Installations

The price tariff agreed by German company ABO Wind for a 10 MW solar project in Igoumenitsa came in a tender which allocated only 142 MW of generation capacity, well short of the hoped-for 482 MW. It is hoped a slimline licensing process, to be applied in the next procurement round, will address the problem.

Scientists from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers have presented research suggesting a new topology for residential solar+storage inverters.

Despite strong revenue growth in its domestic market, Quick Mount PV – which was acquired by Netherlands-based Esdec last year – is abandoning its U.S. manufacturing to move overseas.

The Royal Bank of Canada has agreed to buy 80,000 MWh per year from two solar parks now under construction in the province of Alberta. They will begin supplying power in April 2021.

Researchers in Spain have developed a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm based on just one input parameter – PV module temperature. The algorithm has already shown stability in testing, the scientists claim.

Saudi developer ACWA Power has announced One Belt, One Road Chinese infrastructure partner Shanghai Electric will offer engineering, procurement and construction services on the next phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar field in Dubai.

The latest edition of the US Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly report shows renewables generated more electricity through May 31 than coal and nuclear.

Spanish renewables company Acciona has commissioned Spain’s first floating installation and utility EDP has finalized the first, 1 MW phase of a 4 MW project at the Alqueva water reservoir in southern Portugal.

Spanish energy company Iberdrola plans to build a 100 MW solar park, a storage facility, and a hydrogen production station in Puertollano, central Spain. The €150 million project is scheduled to be operational next year.

A French-Italian research group has shown that BIPV facades on buildings can cause a ‘darkening’ effect by reducing light reflectance on nearby installations, dragging down energy production by 11%. The ‘urban heat island effect’ can also weigh on PV system performance, the researchers said.