France deployed more than 2 GW of PV in first nine months of 2021
The country’s cumulative PV capacity reached 13.3 GW at the end of September. This year’s growth was triggered by a strong increase in utility-scale solar projects.
Poland may reach 30 GW of solar by 2030
The Eastern European country is expected to reach 10 GW of solar capacity by the end of 2022, according to the Polish research institute Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej. This projected growth should materialize despite a strong contraction in the distributed generation segment.
Belgium’s rooftop solar potential estimated at 99.6 GW
According to recent analysis by Belgian institute EnergyVille, rooftop PV and onshore wind have the technical potential to reach 118 GW of capacity in Belgium. Of the three Belgian macro-regions, Flemish-speaking Flanders is the one with the largest solar potential for rooftop systems, at 67.56 GW, followed by French-speaking Wallonia, with 31.54 GW, and the Brussels metropolitan region, with 4.23 GW.
Hunting the sun with Harris hawks optimization algorithm
An Iranian-Canadian-based research group has conceived a nature-inspired algorithm to estimate the model parameters of PV systems. The proposed tool mimics the exploring, exploiting and attacking strategy of the Harris hawk, a bird of prey species that cooperates when hunting.
New German government coalition wants to deploy another 143.5 GW of solar this decade
The new plan would require the deployment of around 15 GW of new PV capacity each year to 2030. The agreement also includes the gradual phasing out of all coal power plants by the end of the decade.
Malaysia launches scheme enabling consumers to buy renewable energy
Through the Green Electricity Tariff (GET) program, the government will offer 4,500 GWh of power to residential and industrial customers each year. These will be charged an additional MYE0.037 ($0.087) for each kWh of renewable energy purchased.
Swedish utilities are competing to buy distributed solar power
Swedish power utilities and electricity traders are increasing their efforts to buy surplus solar power from residential prosumers under fair competition conditions, according to analysts from local consultancy Becquerel Sweden. In a conversation with pv magazine, they analyzed the reasons for this new corporate mentality and observed a possible trend for the global solar market.
Detergent for solar module cleaning and protection
Developed and distributed by Portuguese start-up ChemiTek, the detergent is claimed to reduce water consumption by about 50% and increase energy production by up to 5%. The product was recently certified by the German laboratory TÜV Sud, according to the EN 61215 standard.
Australia removes much-criticized DC isolator mandate
Following years of lobbying, the Standards Australia Committee has removed the requirement for rooftop solar installations to include a DC isolator.
South Korea deployed 2.82 GW of solar in first nine months of 2021
In the third quarter of this year, around 677 MW of new PV systems were connected to the Korean grid, which is comparatively lower than in the same quarter a year earlier. According to local analysts, the market contraction is due to delayed permitting because of expanding siting restrictions.
