The speed of all transitions is inherently underestimated, and solar PV is no exception. The EU has grossly underestimated its coming of age, as its forecasts for 2020 were off by 67% for the Netherlands and 74% for Germany, writes Rolf Heynen, CEO of Dutch New Energy Research.

The Paris Agreement has been signed by all ASEAN nations and almost all members have declared a carbon emissions reduction target. The diversity in ASEAN’s readiness for energy transition is reflected in the wide-ranging nationally determined contribution targets set for reducing greenhouse gases. An immediate quick win for the renewable energy transition is the harnessing of solar power from an abundance of resources in the region.

This year, PV cell manufacturers will face the challenge of transformation. Apart from adjusting the ratio of production for different-sized cells, some manufacturers are turning to next-generation opportunities, shifting investment from p-PERC to n-type technology. PV InfoLink Analyst Amy Fang discusses the issues facing n-type cell development this year.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have seen uneven development in PV installations to date, and the three Baltic states are still highly dependent on imports from Russia. Estonia needs to replace aging energy infrastructure, and so far it has led the region in PV deployments. Latvia, meanwhile, has a high level of hydro in its energy mix, and less incentive to build PV. IHS Markit analyst Susanne von Aichberger examines the latest policy developments in the Baltic states.

In the first installment of a new monthly blog by IHS Markit, Edurne Zoco, executive director for clean energy technology, writes that high prices and increased freight costs are putting solar PV procurement teams under extreme pressure, particularly those teams with connection deadlines this year that were anticipating a more favorable pricing and logistic environment in the second half of 2021.

Energy efficiency, electrification of heating and transport, and the provision of clean cooking facilities are all going in the wrong direction as the Covid crisis deprived millions in sub-Saharan Africa of electricity use, according to a report by the IEA, IRENA, WHO, World Bank and UN Statistics Division.

The trade show will be held from October 5-7 under the auspices of the Covid-delayed global trade fair.

The 15th edition of the world’s biggest solar exhibition got up and running in Shanghai today and we have exclusive images from the event.

Private sector fossil fuel spending on exploration is drying up just as modest rises in clean energy investments are being observed. With stock market investors increasingly embracing renewables, the IEA has observed positive signals in its latest energy investment report, but warned we are still doing far too little to keep global heating at bay.

Trade organization Solar Energy UK has called for the government to mandate that solar target in a co-ordinated rallying cry issued with two peers. One of them, the Nuclear Industry Association, is a membership body sure to raise hackles in some quarters of the energy transition movement.

Swiss researchers sought for the first time to replace phenylethylammonium (PEA) with benzodithiophene (BDT) in cations for perovskite cells. The latter showed improved stability and ensured a power conversion efficiency that was 1% higher than that of its counterpart.

The Biden Administration’s decision to ban solar imports from four Xinjiang-based polysilicon manufacturers has already raised concerns. One analyst warns of a “significant negative impact” across the U.S. solar industry.

The 24 MW/48 MWh system is being built by Dutch storage system provider Giga Storage and utility Eneco. The battery will be used by Eneco for forecasting supply-demand errors on the intraday trading market.

If the three record-busting low solar price tariffs recorded in the Middle East in the past 18 months are to be believed, renewables-powered hydrogen in prime sites in the region could already compete with gas-plus-CCS production, according to IRENA. Has the Gulf discovered the new petrol?

The four manufacturers are Hoshine Silicon, Daqo, East Hope, and GCL New Energy Material.

In addition to converting the output of PV panels from DC to AC, inverters now perform a number of other functions, such as maximizing electricity generation, assessing performance and even shutting down in emergencies.

Researchers in China have built a PV-powered air conditioner that can store power through ice thermal storage. The performance of the system was evaluated considering operating efficiency and stability and the scientists found that a device relying on a variable-speed compressor and an MPPT controller showed very good ice-making capability.

A 1 MW electrolyzer in the middle of a residential area in Esslingen, southern Germany, is intended to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its residents. One of the energy sources used in the project is rooftop PV located in the area.

Repsol has switched on 90 MW of PV in Spain and Amazon wants to build another large scale solar facility in the country. Both projects are located in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha.

The project is being planned to sell power to the Serbian South East European Power Exchange (SEEPEX) or other off-takers under a power purchase agreement.

Called Tigo TS4-A-F RSD, the device can operate with a maximum current of 15 A and a maximum voltage of 90 V.  It measures 138.4 x 139.7 x 22.9mm and weighs 490g.

Researchers in Japan have found a new way to fabricate one of the most promising perovskite materials for PV application — the α-formamidinium lead iodide known as α-FAPbI3. With a pre-synthesized version of this material, they were able to produce a cell with a power conversion efficiency of 23.5% and a lifespan of more than 2,000 hours.

Yotta Energy’s new micro-inverter is claimed to be an ideal solution for commercial rooftop PV systems linked to between 500 kWh and 1 MWh of storage. The device has a peak efficiency of 96.5% and a nominal maximum power point tracking (MPPT) efficiency of 99.5%.

Acciona is testing four second-life batteries with a combined capacity of 130 kWh at its 1.2 MW experimental solar park in Tudela, in the Spanish region of Navarra.

Rice University engineers produced “near-perfect” 2D perovskite crystals for photovoltaic applications, grown from seeds.

The Australian federal government’s call for the solar industry to address the issue of PV module waste has coincided with new plans by the Australian Capital Territory government to look at new panel recycling options.

China-based Risen Energy is expanding its global footprint with plans to construct a $10 billion production facility in Malaysia.

U.S. business 1366 Technologies is looking for Indian module manufacturing partners as it plans to bring its ‘direct wafer’ production technique to the country. The company uses molten silicon to form wafers rather than sawing ingots, thus eliminating dust waste and speeding up the process.

As Europe’s PV market scales, the security of module supply and other equipment, the sustainability of products and processes, and the equity for citizens and workers grows in importance. Given these dynamics, pv magazine’s Roundtables Europe Sustainability and Made in Europe session explored European PV production, from polysilicon through to cells and modules. The discussion included how a competitive European production industry can be built, with a focus on political, financial, and technological issues. If you missed the session, check out the video, out now.

The panels will be used for the first 100 MW phase of a 1 GW solar park under construction in in Dachaidan, Qinghai, western China.

Israel-based GenCell has unveiled an off-grid hydrogen power solution based on alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology. Italian energy giant Enel and Russian technology company Rusnano want to set up Russia’s first green-hydrogen production project at a wind farm in the Murmansk region.

With forecasters predicting the carbon price will top €100 per ton by 2030, the latest edition of a Fraunhofer ISE study into electricity generation costs has painted the renewables-versus-fossil fuels conundrum as something of a no-brainer.

Italian hydrogen and fuel cells association H2IT is urging the national government to support investment in green hydrogen and ensure medium-long payback periods. The trade body’s goal is to build large-scale electrolyzers (>100 MW) to decrease green hydrogen’s price below €2.0/kg.

With ‘shovel-ready’ projects across India, Africa and Latin America in line for a mix of grants, cheap loans, equity investment and financial guarantees from this year, the two bodies hope to trigger $20 billion in total funding and bring reliable power to a billion people.

Australia-based TNG Limited has signed an agreement with Malaysian green hydrogen company AGV Energy which will see its vanadium redox flow batteries integrated into the HySustain project to store solar energy for green hydrogen production.