New metric for 50-year solar plant operation
A German-U.S. research group has proposed a new model to treat PV installations as permanent assets, with maintenance being performed at regular intervals. Through the new metric, it found more convenient to operate a module with 0.5% annual degradation for 35 years, and a module with 0.2% degradation, for 50 years.
IFC opens $1.8m credit line to get big DR Congo project over the line
A 100 MWac solar farm planned in the Katanga region will be boosted by an additional credit line after the International Finance Corporation and the British and Norwegian government-owned Globeleq came on board.
EU prepares way for 0% VAT on several goods, solar panels for residential use now on proposed list
The European Council has approved a proposal to amend the EU rules on rates of value-added tax (VAT) to give member states more flexibility to set them. If adopted, solar panels for residential and ‘public interest’ applications would be included in the list of goods and services for which a maximum of 5% VAT could be levied.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigates Tesla over alleged solar system fire negligence
The lawsuit stems from a 2019 whistleblower complaint alleging that the company failed to properly notify its shareholders, customers and the public of fire risks associated with solar panel system defects over the course of several years.
The Hydrogen Stream: ‘China, Chile, Spain and Australia will lead the hydrogen economy’
The International Energy Agency said the four nations are on track to contribute 85% of the 18 GW of global renewables capacity which is set to be dedicated to green hydrogen production by 2026. Elsewhere, the Port of Valencia has unveiled a plan to install a green hydrogen supply station in the new year.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Shuangliang secures three more wafer deals, Petro China’s 4.5 GW module deal
Shuangliang has secured supply agreements from Xinchao PV, Canadia Solar and SF Solar. Petro China wants modules for 4.5 GW of solar projects across 24 provinces.
Higher module prices impacting Czechia’s rebate program for small solar parks
The Czech authorities have extended, to February, the deadline to submit PV projects of up to 1 MW for the rebate scheme for small sized, ground mounted photovoltaics. According to Jan Krčmář, chairman of the Czech Solar Association, the lower than expected interest in the program may also be down to higher PV component prices.
New provisions may help Italy unlock 110 GW PV project pipeline with grid-connection requests
The Italia Solare Forum event held in Rome last week has shown, once again, that permitting for both large scale and distributed generation projects remains the main barrier to remove to make Italy get the benefits of its huge solar potential. Despite recent progress, new provisions, and a slight increase in new PV capacity, the Italian market may be, again, unable to surpass 1 GW this year.
Hybrid wind-solar generator for rooftop applications
French startup Wind my Roof has developed a new wind power system equipped with two rooftop PV modules. It is currently testing a prototype in Paris.
Solax Power launches new inverter series for commercial PV projects
The three-phase inverter series features an efficiency ranging from 98.6% to 99.0%. The devices are equipped with up to 12 MPPT inputs and are able to provide up to 32 A MPPT current.
