African utilities wary of threat from renewables
The rise of clean energy and prosumers, net metering and greenhouse gas regulation all figure among the bogeymen as far as national electric companies are concerned.
Akuo deploys 44 mobile solar units in Madagascar
Each unit contains 200 pre-assembled and pre-wired photovoltaic panels and can be deployed in 30 minutes.
UK enters the solar space race
The government has commissioned a study into the feasibility of generating solar power in space and beaming the energy down to earth now that commercial space launches have changed the rules of the game.
More land restrictions for solar in Taiwan
PV developers will no longer be allowed to deploy solar on salt flats in ecologically sensitive areas in Chiayi County and the city of Tainan.
Danish fund backs 5 GW Australian renewable hydrogen project
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Hydrogen Renewables Australia have agreed to develop the 5 GW Murchison Renewable Hydrogen Project in Western Australia. It will use PV and wind to produce hydrogen fuel for export to Japan and South Korea.
New panel cleaning tech based on nano-coating and mechanical vibration
Researchers in Egypt have tested a new solar module cleaning technique for solar arrays in arid regions. They claim that the combination of nano-coatings with vibration mechanisms on the backs of modules can reduce manual cleaning requirements.
Solar park built on rough wooden structures in France
French cooperative Céléwatt and engineering company Mécojit are building a new, 250 kW solar park in southwestern France. The solar panels are installed on a raw wood structure, sourced from the surrounding forests, to promote local employment and a regional natural resource.
‘Solar should be at heart of EU recovery’
Solarpower Europe has called on member states to put solar and battery storage front and center when it comes to drawing up the Recovery and Resilience plans needed to secure a slice of the bloc’s proposed €672.5 billion post-Covid stimulus package.
Floating PV on a quarry lake in southern Germany
Spanish company Isigenere has deployed a 739 kW floating array on a quarry lake near Dettelbach, in the Bavaria region. The plant is relying on 1,896 panels with a power output of 395 W each.
China could add 48 GW of solar next year – AECEA
The in-country analyst has revised up its expectation for this year and says a healthy unsubsidized project pipeline will keep the numbers ticking over in 2021. The spending plans necessary to ramp up renewables targets in the next five-year plan, though, could put the nation on a collision course with the EU.
