Icephobic surfaces for ice, snow shedding in utility scale solar
Developed by U.S. researchers, the proposed coating solution is claimed to effectively melt ice and snow with temperatures down to -35 degrees Celsius. It was fabricated by using medium-chain triglyceride oil to plasticize two common industrial polymer polyvinyl chlorides and tested at a pilot facility in Alaska.
New solution to store residential, commercial PV electricity as green hydrogen
Germany’s Home Power Solutions has developed a hydrogen storage solution with a capacity of up to 15,000 kWh. The Picea system stores excess electricity from rooftop PV systems in the form of green hydrogen.
New metric for 50-year solar plant operation
A German-U.S. research group has proposed a new model to treat PV installations as permanent assets, with maintenance being performed at regular intervals. Through the new metric, it found more convenient to operate a module with 0.5% annual degradation for 35 years, and a module with 0.2% degradation, for 50 years.
IFC opens $1.8m credit line to get big DR Congo project over the line
A 100 MWac solar farm planned in the Katanga region will be boosted by an additional credit line after the International Finance Corporation and the British and Norwegian government-owned Globeleq came on board.
EU prepares way for 0% VAT on several goods, solar panels for residential use now on proposed list
The European Council has approved a proposal to amend the EU rules on rates of value-added tax (VAT) to give member states more flexibility to set them. If adopted, solar panels for residential and ‘public interest’ applications would be included in the list of goods and services for which a maximum of 5% VAT could be levied.
Australia switches on new storage battery
Neoen has started operating a 300 MW/450 MWh big battery in Geelong, Australia. In spite of a fire during commissioning in July, the battery has been delivered in record time, taking less than a year to build and begin operations.
NASA to test solar-powered propulsion for asteroid defense
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission will roll out solar arrays and an electric propulsion system to redirect Earth-bound asteroids.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigates Tesla over alleged solar system fire negligence
The lawsuit stems from a 2019 whistleblower complaint alleging that the company failed to properly notify its shareholders, customers and the public of fire risks associated with solar panel system defects over the course of several years.
The Hydrogen Stream: ‘China, Chile, Spain and Australia will lead the hydrogen economy’
The International Energy Agency said the four nations are on track to contribute 85% of the 18 GW of global renewables capacity which is set to be dedicated to green hydrogen production by 2026. Elsewhere, the Port of Valencia has unveiled a plan to install a green hydrogen supply station in the new year.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Shuangliang secures three more wafer deals, Petro China’s 4.5 GW module deal
Shuangliang has secured supply agreements from Xinchao PV, Canadia Solar and SF Solar. Petro China wants modules for 4.5 GW of solar projects across 24 provinces.
