How the world’s sunniest region tackles solar module soiling, cleaning
Researchers studying PV panels in Chile’s hyper-arid Atacama Desert found that cemented soiling can cause annual energy losses of up to 9.8%. Their combined field and laboratory work shows that dry cleaning leaves residue that accelerates future cementation, making wet cleaning the more effective long-term strategy despite higher costs and scarce water.
Scatec switches on 273 MW of solar in South Africa
Norway’s Scatec has reached commercial operations of a 273 MW solar project in South Africa, the first to be completed from the country’s fifth bid window of its renewable energy procurement programme and the company’s first in the Western Cape province.
Agrivoltaics for biomethane
Researchers in Italy have simulated an agrivoltaic-powered anaerobic digestion plant for biomethane production and optimized it across eight scenarios, using vertically mounted panels in some cases with one-axis tracker and with two-axis trackers in others.
Japan’s 26th solar auction concludes with average final price of $0.046/kWh
Japan has allocated 75.3 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest price in the auction was JPY 4.97 ($0.032) /kWh.
Denmark’s second largest PV plant goes online
Swedish independent power producer Alight has completed a 215 MW solar project in Lolland, southern Denmark. The construction of Lidsø solar park started in the summer of 2024.
Keeping the smart grid cyber secure
As smart grid tech is rolled out around the world to modernize legacy assets and integrate renewable energy generation, it is also making the electricity network more prone to cyber attacks. IEC Standards provide protection but they also are challenged to keep up with the latest threats.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Aiko, Skyworth PV plan 5 GW back-contact solar module factory in Guangxi
The two companies will invest approximately CNY 2 billion ($282.8 million) in the new facility, which will host two production lines, each with a capacity of 2.5 GW. The project has already passed environmental review.
The Hydrogen Stream: EU endorses 100 cross-border hydrogen projects
The selected projects will be eligible for EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility and will benefit from streamlined approval and regulatory processes.
Large-scale agrivoltaics come to Norway
Solar developer Energeia AS has been granted a license to build, own and operate a 46 MW agrivoltaic project in Norway, set to become the country’s largest solar site to date.
Cooling PV modules with seawater
A research team in India developed a passive solar-panel cooling method using a thin, still layer of seawater placed over the module surface. Tests showed that while a thick water layer sharply reduced energy output, a thin 5 mm layer lowered module temperatures and increased daily energy generation by up to 8.86%.
