IRENA: Urban renewables infrastructure needs to be concentrated in fastest-growing cities
Only 1% of Africa’s utility scale solar projects are within 20km of city limits, according to a new report, despite the fact the continent is expected to have around a billion more city dwellers by mid century.
Portugal to host 257 MW solar-plus-storage plant
Located in Evora, southern Portugal, the solar park is being planned by a Spanish-Portuguese consortium. The plant will be linked to a 10 MW storage system.
Hybrid salp swarm algorithm for MPPT optimization
Indian researchers have created a hybrid salp swarm algorithm to optimize MPPT tracking in PV systems under partial shading conditions. It is based on the swarming behavior of salps in the ocean.
Telecoms business secures 100 GWh of clean power with new procurement platform
Unnamed business was the launch customer for DNV GL’s Instatrust online PPA-matching platform. The corporate client’s request prompted offers of more than 800 GWh of renewable energy.
KKR’s India platform will acquire operating renewables assets
Headquartered in Mumbai, Virescent Infrastructure owns 169 MWp of solar assets in Maharashtra and 148 MWp in Tamil Nadu.
Sudan wants to contract 500 MW of solar power
According to the country’s Ministry of Energy, an unspecified UAE solar company has committed to building several large scale PV plants across the country. These new projects would be granted a 20-year PPA and would be Sudan’s first solar parks.
Enel to combine floating PV, hydropower
The Italian utility is testing several technologies at a floating PV array in Sicily. It wants to select the most promising ones for future large-scale projects in the reservoirs of its hydropower plants throughout the world.
Oil India seeks installers for at least 100 MW of solar
Oil India, a state-run oil producer, has issued a call for bids to build at least 100 MW of solar capacity at any location in India on a turnkey basis.
South Australia awards 10-year PPA to 260 MW of PV, 100 MW battery
Construction of the state’s biggest PV array and its fifth “big battery” will create 810 jobs. The state government forecasts US$8.96 million of energy savings over the course of the decade-long contract.
PV powered desalination is “the most competitive design”
Scientists in France conducted an analysis on the competitiveness of water desalination, taking a large scale project planned for Morocco as a case study. The research concludes that PV without storage is the cheapest option to power desalinators, and will likely remain so until at least 2030.
