2024

Avaada, BluPine Energy, Hinduja Renewable Energy, KPI Green and NRC Industries won Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam’s (GUVNL) latest tender for 500 MW of grid-connected solar, with the potential for an additional 500 MW.

The pipeline of pumped hydro storage projects in the Australian state of Queensland continues to grow, with Victoria-based renewables company BE Power announcing plans to develop an 800 MW/9.6 GWh project at Mount Alma near Gladstone.

State Grid Corp. of China says it has finalized a pumped-hydro storage project consisting of four reversible pump-turbine generator units, each with a capacity of 350 MW. It is located near Xiamen, in China’s Fujian province.

French developer Solveo Energies has developed a 247 kW agrivoltaic facility spread across 3,500 m2. The system features trackers controlled by the Cultiveo Dynamique algorithm, to protect an apricot farm in Pyrénées-Orientales, France.

A research group in Canada has optimized the performance of concentrator photovoltaics by using the so-called surface-mount technology for thermal management. The CPV module prototype utilizes four non-interconnected III-V germanium cells, a Fresnel lens, and a transparent glass printed-circuit board.

Wood Mackenzie says that JA Solar has taken first place on its list of solar panel manufacturers. Nine of the first 12 positions are held by Chinese manufacturers, seven of them could surpass 100 GW of capacity by 2027, and eight are self-sufficient in cell capacity, according to the research firm.

Researchers in China have built a tandem-perovskite solar cell with a top perovskite device based on an absorber treated with n-butanol, which reportedly reduces the detrimental effects of moisture in manufacturing processes carried out in air environment. The result is a tandem cell with improved charge collection.

Swiss voters have approved a new electricity law that mandates PV systems on large buildings, supports electricity communities, and encourages collective self-consumption.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Indonesia has set a quota of 5,746 MW of rooftop solar to be deployed between 2024 and 2028. The Jakarta-based Institute for Essential Services Reform anticipates rooftop solar to be more commonly adopted by commercial and industrial consumers than residential users, following the abolishment of net-metering earlier this year.

The Volkswagen Group has announced its entry into a new business segment with its charging and energy brand Elli. It will develop massive industrial battery energy storage systems, including initial 350 MW/700 MWh projects already in its pipeline.