Heliatek and Lechwerke test PV facade on grain silo
The two companies have glued 230 square meters of solar film to the rough concrete surface of a grain silo in Donauwörth, Germany. The film is expected to generate approximately 6,700 kWh kilowatt-hours of solar power per year. Lechwerke and Heliatek want to open up new potential for the use of PV on other surfaces with the pilot project.
French energy agency says ‘neglected’ areas offer 53 GW of PV potential
The Ademe has identified 17,764 sites that could help France’s ambitious solar plans to materialize. Many neglected areas that are suitable for solar are old deposits of hydrocarbons, but parking lots also offer an additional 4 GW of potential.
Solar industry demands new strategy for European PV
Leading representatives of the European solar industry have issued a call for a new industrial strategy ahead of the European Commission’s upcoming proposals for the sector, which are expected this summer.
European super-grid suffers delays, says Entso-E
According to a paper published by the European Network of Transmission System Operators, a significant number of grid infrastructure projects in the Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2018 have been delayed, with public opposition identified as the main hindrance.
How selenium alloying gives CdTe thin film a boost
A new study conducted by an international team of scientists from leading institutions in the U.K. and the United States provides an explanation as to how the addition of selenide can greatly improve the efficiency of cadmium telluride solar cells. Explaining the performance boost will provide researchers with a route to explore further efficiency improvements, pushing the material’s cost even lower.
Belectric installs 1.9 MWh of battery storage for Audi in Germany
The German EPC contractor built the 1.9 MWh energy storage system for the automaker as part of a micro smart grid project on the EUREF Campus, a green innovation hub in Berlin.
Botswana cancels 100 MW PV tender, plans new procurement exercise for June
The canceled tender was seeking investors for the construction of two 50 MW PV plants, as part of a joint venture with local utility BPC. The new tender will focus on independent power producers.
OCBC Bank consortium to finance 30 MW in Malaysia
A group led by the Singapore-based lender has revealed plans to finance a 30 MW solar project in northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. The companies did not disclose additional details about the financing package.
Sonnen launches fixed-price solar and storage plan in Victoria, Australia
Households in the Australian state of Victoria can now sign up for sonnenFlat, an energy plan that offers a guaranteed annual energy allowance including solar, storage and grid energy usage for a fixed fee.
Bifacial module demand continues to grow
Module technologies such as bifacial, half-cut, multi-busbar (MBB), and shingled are maturing after two years of improvement. Comparing module technologies, we see that half cut has a high degree of maturity in production equipment, high yield rates, and output climbing since the beginning of 2018. From late 2018 to 2019, most companies have expanded or upgraded their portfolios by pairing half-cut technology with MBB technology.
