China Three Gorges buys 570 MW of Spanish solar
The power company has won the race to acquire a 572 MW, 13-project solar plant portfolio owned by Madrid-based, Canadian-U.S.-controlled developer X-Elio.
French start-up plans 16 GWh battery factory
Verkor intends to set up a battery fab, with production to start in 2023. The scale could reach 50 GWh, depending on the dynamism of the stationary storage and electric vehicle markets.
Erdogan opens ingot-to-module solar factory in Ankara
The $1.4 billion cost includes a 1 GW solar field 260km away in Konya. The factory was developed solely by Kalyon Solar Technologies after development partner Hanwha Q-Cells walked away from the project.
Japan’s struggle to drive down renewables costs
A nation famous for high electricity prices has seen power costs fall 15% this year, according to analyst Wood Mackenzie, a figure which will help attract $100 billion of solar and wind investment to 2030. Renewables will have to work even harder, however, to displace fossil fuels in hydrogen production.
Canadian Solar offers $13m to settle class action
The Sino-Canadian solar manufacturer has moved to settle a ten-year-old case in which it was accused of breaching generally accepted accounting principles in its 2009 figures. The company has indicated the settlement, which is yet to be approved, is not an indication of guilt.
Russian design for vanadium redox flow batteries
Researchers claim to have developed a cheaper, faster method of assembling the field flow plate layers of the membrane electrode assembly used in vanadium redox flow batteries, which they claim outperforms traditional components.
New business model to help utilities own and operate rooftop PV
Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the U.S. have defined a utility-ownership model for rooftop PV they say could raise power company shareholder earnings 2-5%.
Modi loosens the purse strings to help India’s struggling state utilities
Covid-19 hits to demand and bill payment collection have worsened the plight of the nation’s already debt-crippled power distribution companies, prompting the government to order an exceptional relaxation of lending limits.
Consolidation continues for polysilicon makers
While mono-grade polysilicon prices did not decrease much in the first quarter owing to stable demand, multi-grade fell to record lows as its market share diminished. During the second quarter, writes PV InfoLink senior analyst Cooper Chen, the market saw excessive supply. Monocrystalline manufacturers have been running at full tilt and bringing new capacities online as scheduled, while the pandemic rages on overseas.
Strategies to improve rechargeable zinc metal batteries
A lack of standardized protocols is preventing rechargeable zinc metal batteries from complementing lithium-ion storage tech. A U.S. research team is now calling for standardized protocols for columbic efficiencies and greater zinc/electrolyte stability to make the technology viable.
