EDF, Masdar secure financing for 1.5 GW of solar near Abu Dhabi
EDF Renewables, Korea Western Power Co. (Kowepo), and Masdar have secured financing to build a 1.5 GW solar plant near Abu Dhabi, backed by a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Emirates Water and Electricity Co.
Thin-film tandem solar in the U.S.
Tandem solar-cell technology featuring silicon has been widely researched but materials such as perovskites, paired with established thin-film solar or with other perovskite cells, are pointing to a new development path.
Gautam Solar to set up 2 GW solar cell factory
Gautam Solar says it will invest INR 10 billion ($119.6 million) in a 2 GW solar cell factory in India.
A closer look at backsheet degradation in desert enviromnents
A Qatari research group has analyzed the performance of polyethylene terephthalate backsheets in real outdoor testing conditions in desert areas and has identified the main causes that lead to degradation. These include prolonged exposure to high ultraviolet radiation, high operating temperature cycling, and relative humidity.
World now has five times more PV than nuclear power
Authors of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024 the world had 408 operational reactors producing 367 GW in the middle of the year, which is significantly less than installed capacity predictions for solar by the end of the year and five time less the world’s cumulative PV capacity, which is now approaching 2 TW.
Rooftop PV systems explode in several parts of Beirut
A number of solar arrays were reportedly involved in a second wave of electronic-device explosions across Lebanon yesterday, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths. On Tuesday, an initial series of blasts triggered by pagers targeted members of the Hezbollah militant group, but also affected civilians.
Dandelion unveils residential geothermal heat pump with coefficient of performance of 5.2
The novel heat pump can reportedly heat air to up to 49 C. Its full-load heating capacity is of up to 63,000 Btu/hour.
Madrid’s residential solar self-consumption rates hit 30% to 70%
Researchers in Spain have calculated the potential self-sufficiency of rooftop solar in eight districts of Madrid, Spain. They have found that single-family homes can achieve self-sufficiency rates of more than 70%, while urban areas with high-rise buildings reach 30%.
Most home battery storage systems meet warranty claims, new research finds
It took eight years of field measurements for researchers at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany to estimate the usable capacity of home battery energy storage systems and develop a dataset covering 106 system years and 14 billion datapoints. Their key finding was that home battery systems lose about two to three percentage points of usable capacity per year on average, meaning good news for the industry as most warranties in the market can be met with the implementation of capacity reserves.
New model for offshore floating PV system design
Researchers at TU Delft modelled a variety of offshore floating PV structures to uncover the design parameters that affect durability and yield..
