Solar developers can submit applications from today. The rules of the procurement exercise were published by the nation’s Directorate-General for Energy and Geology.

Dutch EV start-up Lightyear is already producing prototype roofs to extend the range of its Lightyear One solar car. The roofs will feature interdigitated back contact solar cells made by U.S. company SunPower and backsheets from Dutch multinational DSM.

U.S. researchers have created a new model to assess the overlap between solar potential and underlying land use. The areas with the largest potential are the western United States, southern Africa, and the Middle East. The researchers concluded that croplands, grasslands, and wetlands are the top three land classes for PV projects linked to agricultural activities, while barren terrain, traditionally prioritized for solar PV system installation, ranked fifth.

Four years after the expiration of green certificates for PV systems up to 10 kW, the authorities in Belgium’s Flanders region want to support solar again – but this time in the form or rebates. A new scheme will likely go into force in 2021, with up to €1,500 to be awarded per PV system.

The new JW-HT132N series features six n-type panels and offers 345 W to 370 W of frontside power output, with efficiencies ranging from 18.68% to 20.04%. The panels are manufactured with a transparent backsheet, with black mesh and a black frame.

Daqo revealed it will list its main production unit in Shanghai, while Goodwe secured approval for its own plans to list shares. Cybrid Technologies, meanwhile, said it will ramp up production of polyolefin elastomer (POE) encapsulant films.

Fiat Chrysler has begun construction of a vehicle-to-grid pilot at its Mirafiori manufacturing facility in Turin. The project, which also includes 5 MW of PV, will eventually become a virtual power plant.

The Scottish water provider is seeking proposals for the development and construction of several solar plants ranging in size from 50 kW to 50 MW. The installations can be a combination of ground-mounted PV systems and rooftop arrays.

Researchers from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore have concluded that utility-scale PV projects relying on bifacial panels and single-axis trackers deliver the lowest levelized cost of energy in most of the world. They found that the combination of bifacial products with dual-axis trackers is still too expensive, despite the higher yield. The second-lowest LCOE is offered by monofacial single-axis tracker plants.

Researchers in Iran have applied the Stackelberg leadership model to determine whether the creation of a closed-loop solar module supply chain – including panel refurbishing – is feasible. According to their findings, a similar supply chain may only be set up with public subsidies, which would ensure that costs for R&D, module production, and recycling are distributed between the government and all the chain’s players.