Utility Scale PV

Two Norwegian companies are designing floating concentrating photovoltaic thermal technology that can produce both electricity and heat. It is intended for use in carbon capture projects and to be supported by an industrial heat pump system.

The UAE is expected to generate 25% of its electricity from solar energy and have a total installed solar capacity of 44 GW by 2050. The Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) describes the challenges the country has to address to make this target achievable.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, presents the solar irradiance data it collected for Europe in April. These data show that Spain benefitted from solar irradiance 20% to 30% above average during the last month, while in the rest of Europe irradiance was below average.

Energy company Axpo wants to build a 10 MW solar plant on an 80,000 m2 surface at an altitude of 2,100 in the Swiss Alps. The Ovra Solara Magriel project will provide power to the mountain railway and a ski area.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released new data on the cost of capital for solar PV, onshore and offshore wind in the period between 2020 and 2021. Results show that Germany and the Netherlands have the lowest cost of capital in Europe at 2.2%, while the United States, China, India, and Australia show values of 5.4%, 3.9%, 7.1%, and 4.6%, respectively.

The International Energy Agency expects Australia’s “outstanding” economic fundamentals for residential and commercial rooftop solar will see the sector stabilize in 2023 after a new report revealed the PV market contracted in 2022, when the country added 4 GW of installed solar power.

Solar Energy Corp. of India, NTPC and NHPC will examine developers’ requests for an extension to their solar and wind-solar projects on a case-by-case basis. The extension will only be granted if the developer has taken all possible measures to implement the project, such as land acquisition and orders for modules and balance-of-system supply, but couldn’t complete it for reasons beyond his control.

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the International Renewable Energy Agency shares a series of recommendations gathered from sector experts to help India reach its ambitious solar targets. According to its experts, Quality Infrastructure (QI) will be crucial for the country’s PV market in the years to come. QI is an interdependent ecosystem of the different elements (accreditation, certification, standards, testing, metrology, inspection & monitoring) working together in harmony, and all associated services should be developed in unity and not in a piecemeal fashion. A sound and internationally harmonized QI not only ensures that PV products and services deliver as expected by customers and national energy authorities, but also enables more efficient and competitive markets based on a global economy on scale.

A mapping of green hydrogen projects in Brazil shows that there are at least 42 projects under various stages of development in the country.

As of the end of March, Chile had 4,748 MW of PV projects under construction, 19,832 MW of solar projects approved, and another 4,660 MW under review.