Installations

The 14th assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) last week in Abu Dhabi underscored the centrality of geopolitics and security in the current global energy landscape. The gathering also called for greater action to achieve the COP28 target of tripling renewables deployment by 2030.

France’s new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for the period from May to July 2024 range from €0.1735 ($0.1850)/kWh for installations below 3 kW to €0.1141/kWh for arrays ranging in size from 100 kW to 500 kW.

A new report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) shows the nation’s clean energy transition is gathering pace with renewables, including large-scale and rooftop solar.

Solargis says that Indian solar operators have experienced below-average PV panel performance due to air pollution in each of the past five winters. Northern India experienced the worst air quality in decades this January, with data showing a 30% to 50% dip in solar irradiance due to high aerosol levels.

Two Korean research institutes are designing the 2.2 km × 2.7 km Korean Space Solar Power Satellite project with the aim of providing approximately 1 TWh of electricity to the Earth per year. The proposed system should use 4,000 sub-solar arrays of 10 m × 270 m, made out of thin film roll-out, with a system power efficiency of 13.5%.

Researchers in Sweden have analyzed how roll-bonded PVT collectors can act as secondary heat sources in ground-source heat pumps and have found they provide a better performance than conventional PVT panels. Their techno-economic analysis also showed roll-bonded PVT systems can be up to 9% more expensive than conventional installations based on sheet and tube absorbers.

A new report from Wood Mackenzie examines how the global shift to higher interest rates to combat inflation is squeezing the energy transition.

Germany-based Sinn Power plans to build a 1.8 MW floating PV system with vertically deployed solar modules. Construction is expected to start this summer.

Norwegian PV developer Scatec ASA has switched on a hybrid solar and battery storage facility in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Indian scientists have designed a water-pump drive system that is powered exclusively by photovoltaics. The proposed system configuration reportedly ensures effective use of both the solar modules and the motor.