Utility Scale PV

Brazil now has 12  GW of underperforming hydropower capacity, according to U.S. researchers. Large-scale floating PV is an ideal solution to offset this shortfall, due to its high capacity factor, load correlation, and high potential output during periods of high demand.

The lower projected costs for PV could help guide some utilities to plan for more PV capacity, as the utilities develop their long-term resource plans.

In-country analyst the AECEA has speculated the authorities could be ready to wipe the slate clean for the start of the nation’s 14th five-year plan on January 1. The analyst has raised its solar expectations for the year but noted the sky-high price of polysilicon remains a concern for developers.

As nations begin to move towards clean energy, fossil fuel exporting countries will need to rethink and reshape their economies. Taking Russia as an example, an MIT study has examined the likely impact on oil, gas and coal exports and the opportunities the energy transition could offer.

Caledonian Mining has revealed plans to build a $13 million solar plant at the Blanket gold mine in southern Zimbabwe. It raised funds for the project via a share sale.

Solar curtailment might become a valuable aspect of future PV deployment, particularly if grid operators start focusing on ‘curtailment management’ instead of ‘curtailment prevention.’ Management would include measures such as flexible generation, storage, load flexibility, and regional coordination.

At Australia’s University of Newcastle hydrogen production starts with water extracted from the atmosphere and electrolysis powered by free energy from the sun; sucking CO2 from the air is the next step to filling Angus Taylor’s beloved gas infrastructure with green methane that can bring spuds to the boil and power the economy while helping to flatten the nation’s emissions curve.

The Saudi power company has named the lenders which will finance the latest stage of the gargantuan, 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, for an estimated $564 million.

The world’s sixth-largest solar player in 2019 has risen to the top spot by securing a contract from Solar Energy Corp. of India to develop 8 GW of PV capacity.

Large solar projects are surging in the United States. We’ve gathered up the latest news in big solar, with Indiana set to double its solar capacity, and Texas galloping along.