Utility Scale PV

PI Berlin has developed a new tool to detect problems in inverters such as defective printed circuit boards, faulty switching algorithms, and deficiencies in components and sensors.

Australian solar thermal specialist Vast Renewables aims to accelerate the development of its concentrated solar power (CSP) technology with a AUD 16.37 million ($10.7 million) capital commitment from French energy giant EDF Renewables.

Masdar unveiled a 10 GW Africa Growth Plan for renewable investments in six Sub-Saharan Nations at COP28 in Dubai this week, in addition to signing four additional hydrogen deals.

Bangladesh has approved more than 1.5 GW of solar projects over the past seven months, with recent developments including tariffs for 200 MW in November and 310 MW in October.

A consortium of financial institutions last week announced they co-invested $52 million to help finance the development of a 50 MW greenfield project in Sierra Leone titled Planet Solar spearheaded by Frontier Energy and Planet One Group.

A report from Ernst & Young (EY) shows that despite inflationary pressures, solar remains the cheapest source of new-build electricity. The global weighted average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV is now 29% lower than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative.

The Italia Solare Forum this week in Rome highlighted the renewed importance of the large-scale solar segment in Italy and underscored the huge potential of energy communities, given the EU’s recent approval of a dedicated incentive scheme.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie predict that 33 GW of solar will likely be added in the United States in 2023. Despite economic challenges in the near future, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity by 2050.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that North America in November experienced a divide in irradiance patterns across the continent.

Canada’s Hydrostor has struck a deal to provide backup power to a remote town in the Australian state of New South Wales by using a compressed air energy storage plant that will be built in an underground cavern at one of the region’s closed mines.