Solar park powering astronomical observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert
A solar facility with an installed power of 9 MW has come online at the Paranal Observatory operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The PV plant is also intended to power the world’s largest telescope that is currently under construction at the observatory.
World’s third-largest PV system on a stadium roof reaches completion
The stadium of German football club SC Freiburg hosts a 2.4 MW rooftop solar array relying on heterojunction modules provided by Swiss manufacturer Meyer Burger.
Indian Railways launches 2.6 GW renewables tender
The REMC Limited unit of Indian Railways has invited bids to install 1 GW of renewable power projects, with or without storage, for round-the-clock power supply to different zonal railways. It has also tendered the installation of a cumulative 1.548 GW of land-based solar plants near the traction sub-stations across various zonal railways. The projects are to be developed on a build-own-operate basis.
Rising number of grid-connected PV systems shows 2022 could be another record year for Swedish solar
Data from the Swedish association Svensk Solenergi shows some 21,500 PV systems were installed in the first half of the year, with a 90% growth compared to the same period a year earlier. The trade body also expects a substantial upswing in the spring of 2023.
Slovenia announces plan to deploy another 1 GW of solar by 2025
The plan envisages opening the Slovenian energy market to large-scale solar plants and is intended to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Oil and gas reservoirs are cheapest options for underground hydrogen storage
New research from Ireland shows that depleted oil and gas reservoirs may be used to store hydrogen at a cost of $1.29/kg. According to the researchers, underground hydrogen storage may benefit from the technological maturity of the geologic storage of natural gas and CO2, which are associated with decades of established knowledge.
Hybridizing compressed air, thermal energy storage in post mining infrastructure
Scientists in Poland have developed a compressed air energy storage technology using a thermal energy storage (TES) system built into a disused mine shaft. The system works without external heat sources, and utilizes an air compressor, a compressed air reservoir with a built-in thermal energy storage system, and an air expander.
Tata Power to build 600 MW wind-solar hybrid plant in India
The plant will be located in the state of Karnataka and should be completed within 24 months.
Clean power prices leap on back of tightening gas supply
Developers are making hay as far as PPA prices are concerned thanks to eye-watering wholesale electricity prices which mean they can just sell their solar and wind power on the open market.
Storing renewables via radial-flow packed bed thermal energy storage
Researchers in Sweden have created a thermal energy storage system relying on a dynamic air mass flow rate that is applied during both charge and discharge processes. It achieved a maximum thermal efficiency of around 70%.
