LCOE for li-ion batteries has fallen to $187/MWh — BNEF
Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly posing a competitive threat to coal- and gas-fired generating plants when paired with solar and wind projects in a number of markets throughout the world, without the need for subsidies, according to new research by BloombergNEF (BNEF).
Uzbekistan’s 100 MW PV tender attracts bids from 23 companies
Through the procurement exercise, utility Uzbekenergo aims to deploy 100 MW of solar at an unspecified location in the Navoiy region in southwestern Uzbekistan.
Innovation boosts lithium-ion battery recycling rate to over 80%
Finnish clean-energy company Fortum has achieved a lithium-ion battery material recycling rate of over 80% — against what it says is a current rate of 50% — with a low-carbon hydrometallurgical recycling process.
500 MW solar-plus-storage project under development in the UK
U.K.-based Tribus and PS Renewables are seeking environmental approval to build the country’s largest PV facility across two sites in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The Sunnica Energy Farm will also include large-scale storage capacity at both facilities.
Phase IV of 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park reaches financial close
Phase IV of the huge solar park includes a 700 MW CSP plant and a 250 MW PV facility. Funds for the $4.2 billion project will be provided by banks from the United Arab Emirates and China, as well as other international lenders.
Saudi Arabia plans 2.6 GW solar park near Mecca
The Faisaliah Solar Power Project is planned to be developed in several stages by the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and the Development Authority of Mecca. Only 600 MW of the project will be tendered by the REPDO, while the remaining 2 GW will be built by the country’s Public Investment Fund along with its partners.
The weekend read: Land of the Crescent Sun
Despite its abundant solar resources, Turkey’s potential for solar energy development remains largely untapped. Although the market grew considerably between 2017 and 2018, the outlook for the next two years, due to the macroeconomic situation and the current regulatory framework, appears rather gloomy. If regulations will not be changed, and tenders for large-scale solar remain unimproved, unsubsidized PV and self-consumption may remain the best options available to seek more growth.
NEC ES completes 18 MW, 7.5 MWh storage project for EKZ in Switzerland
NEC Energy Solutions has finished installing an 18 MW, 7.5 MWh grid storage system (GSS) in Switzerland for Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich.
Canadian Solar’s PV module shipments surpass 6.6 GW in 2018
Canadian Solar recorded net income of $237.1 million in 2018, from $99.6 million a year earlier, on annual PV module shipments of 6.62 GW.
Meyer Burger, Oxford PV sign perovskite cooperation deal
Meyer Burger has struck a strategic partnership with Oxford PV to expedite the mass production of perovskite on silicon heterojunction (HJT) tandem cells.
