PV project developer Solarfield is planning to build a plant under the SDE+ renewables incentives program. Construction is planned to start in 2021. The solar park will be in the province of Flevoland, one of the areas where grid congestion is jeopardizing the deployment of large scale solar.

The central Asian nation and the International Finance Corporation are seeking proposals for two 200 MW solar parks planned in the Samarkand and Jizzakh regions. The projects will be awarded 25-year power purchase agreements.

Scientists in China have used a fluorine-containing Lewis acid treatment to develop a perovskite cell that is said to retain between 63% and 80% of its initial efficiency after 14 days under 75% and 85% relative humidity.

Colbún has applied for approval to build a 788 MW solar project in Chile’s northern region of Antofagasta.

Hanwha Solutions has confirmed that it will shut down its polysilicon business over the course of the next year, only a week after saying that it was still evaluating its plans for the sector.

The transition from a feed-in tariff scheme to an auction mechanism may take longer than expected in the Southeast Asian country, as the Ministry of Industry and Trade is considering maintaining FITs of $0.0709/kWh to $0.0769/kWh for projects that secured approval before Nov. 23, 2019, if they come online as scheduled by the end of this year. According to law firm Lexcomm Vietnam, there are currently 3 GW of projects with licenses.

An international research team has claimed that thin-film modules are an ideal solution for floating PV projects in offshore locations, mainly due to their superior hydrodynamic properties. The scientists have also said that direct contact between installations and the water provides additional self-cooling opportunities, while keeping the waterproof modules clean. Such arrays could potentially withstand higher waves and the difficult environmental conditions of the open sea.

Plastic manufacturer Miniplast will buy electricity from a 704 kW grid-connected solar array owned and operated by Norwegian developer Empower New Energy AS.

Carmaker Fiat Chrysler is bringing solar power to its Mirafiori manufacturing hub in Turin. A rooftop array will be installed by the auto giant with EDF-owned energy company Edison. French group Engie will install electric vehicle charging points in the car park.

A U.S. research group has used a lead-absorbing material to coat the front and rear of a perovskite solar cell stack. The researchers claim the films captured 96% of lead leakage when the cells were damaged.