Installations

A senior solar energy researcher from the University of Queensland has questioned the role of grid-scale battery storage as the “missing link” of Australia’s shift to renewables, and suggested that much more research needs to be done if the technology is to be rolled out successfully.

The Nevada utility has requested approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for a 100 MW solar plant, while simultaneously requesting the early retirement of a coal-fired generation facility, but its previous objection to net metering lingers in the memory.

The 100 MW project was commissioned using domestically manufactured cells and modules, thus fitting in with the government’s ‘Make in India’ mission, and makes a huge addition to Tata Power Solar’s PV portfolio in the country.

The German PV manufacturer recorded significant growth in the company’s sales and revenues compared to the same period last year, while also getting its EBIT back into profit, although it had to revise down its preliminary results.

The Chinese inverter manufacturer has signed a contract with Indian Independent Power Producer Mytrah Energy to supply inverters for approximately 150 MW of the company’s projects in India, further expanding its market share in global solar markets.

U.S. solar energy solutions provider SunLink has partnered with Indian engineering company Ganges Internationale to help facilitate solar deployment in India, as part of an agreement to develop 1.4 GW of solar in India over the next five years.

The German PV and polysilicon equipment supplier increases sales in its PV and semiconductor sector to EUR 42 million over the first half of the year, reveals new orders of EUR 85.4 million.

The International Renewable Energy Agency has added a new feature to its Global Atlas that it hopes will accelerate growth in the renewable energy sector worldwide by providing more detailed resource data in an effort to facilitate easier entry into new markets. The agency is working with Finnish measurement group Vaisala, which is making the information available.

Industry analysts note that the market for residential BIPV in the United States is “non-existent” at present, and SolarCity’s plans to use crystalline silicon are a new direction.

With the connection of two more utility-scale solar power plants to the grid in India, First Solar’s subsidiary in India now has a project portfolio in the country of 260 MW, further establishing itself in what is fast becoming one of the most exciting solar markets.