UK makes Europe’s latest battery gigafab announcement
Coventry City Council, in the English West Midlands, wants to attract a £2 billion gigafab and is already in talks with nearby motor manufacturers, and with global battery suppliers, according to regional politician Andy Street.
Renewables targets falling by the wayside, according to African solar survey
An overview of the state of solar across the continent by trade body the Africa Solar Industry Association has highlighted a patchy policy landscape where clean power ambitions are often not followed through.
First attempt to fabricate solar cells based on antimony selenoiodide
South Korean scientists have produced a solar cell based on antimony selenoiodide, with a 4.1% efficiency, a short-circuit current density of 14.8 mA cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 473.0 mV, and a fill factor of 58.7%. They claim the cell exhibits excellent stability in humid conditions.
Quantum dot solar cells and the search for stability
In various forms, quantum dot technology has attracted plenty of attention among PV researchers recently. And as efficiencies have crept past the 15% mark, the community is beginning to look at other factors limiting the viability of quantum dot solar cells in a commercial setting. Scientists in Germany examined the degradation mechanisms affecting different quantum dot materials; and suggest a standardization of stability testing to enable comparability of results.
A2A buys 173 MW of grid-parity solar in Italy
The Italian energy provider agreed to buy 17 unsubsidized solar plants from U.K.-based Octopus Renewables for €205 million.
Belgium’s Flanders region unveils compensation scheme for PV systems affected by smart meter disruption
The draft regulation has now been sent to the country’s Council of State for review. If approved, the new rules will grant prosumers the right to ask to postpone the installation of a smart meter until 2025. Furthermore, the Flemish government said it will also compensate PV system owners with a sum that should ensure a reasonable investment return of 5%.
Austria allocates 332 MW of PV under 2020 rebate scheme
The Austrian government had devoted €50 million to the scheme for last year. These funds will enable the deployment of 15,957 PV systems.
Global PV installations to surpass 150 GW in 2021
Despite pandemic-induced impacts, the PV market was bigger than expected last year. In particular, an installation rush in Vietnam and China took place in December and pushed global demand upward. PV InfoLink estimates that global module demand in 2020 reached 140 GW. Analyst Mars Chang delves into the numbers.
Sterling and Wilson wins $127.5 million order in Egypt
India’s Sterling and Wilson – which has a global solar engineering, procurement and construction portfolio of more than 10.6 GWp – says that its latest contract in Egypt is for one of the country’s largest PV projects.
First Solar sells 900 MW of PV in US market
First Solar has sold off U.S. solar projects, including 200 MW scheduled to go into service in June, as well as 700 MW of capacity in early-stage development.
