Palestine to bring online its first PV plant, at 7.5 MW
The site is the first step in a planned 200 MW portfolio. Along with a few ground mount installations, the Palestinian authorities set out to achieve substantial parts of the portfolio by tapping public rooftops. The authorities have already secured rooftop spaces at 500 schools for the installation of 35 MW of capacity.
EU Council of Ministers gives final green light on clean energy package
Long awaited – and even longer debated – the 1000 pages of legislation have finally been adopted by all EU institutions. Over the coming 18 months, there will be changes, some big, some small, to the markets in Europe. Across the continent, the renewable energy industry is likely to benefit.
Distributed generation the main driver for solar in Japan and the Philippines
Two reports have concluded rooftop solar may replace PV parks as the main growth driver in the two big Asian markets over the next decade. Support programs for utility scale PV in both countries no longer seem attractive enough.
Australia election: What can solar expect under Morrison’s coalition?
As India awaits the results of the world’s largest democratic election on Thursday, and the EU begins to go to the polls on the same day, pv magazine Australia considers the “miracle” victory by a right-wing Liberal-National coalition in Australia at the weekend, and finds the nation’s solar sector has little reason to rejoice.
Turkey introduces net metering for residential PV and new rules for unlicensed solar
The government has finally issued a net metering scheme for solar systems not exceeding 10 kW of generation capacity – the country’s first attempt to support small scale PV. New rules for larger, unlicensed projects have also been introduced, with the size limit for eligible systems raised to 5 MW.
Legislative amendments pave way for Portugal’s 1.35 GW solar auction
The Portuguese government has approved legislative amendments that it says will facilitate its plans to auction off 1.35 GW of solar capacity this summer. The Portuguese energy minister, meanwhile, said that the government hopes to see €6 billion of investment in solar by 2030.
Solar leads all forms of energy in digitalization: DNV GL
In a recent survey, DNV GL found that demand for blockchain-related skills in the solar sector is 50% higher than in other energy industries, while 33% of respondents said that the use of drones is having a significant impact on their businesses. However, the solar industry needs a common framework to help advance digitalization further.
Australian aged care sector turns to solar for lower energy bills
With the annual cost of energy rising per bed across Australia’s aged care sector, C&I PV and energy-efficiency specialist Verdia says that a major energy transformation is taking place throughout the country.
Canadian Solar obtains $50m loan from Credit Suisse
The Chinese-Canadian manufacturer has revealed that it has finalized a $50 million term loan from Credit Suisse. It plans to use the loan to fund the expansion of its global PV project pipeline.
How cold solder joints turn solar modules into warranty cases
In the run-up to pv magazine’s quality roundtable at Intersolar Europe, we look at a case where a production error resulted in cold solder joints in 5% of the solar modules across a 50 MW project portfolio. We consider how to come to an agreement with a manufacturer to replace modules in such a situation and how such a solution compares with a production audit before installation.
