in the United States during the 2016-17 period.

PV Hardware expects its new 6 GW plant to be operational by 2023. The planned factory is the latest in a wave of solar supply chain onshoring that has occurred since the passage of the US Inflation Reduction Act.

Dutch researchers have looked at how PV systems could be used to power bulk vessels for inland shipping. They found that 7.18% and 5.78% of the energy demand of container ships and bulk vessels can be respectively supplied by solar panels.