Solar a beacon of hope as Ukrainians yearn for peace
Solar energy has been essential for survival in Ukraine during nearly three years of war since the Russian invasion in 2022. As citizens hope for peace, PV will be instrumental in supporting post-war recovery, whenever it comes.
Brazilian plastics manufacturer offers reflective membrane for bifacial PV plants
Azul Pack has developed a new reflective membrane to increase albedo and energy yield in photovoltaic plants with bifacial modules. In a fixed structure plant located in Minas Gerais, the technology reportedly resulted in a 7% increase in energy at the inverter output.
New study shows reducing number of solar modules per string reduces risk of hotspots
Scientists in Indonesia have investigated early operational defects in a 24.9 MW solar PV system in Sumatra and have identified hotspot formation as the dominant defect. They also detected 282 cases of glass cracking, 350 cases of junction box failures and shading effects linked to module defects.
Swiss consortium switches on vertical solar-plus-storage project
The Baumgarten solar project consists of a 366 kW ground-mounted vertical PV array and a 2.5 MW/3 MWh storage facility.
The Hydrogen Stream: H2 projects in Algeria and Mauritania under the spotlight
As Saudi-Algerian researchers report on the northern African country’s hydrogen potential, Denmark’s GreenGo Energy starts its 6 GW electrolysis hydrogen project in Mauritania.
Companies express interest in developing 235 MW of solar in Albania
The Albanian government has received requests from four companies looking to develop four separate solar projects located across the country.
Peru installs 195.4 MW of solar in 2024
At the end of December 2024, the country reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of 476 MW.
Germany hits 100 GW milestone
The country installed around 1.12 GW of new PV capacity in January, thus raising its cumulative installed solar power over the 100 GW threshold.
Photovoltaics for sea cucumber aquaculture
Scientists in China have conducted a year-long study on six “aquavoltaics” farms hosting sea cucumber aquacultures under the solar panels. Due to the lower water temperature, the hibernation period of the animal was reduced, as was mortality, compared to the previous year.
Problems with Brazil’s planned battery auction
A crippling tax burden; an inability to bank energy arbitrage income; and uncertainty about grid fees, network ancillary payments, and solar-plus-storage eligibility could all affect a procurement exercise planned for June.
