Utility Scale PV

Indonesia’s PT PLN says it has started operating a 561 kW floating solar plant on the island of Java. The floating array, which is part of a larger 920 kW PV project under construction at the company’s Gas and Steam Power Generation Complex, is expected to generate 1.4 million kWh a year.

Trina Solar’s tracker subsidiary has launched a new version of its Vanguard single-axis two-in-portrait (2P) tracker. It uses multiple motors on one tracker row, reportedly allowing it to withstand higher wind loads and reduce tilt angle misalignment. The new solution is compatible with large modules up to 685 W.

US scientists have looked at how aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) could be used to store wind and solar power, while catering to heating and cooling energy demand during extreme hot or cold periods. They modeled a distributed energy system for a neighborhood in Chicago and found that ATES could reduce consumption of petroleum products by up to 40% at a slightly higher cost than other forms of storage.

The French government has announced the launch of a tender for 1.5 GW of ground-mounted PV and another tender for 800 MW of rooftop capacity, in order to compensate for the high failure rate of the third round of tenders for large-scale PV plants.

Surface limitations facing the expansion of photovoltaics in Germany have led to a bold vision: installing PV arrays along motorways and creating a vast DC smart grid in the process. The plan could even be implemented across Europe.

The African Development Bank funding will help the country in achieving its 2030 target of increasing electrification and supplying 20% of electric power demand through renewable energy sources.

Sarcos has designed a robotic PV construction solution that delivers, detects, lifts, and places PV modules in large-scale solar plants. It has recently field tested and validated the prototype solution in a pilot project funded by the US Department of Energy.

Brazilian developers have already installed at least 2.1 GW of distributed-generation solar and more than 1.3 GW of centralized PV this year. At this average pace of 21.1 MW per day, installers could build 7.71 GW of distributed-generation PV in 2023.

Sun Cable’s troubled AUD 30 billion ($20 billion) mega solar and storage project has received a welcome boost, with resources company Tivan announcing that it has signed a deal with the developer for the potential offtake of up to 300 MW of renewable electricity.

A new report from the association of Dutch grid operators predicts strong growth for the Dutch PV sector, regardless of potential international scenarios.