China set for 40 GW of pumped hydro storage next year
The showpiece 3.6 GW Fengning county project which will offer grid services and back-up power at the 2022 Winter Olympics is part of a 31.15 GW construction pipeline of projects, many of which are set to come into service next year.
Vietnam may cut FITs for large scale solar 20%
The tariff for rooftop PV will be maintained at $0.0935/kWh but payments for ground-mounted and floating solar could be cut to $0.0709/kWh and $0.0769, respectively. The previous FIT scheme, according to government figures, has driven the deployment of around 5 GW of solar generation capacity.
North Macedonian utility embraces solar at expense of coal
State-owned power company Elektrani na Severna Makedonija, which is developing a 10 MW solar project at its coal plant in Oslomej, is planning to stop seeking a coal alternative to its depleted lignite mine and to instead expand the solar scheme to fully replace an ageing 125 MW thermal plant.
Volume of Ukraine orders just keeps Risen
Risen Energy has announced a 148 MW module order will be completed this month as the Ningbo-based company expects to ship almost 1 GW of product to the country this year.
More chances for solar in Polish large scale renewables auction
The advent of permitting restrictions on wind power projects has opened the door for PV in the pending auction for renewable generation facilities with a capacity of more than 1 MW. Wind power dominates Polish clean energy and no solar projects were successful in last year’s exercise.
Hanergy touts solar powered car that can run 30 days without charging
The thin-film manufacturer and Chinese carmaker Joylong Automobile applied thin film cells to the roof of a small commercial vehicle which was tested for a month. Hanergy says its K-Car could offer an effective daily range of 50-100km without charging.
Hanwha Q Cells opens largest solar factory in the Western Hemisphere
The 300,000 sq ft factory in Dalton, Georgia has the capacity to produce 12,000 PV modules per day – 1.7 GW worth annually for panels able to produce the same peak generating capacity as the Hoover Dam.
International Energy Agency forecasts 115 GW of new solar this year
The global expansion of PV, wind power and other clean energies will see double-digit growth this year as solar continues to lead the pack.
Canada’s Saskatchewan province to halt net metering for solar
Utility SaskPower is set to close the net metering open to systems up to 100 kW in size once a 16 MW cumulative generation capacity limit is reached in the province.
Germany lifts cap on solar FIT program with new Climate Change Act
While the solar industry will welcome the move, the feed-in tariff paid to small systems is still reducing thanks to the volume of new capacity installed every quarter. Announcing a wide-ranging policy package on Friday, Angela Merkel admitted Germany will miss the carbon emission target set for next year.
