2022

Cyprus is a laggard in renewable energy development compared to many of its European neighbors. Given its reliance on oil and gas imports, the consequences are now being felt by electricity consumers on the island. However, as Ilias Tsagas reports, a combination of factors may soon provide the leverage that changes the game fast.

France’s Q Energy has developed a new way to combine solar generation and the cultivation of hops, which can grow up to 8 meters in height. The agrivoltaic system consists of two mounting units with 52 bifacial PV modules.

JA Solar has revealed plans to build a 10 GW cell factory in Jiangsu province, while Shuangliang Eco-Energy has agreed to buy 222,5000 metric tons (MT) of polysilicon from Tongwei.

Solar cell and module prices have increased by more than 40% over the last 18 months in India, driven by polysilicon prices. However, bid tariffs have remained lower than what is needed to mitigate the rise in PV module prices. The risk of lower returns is significant for 4.4 GW of projects that have been awarded over the past 18 months, with tariffs below INR 2.2 ($0.028)/kWh.

Romania has unveiled a state aid scheme to support investments in the production of hydrogen powered by solar, hydro and wind, while Air Products and Gunvor have agreed to build a hydrogen import terminal in Rotterdam.

US Customs and Border Patrol has detained a large shipment of quartzite, a raw material for making polysilicon, from an unnamed Tier 1 solar module supplier.

Buildings, particularly those with glass facades, are getting closer to self-powering, according to Australian scientists who recently developed a 15.5%-efficient, semi-transparent solar cell that allows more than 20% of visible light to pass through.

Norway’s Glint Solar has developed cloud-based software that finds suitable surfaces for solar parks. It analyzes factors such as the distance to the grid or substations, topography, soil depth, and solar radiation. The tool can also be used for preliminary project sizing.

India’s Sanvaru is expanding its lithium battery production capacity to 400 MWh per year by setting up a new factory in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its devices are used for stationary and EV storage.

Spanish heating specialist Elnur Gabarron offers a residential heating system that works with surplus solar power and storage heaters. The system can work as a backup solution, combined with existing conventional heating, or as a household’s main heating system, with minimal use of grid electricity.