The weekend read: The ground beneath
A number of drivers are highlighting the importance of vegetation management in utility-scale solar projects, from coupling with agriculture to the significance of pollinators, as well as the related permitting and O&M benefits. Tom Karas of Minnesota Native Landscapes sets out why awareness of comprehensive vegetation management is of growing importance in the solar sector.
It’s cheaper to build new solar than it is to operate coal plants
New analysis released by Lazard compares the levelized cost of energy for various generation technologies on a $/MWh basis and shows that renewables, specifically utility-scale solar and wind, are the economic frontrunners.
Satellite data guides module technology choice for different climates and regions
A team of researchers analyzed irradiance spectra using satellite data. The research aimed at determining how different module technologies like silicon, hetero-junction, perovskite and CdTe cope in different geographies and weather conditions.
Bayesian algorithm to reduce LCOE of bifacial projects
German researchers have proposed a new model, based on a range of parameters, to influence the LCOE of bifacial PV plants, with a focus on components, land costs, inclination angles, albedo, and weather conditions.
Sustainable aircraft fuel will need a lot more renewables capacity
A research paper into the prospects of manufacturing ‘power-to-liquid’ kerosene in Germany has concluded the government will end up importing it. Wherever the world’s clean aviation fuels are made, however, it seems a lot of clean power will be needed to drive the production process.
X-Elio to build PPA-linked 200 MW solar park in Australia
The Spanish solar EPC specialist has announced a “landmark” power purchase agreement for the 200 MW Blue Grass solar project in Queensland, Australia.
New central inverter from Kehua
The 4.167 MW inverter has a reported efficiency of 99.02% and a European efficiency of 98.7%. The Chinese manufacturer claims the inverter’s DC parallel connection ensures the continuous operation of devices and increases the overall utilization rate by 1%.
Luxembourg launches 40 MW solar tender
The exercise will be open to PV projects ranging in size from 200 kW to 5 MW.
Fire accident at Argentinian solar park’s central inverters
The municipal firefighters of Ullum have been working for about an hour-and-a-half to extinguish a fire in the inverters of the Ullum photovoltaic park, owned by Argentinian energy company Genneia.
BayWa r.e and Alliander develop solar-plus-hydrogen in northern Netherlands
The pilot project, consisting of a 50 MW solar plant and a utility scale electrolyzer, is planned to test how this combination may help reduce grid constraints in the country.
