General Electric switches on 1.2 GW pumped hydro facility in China
General Electric has switched on two more 300 MW pumped storage turbines at a 1.2 GW hydro battery complex in China’s Anhui province, after finalizing the facility’s first 600 MW unit in December. The project has completed a trial period and commercial operations are now fully underway.
Community solar up, net metering down in US this year
Five US states will introduce community solar programs in 2023. Net metering continues to be challenged, but flexible financing may offer a competitive edge, says Wood Mackenzie.
Iberdrola, Prosolia secure approval for 1.2 GW of solar in Portugal
Iberdrola says it will build the massive Fernando Pessoa solar facility in Santiago do Cacém, about 200 kilometers south of Lisbon.
Rays Power Infra to build 1.8 GW solar park in India
Rays Power Infra has signed an agreement with the government of the Indian state of Rajasthan to build a 1.8 GW solar park, with an estimated investment of INR 9,140 crore ($1.11 billion).
Only5mins! – Europe may deploy 53 GW of solar this year
pv magazine speaks to Raffaele Rossi, head of market intelligence for SolarPower Europe, about the solar outlook in 2023. He says the European solar market may grow by around 29% compared to 2022.
Indian coal miner commissions utility-scale floating PV array
Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. (SCCL) has commissioned 5 MW of a 15 MW floating solar plant on the Singareni Thermal Power Station reservoir in India.
Novel snow-removal tech uses electricity from uncovered PV panels
JA Solar has worked with Chinese scientists to test a new electrical heating system for solar panels that uses the heat from uncovered panels to remove snow. The system starts by using grid electricity, but then relies on the thermal effect of resistance to uniformly heat the whole PN junction area of the snow-covered panels.
Weekend Read: Small change, big effect
Starting this year, ground-mounted solar modules in Germany can be replaced before the end of their service life, unlocking gigawatt-scale potential for new generation capacity without lengthy permitting processes or the need for new sites. Opinions differ as to what should happen with the decommissioned but still functioning modules, as pv magazine Deutschland’s Sandra Enkhardt reports.
Germany launches tender for 1,950 MW of large-scale solar
Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has opened the first round of a 5,850 MW tender for ground-mounted solar. The ceiling price has been raised to €0.0737 ($0.080)/kWh.
Italy allocates 94.2 MW of solar in latest renewables auction
Italy’s energy agency has awarded 94.2 MW of solar capacity at 15 locations and 22 MW of wind in its latest auction.
