Shedding light on tandem perovskite solar cell progress
Perovskite PV devices are set to become the next big thing in solar with market analysts at S&P Global Commodity Insights predicting 1 GW of production by the end of 2024, rising to 6 GW in 2025. Perovskite tandem devices are at the front of the queue for commercialization but their characterization presents technical challenges.
The Hydrogen Stream: Nikola to sell 100 fuel-cell hydrogen trucks to Port of LA
Nikola plans to sell 100 hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for logistic operations in California, Volvo has started developing hydrogen combustion trucks, and Airbus has announced plans to launch a study into hydrogen projects in the US state of Georgia.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Cumulative PV capacity tops 670 GW
China’s cumulative PV capacity has surpassed 670 GW. The nation deployed approximately 60.5 GW of new solar in the first four months of 2024, including 14.37 GW in April alone.
Photovoltaics for center-pivot irrigation
Developer Loop Energia has built a 1.2 MW offgrid solar plant that now serves a center-pivot irrigation system in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The project reportedly enables local farmers to double soybean harvesting by achieving considerable savings through significantly lower diesel consumption.
When is the next Aurora due and what’s the impact on solar generation?
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, explains that the solar cycle does tend to increase the earth’s average annual extra-terrestrial irradiance, but only by a very small amount. It also explains that, while the annual cycle of extra-terrestrial irradiance causes a steady, predictable and significant 3.5% change through the seasonal cycle, the peak of the 11-year cycle of solar activity causes a smaller, more sporadic and unpredictable set of fluctuations.
Policy uncertainty creates ‘gap’ between hydrogen aims and reality, says BNEF
BloombergNEF (BNEF) says in a new study of 1,600 planned hydrogen projects that governments will miss their 2030 hydrogen targets. Analyst Adithya Bhashyam tells pv magazine that most of the announced projects to the end of this decade lack the key conditions for success.
French startup offers concrete solar carport
Visionpark said its novel solar carport solution is self-weighted and requires no foundation. It can reportedly host all kinds of solar panels and be installed quickly.
Energy security in renewables-based systems
A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) examines the global energy system’s transformation and its implications for energy security. It tells policymakers that energy security in renewables-based systems will require multi-dimensional thinking.
Malaysian IPP to expand solar portfolio with new acquisitions
Malakoff Corporation Berhad, a Malaysian independent power producer (IPP), plans to acquire a 51% share in ZEC Solar and a 49% stake in TJZ Suria. It says it has already signed a share sale and purchase agreement with Zelleco Engineering.
ESMC publishes recommendation paper for Net Zero Industry Act
The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) has voiced support for the inclusion of non-price criteria in auctions for solar modules, as laid out in the EU Net Zero Industry Act. The council’s recommendation paper also calls for member states to adopt the act as quickly as possible and highlights concern around cybersecurity and data security in relation to Chinese inverters.
