Emiliano Bellini
South African renewables may be boosted by plan to privatize utility
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a plan to rescue state-owned power company Eskom by separating it into three units. According to consultants Frost & Sullivan, although that may not be enough to completely address the utility’s financial crisis it may further encourage investment in renewables.
EBRD helps Ukraine switch to auctions
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is seeking consultants to support Ukrainian authorities in setting new renewable energy targets and to give advice on how to shape the procurement process for large-scale renewables projects.
Bangladesh issues tender to develop up to 60 MW of solar
Through the procurement, the Bangladesh Power Development Board is seeking developers for the construction of grid-connected solar power plants on a build, own, operate basis.
Ikea begins online sale of PV panels in Italy
A few weeks after launching the sale of its “Solstrale” modules in Germany, the Swedish furniture giant also began offering online its PV panels and systems throughout Italy.
Carrefour deploys solar on 36 superstores in France
The French retailer will use energy generated by the PV installations exclusively for self-consumption. The projects will be developed by French developer Urbasolar.
Understanding why cesium and rubidium salt improve the yield of perovskite solar cells
The addition of either salt enables more even distribution of halide atoms within the perovskite material – key to increasing cell conversion efficiency. The explanation should speed up the process of identifying the best perovskite mixes.
Russian Duma approves net metering for solar up to 15 kW
Under the new rules, expected to come into force by the end of the year, Russian residential PV system owners will be able to sell excess power to the grid. The provisions were discussed for almost two years before yesterday’s vote.
Silver price to rise 7% this year
According to the Silver Institute, demand for the precious metal in the solar industry will remain stable up to 2022, despite recent changes in China’s PV policy.
Kness Group commissions module factory in Ukraine
The panel fab, with a production capacity of 200 MW, is in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine. The factory’s capacity is expected to double by the end of the year.
Large-scale solar arrives in Quebec
State-owned utility Hydro-Quebec will deploy its first 10 MW of ground-mounted solar to test the technology at the province’s latitude. The hydropower company is also using storage to better manage winter peak demand. Bifacial modules will be included in both projects.
