Ten-year renewal of Estonia’s renewables support program
New €450 million incentive regime needed to be approved under EU state aid rules.
Indonesia launches call for IPP solar projects
State-owned utility PT PLN (Persero) is seeking proposals from independent power producers to build large-scale solar plants.
Solar set to shine in a post-pandemic world
The world is still combating Covid-19, with Europe now impacted by a second wave of the virus. While the market reported delays for a few projects, the impacts on the PV sector remain unclear. But if the world fails to curb the Covid-19’s spread, governments may be forced to reintroduce strict measures, thereby sapping PV demand. PV InfoLink’s Mars Chang expects module demand to hit 126 GW by the end of this year.
Green hydrogen costs could plunge in India by 2030
A cost decline of more than 50% by the end of the decade could make green hydrogen cost-competitive with hydrogen from fossil fuels in certain industrial applications, such as ammonia production for fertilizers.
Australia’s battery energy storage pipeline at 7 GW
Cornwall Insight estimates Australia’s energy storage pipeline at 7 GW, although most of that capacity is still in the proposal phase. More than 900 MW of storage will be built by 2024 – far more than the market operator’s 2020 forecast.
Digital tool to monitor PV plant construction
U.K.-based Above has developed a digital approach to unifying PV plant testing and inspection data. The company said the new tool can create a permanent digital record for the future.
‘Europe’s battery recycling quotas are blunt and a decade too late’
Last week, the European Commission announced it plans to implement sustainability standards for Europe’s growing battery industry. Consultant Circular Energy Storage published a report on lithium-ion battery life cycle and recycling economics this month and its findings ask tough questions of the commission’s proposals.
Improving PV-based hydrogen generation with loss‐mitigation techniques
Australian scientists have demonstrated two loss-mitigation techniques that could improve solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiencies and may lay the ground for cheaper PV-powered hydrogen generation. By combining the two techniques, they were able to achieve an STH efficiency of around 19.4% at realistic operating temperatures.
What is the UK government’s problem with solar?
You’ll need to pay close attention to find the few mentions of solar in the long-awaited White Paper issued by the government to outline how it plans to hit net zero by mid century.
Another 300 MW of solar power for Egypt’s Aswan region
UAE-based AlNowais Investments Company has been allowed to increase the size of its solar project in Kom Ombo from 200 to 500 MW. The facility will sell power to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) under a long-term, bilateral PPA.
