Solar auctions to replace feed-in tariffs in Kenya
Attendees at the Renpower Kenya clean energy event in Nairobi were told there will be a changeover in incentive schemes in 2022 with mature technologies no longer benefiting from fixed payments.
South Africa to introduce feed-in tariffs for rooftop PV
The country’s troubled power utility Eskom is currently developing the new incentive scheme. President Cyril Rampahosa said the program may also include some unspecified tax incentives.
Indian thermal power generator NLC launches 500 MW solar tender
The state-owned thermal energy giant has invited bids to install 500 MW of grid-connected solar projects anywhere in India.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: GCL Tech starts production at polysilicon fab in Leshan, Jolywood expands backsheet capacity
In other news, Shuangliang secured a large wafer deal from the Chint Group and Tongwei raised the prices of its solar cells.
Developer plans 20 MW solar aquaculture site in Bangladesh
Joules Power has said the $22 million PV project will be built on land which is submerged for most of the year and will breed fishes. The project is set to be completed in December 2023.
UK devotes $3.6 million to space-based solar
A government department has put $3.5 million to $7 million aside to help the development of wireless power transmission and ultra-high concentration solar panels.
Polish utility PGE wants to couple 200 MW/820 MWh of battery storage with existing pumped-hydro facility
The project is located 10 km from the Baltic Sea, where PGE is planning to build offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 3.5 GW.
Cooling down solar modules with cotton wicks immersed in water
The novel technique consists of attaching cotton wicks immersed in the water (CWIWs) to the backside photovoltaic module. The water is supplied to cotton wicks from top to bottom by gravity which the scientists said helps the effective absorption of cotton and reduces water consumption.
Australian regulator allows multiple installers to work on the same PV project
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) said the rule change will afford companies more flexibility.
Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics for low-speed electric vehicles
Canadian startup Capsolar claims its flexible solar modules can be adapted to any type of low-speed electric vehicle with no extra modification and custom work. The panels have an efficiency of 21.3%.
