Dutch startup develops offshore floating PV platform
Dutch startup SolarDuck has developed a triangular structure for floating PV that resembles an offshore oil platform. CEO Koen Burgers told pv magazine that it keeps panels more than 3 meters above the water surface, and claimed that the structure can handle waves and dynamic loads. It will be used in a Dutch pilot project from April.
Spain joins the gigafactory race
SEAT and Iberdrola are planning to build an EV battery manufacturing facility in Barcelona with the support of the Spanish government.
Zero carbs diet for Coca-Cola in the Netherlands
Dutch power utility Eneco will supply solar and wind power from projects in front of the factory gates to allow the beverage factory to decarbonize its production.
Kenyan utility kicks off tender for small solar parks
KTDA Power Company is seeking developers for up to ten small-sized solar parks. The facilities are expected to have a capacity of between 300 kW and 1 MW.
Novel solar module transport solution from Australia
Safety when transporting solar PV modules from warehouse to job site is an ongoing issue for installers but one Australian solar company has designed and manufactured a simple yet effective racking system that helps allay those concerns. The racking system comprises an aluminum frame fitted with opposing channels into which the solar modules slide.
Bond market to finance 230 MW solar projects in Bangladesh
Bangladesh-based Beximco Group has said it will raise nearly US$400 million in Islamic bonds to finance two solar PV power plants totaling 230 MW in the country’s northern districts.
African Development Bank lends $27.2 million for 200 MW solar park in Egypt
The $156.4 million Kom Ombo photovoltaic solar power plant is being developed by Saudi energy giant ACWA Power.
Austria’s largest PV plant comes online
The 11.5 MW solar park is operated by Austrian power provider Wien Energie. The plant includes sheep farming.
Solar surpasses wind in India
In January, India’s cumulative PV capacity reached 38.8 GW. This was enough to surpass wind and make solar the first renewable energy source in the country.
Simulating PV’s silver future
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE developed a model to simulate different setups for screen printing in solar cell metallization. The model provides a comparable ‘screen utility index’ value that can predict the usefulness of different architectures in the printing equipment in relation to the properties of a given silver paste. The approach, says Fraunhofer, will assist the PV industry in reducing the amounts of silver needed in silicon cell manufacturing.
