Acciona finishes PV-powered irrigation system without batteries
Acciona has completed a 1.5 MW solar plant that powers an irrigation system covering 3,400 hectares in northeastern Spain, serving 150 irrigators. The company will supply water to local farmers under a 26-year contract.
Fraunhofer ISE creates way to assess perovskite-silicon tandem PV modules
Fraunhofer ISE is leading a project that is developing methods to characterize perovskite-based tandem modules, in an effort to facilitate their industrial implementation. A specially built Wavelabs solar simulator is now being used at the institute’s CalLab PV Modules.
The Hydrogen Stream: CIP plans 7 GW of electrolysis hub in Australia
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has announced plans to develop an AUD 30 billion ($19,95 billion) green hydrogen production hub on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, while a new research study shows the feasibility of gas-to-hydrogen pipeline conversion in Western Australia.
German agrivoltaics pilot features closed cycles for water, nutrients
The State Research Institute for Viticulture and Pomiculture (LVWO) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, has started generating electricity and cultivating berries in a pilot plant. Separately, a project combining agrivoltaics with apple cultivation in Austria has also shown promising initial results.
PV plants in Brazil hit by low performance in 2022
Centralized and distributed-generation PV plants in in Brazil generated less than expected last year, according to a study by Brazilian consultancy Greener.
Large-scale PV business still see growth in Italy
Italy has secured 939 MW of new PV projects, with Spanish group Repsol alone planning 825 MW of solar development, including its first two arrays in Puglia. Comal and Sonnedix have likewise unveiled new PV projects in Sardinia and Lazio.
Soltec’s new bifacial tracking algorithm
Soltec says its new algorithm optimizes tracker positioning by considering both frontal and rear radiation, resulting in a production increase of up to 0.30%.
NASA makes unusual discovery while testing perovskite solar cells in space
NASA has discovered that perovskite solar cells tested in space exhibit less degradation than reference devices tested on Earth. The agency acknowledged that it is uncertain about the specific factors in the space environment that contributed to the superior performance of the perovskite absorber film.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, ACWA Power invest $3.25 billion in three new solar projects
With a combined capacity of 4.55 GWac, the projects will power some 750,000 households. The Public Investment Fund is mandated to develop 70% of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy target capacity by 2030.
Australian state targets 1.5 GW of renewables and storage in latest tender round
As part of its long-term plan to transition from coal-fired power generation to clean energy New South Wales has launched another renewable energy tender seeking at least 950 MW of wind and solar capacity and 550 MW of long-duration storage.
