In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that April’s weather in Europe presented a north-south divide impacting solar generation across the continent. High pressure systems over the Mediterranean meant sunnier than normal conditions in Southern Europe, benefitting PV output.
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
If solar-powered irrigation pumps can be rolled out in a responsible manner at scale, the impact on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa could be transformational.
As the world becomes increasingly roiled by extreme weather, drone-based electroluminescence (EL) mapping can be a key weapon in the arsenal of solar investors.
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that a significant high-pressure anomaly in the Pacific fostered more settled conditions and pushed a deep layer of dryer air over the Western United States, resulting in clearer skies. Whilst coastal regions saw average to slightly more irradiance than normal, Midwestern states including Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming, received up to 110% normal levels.
The number of module assembly businesses in Türkiye continues to rise but, despite protectionist moves to support domestic manufacturing, consolidation appears likely. Ambitions abroad, expansion at home, and interest from Chinese suppliers, were all on show at the recent SolarEX trade fair in Istanbul.
PosHYdon says it wants to validate the integration of three energy systems in the Dutch North Sea: offshore wind, offshore gas, and offshore hydrogen. The project will involve the installation of a hydrogen plant on the Neptune Energy (Eni) Q13a-A platform.
Trina Solar says its solar panel shipments reached 65.21 GW in 2023. The Chinese module maker achieved a turnover of $15.75 billion and a net profit of $768.2 million in fiscal 2023, with an annual module production capacity of 95 GW by the end of December.
Guangdong Electric Power Development (GDEP) has bought 118 MW of Trina Solar panels for $0.12/W. It says it will use the modules for several solar projects in China’s Shandong province.
Lightsource bp says it plans to develop a solar-plus-storage facility in Ireland. The proposed installation will feature a 57 MW solar array and a 54 MW energy storage system on an open grassland site in the eastern part of the country.
Scientists in Czechia have conducted a techno-economic analysis of a green hydrogen production system powered exclusively by photovoltaic and wind energy. The system uses surplus energy for water treatment and, according to its creator, can achieve a levelized cost of hydrogen of $3.12/kg.
Under Czechia’s new rules for agrivoltaics, farmers and developers will not need approval to change land designations and zoning plans for agricultural areas devoted to PV generation. The provisions currently only allow agrivoltaics to be deployed in orchards and vineyards.
Researchers in Japan have analyzed the warming effect of photovoltaic system on land surface temperature around the Kushida River Basin for ten years and have found this value increased by an average of 2.85 C.
A new report prepared under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation on Innovative Solar provides a comprehensive overview of floating solar potential in India. It also provides projections for installations from 2024 to 2040.
The competition regulator in the Netherlands says that the grid fees that big energy suppliers are applying to PV system owners are legitimate. Solar customers currently pay between €100 ($107) and €697, depending on the system size.
The solar modules are based on the record-breaking 25.32%-efficient 2D/3D perovskite solar cells that the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne unveiled in July 2023. The panel has an aperture area of 27.22 cm2, and were encapsulated by glass-glass encapsulation technology combined with an edge seal of the module under UV light illumination.
Infinite Mobility, a developer of solar-powered bikes for last mile delivery fleets and commuters, is shipping samples to potential distributors in Europe, a month ahead of series production.
The authorities in Ireland have opened a €20 million ($21.5 million) fund for energy research and innovation. It will support projects contributing to the nation’s clean energy transition, such as heat decarbonization and energy storage.
UK scientists have proposed a way to combine photovoltaic-thermal energy with Stirling engines and battery storage in residential buildings. Despite the high upfront costs, they said the cost-effective hybrid co-generation system could significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
An Austrian research team has demonstrated lightweight, flexible and ultra-thin perovskite solar technology in palm-sized autonomous drones, showcasing the stability and energy-harvesting potential of the technology. The champion single junction cell in the study had an open-circuit voltage of 1.15 V and 20.1% efficiency.
An international research group has developed a solar cell based on a lead-free perovskite material known as Cs2AgBiBr6. The cell’s absorber was doped with trans-polyacetylene, which reportedly helped the device to improve its efficiency by more than 20%.
The new MLPE from Tigo is designed to support commercial and industrial as well as utility-scale solar projects.
Spanish developer Solaria says it bought 435 MW of solar modules from an undisclosed supplier for €0.091 ($0.09)/W. Kiwa PI Berlin confirms that average solar module prices for large-scale PV projects in Spain are now around €0.10/W.
The Chinese module manufacturer said the new efficiency record was confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).
A 4.4 MW solar project featuring modular PV technology from 5B has commenced operations in Australia. The project includes 2 MW/1 MWh of battery storage systems from UK supplier Aggreko.
The Japanese authorities selected 30 battery storage projects in the procurement exercise. The selected developers and plant owners will be awarded a 20-year fixed revenue.
BSES Rajdhani Power’s new 20 MW/ 40 MWh project is India’s first utility-scale, standalone battery energy storage system to secure regulatory approval under Section 63 of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003. The project is supported by a concessional loan from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).
Modeling shows that shifting just one-third of the electricity consumption of commercial and institutional buildings in Australia to the middle of the day, coinciding with peak solar supply, would create almost 12 GW of new peak capacity in the National Electricity Market.
State-owned utility Egyptian Electricity Holding Company is requesting expressions of interest for the design, building and operation of a 8.2 MW solar plant and 2 MW/4MWh battery energy storage system, located at the site of an existing microgrid in western Egypt.
A new mobile power generator that combines solar and renewable hydrogen to provide zero-emissions power for remote and off-grid applications has been unveiled by Australian startup H2PowerBox.