South African utility unveils renewable energy offtake program
Eskom has launched a renewable energy offtake program in South Africa, opening a 291 MW solar tender for large consumers through power purchase agreements on utility-owned sites.
Portugal surpasses 6.1 GW of solar capacity
Portugal’s solar capacity reached 6.17 GW in May, according to the country’s renewable energy association. While distributed generation is steadily expanding, a quicker rate of deployment across all market segments will be needed to meet 2030 targets.
Brazil’s solar capacity reaches 60 GW
The latest report from the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar) says Brazil’s operational solar fleet consists of 42.1 GW from small and medium-sized systems and 17.9 GW from large-scale solar plants. Solar currently represents 23.5% of all installed capacity in the Brazilian electricity grid.
Consortium reaches financial close on 2 GW Saudi solar project
Masdar, GD Power and Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) have reached financial close on the 2 GW Al Sadawi solar project in Saudi Arabia. The financing includes $1.1 billion from eight regional and international banks.
Advantage of back-contact solar modules in shading scenarios is limited to specific conditions, study finds
Researchers from Trina Solar and China’s Nanchang University claim to have verified that back-contact solar modules outperform TOPCon modules only when fewer than three cells in a substring are shaded. Their findings were published in a peer-reviewed scientific paper.
USDA announces it will discontinue funding solar projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded billions in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants for solar projects. Secretary Brook Rollins said the agency will no longer deploy funds to solar and wind projects.
Central African Republic starts building 50 MW of solar with 10 MWh of storage
UAE-based Global South Utilities has begun construction on a 50 MW solar project with 10 MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the Central African Republic.
How to control frequency fluctuations during PV plant deloading
Researchers in Egypt have developed new control strategies for managing frequency fluctuations during deloading of a photovoltaic plant. The proposed methodology combines a proportional–integral controller along with a rate of change of frequency controller.
PV-driven portable air water generator for remote areas
Scientists in Saudi Arabia have created a PV-powered air water generator that can be used in remote areas or on lengthy vehicle journeys. It can reportedly produce a liter of water at approximately $0.04 for packing and zero for non-packing.
Oman’s 500 MW Manah I solar project begins operating
Shanghai Electric has completed construction of the 500 MW Oman Manah I solar project, the company’s first project in the country.
