Australian PV plant tests 2 MW/8 MWh vanadium flow battery
Australia’s first utility-scale vanadium flow battery will be built in South Australia. It will demonstrate the tech’s potential to provide energy and frequency control ancillary services for the national grid.
Photovoltaic-thermal district heating networks are feasible
A group of scientists and companies in the Netherlands has tested a PVT heating concept in a green district and has found that the proposed design, which is also based on underground storage and the use of heat pumps, is technically and economically feasible.
African Development Bank opens $50-60m pot for off-grid solar Covid recovery
The development lender has established a Covid-19 Off-Grid Recovery Platform with impact investors from the Netherlands, U.S. and U.K., to offer affordable loans to off-grid solar companies operating in Africa.
Solar power providing heat for Indo-Tibetan border outposts
Indo-Tibetan Border Police outposts along India’s border with China are using MicroSun solar panels to generate electricity for heating purposes, among other applications.
Offshore floating PV may reach maturity in 2030
According to a report from DNV GL, the North Sea may host around 100 MW of floating solar capacity by 2030, and 500 MW by 2035. The LCOE of offshore PV systems is currently estimated at around €354/MWh but in the future it should be close to that of ground-mounted solar parks.
Ecuador concludes 200 MW PV tender with final price of $0.06935/kWh
Solarpack was the winner of Ecuador’s latest tender, launched in July 2019, for the 200 MW El Aromo solar project. The facility will sell electricity to state-owned Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador SA under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Australia’s largest privately owned shopping mall signs PV deal
The Narellan Town Centre, a shopping mall outside of Sydney, is set to undergo a AUD 40 million (USD 29.9 million) solar transformation with the signing of a 30-year energy partnership with CEP.Energy.
McDonald’s adds 420 MW of solar, pushing renewables capacity past 1 GW
The fast-food giant has signed three new virtual power purchase agreements for two wind farms and a solar project. The 750 MW of new capacity follows the company’s decision to deploy 380 MW of renewables last year.
Solar facade for 3D-printed concrete house
Taiwan-based Heliartec has deployed a solar facade on a 3D-printed concrete house in Belgium. It said it installed the solar facade with the “circular construction” philosophy in mind.
First PPA-driven solar rooftop in Egypt
Solarizegypt will receive payments from Coca Cola for a 1 MW array it has installed on an industrial facility in Sadat City under the nation’s net metering regime.
