Australia, Cuba, Malawi, and Peru ratify ISA framework
Four more countries have ratified the International Solar Alliance (ISA) framework agreement, taking the total number to 19. On Wednesday December 6, the ISA will be established as a legal international intergovernmental body.
US Senate approves tax bill with provision to hobble solar, wind tax credits
The bill will now be reconciled with the House version, which does not contain the BEAT provision. SEIA says that it has four Senators who support “fixes”, but was not able to get a modification to the Senate bill.
UK researchers seek to improve conductivity of fluorine doped tin dioxide in coatings for solar cells
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have identified the root of low conductivity in fluorine doped tin dioxide coating, a result that may have positive development for the glass coating of solar cells.
South Africa’s energy mix will be much cheaper with renewables, study says
According to a new study conducted by the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies at the Goethe-University Frankfurt, a mix of solar and wind may be over 10% cheaper than power generation from new coal and nuclear plants in South Africa, even if the cost of renewables and batteries will see no further reduction from today until 2050.
Capital Stage acquires 47 MW of solar in the Netherlands
The German solar and wind power plant operator has made its first move into the Dutch solar market.
Brazil to hold another auction including solar in April
The new A-4 auction will be open to thermoelectric, wind, solar and hydro large-scale power projects, which must be operational from 2022.
US scientists use hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites to increase solar cell efficiency
Research funded by the US Department of Energy and conducted by the University of Virginia has demonstrated how the rotation of organic molecules in hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites may expand the lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers.
Curaçao and Dutch Caribbean launch tenders for two more solar projects
While Curaçao’s power utility Aqualectra seeks developers for a 10-15 MW solar park, Saba Electric Company, the energy provider of the Saba island, is tendering 1 MW of PV capacity combined with storage.
The weekend read: Every last watt
PERC power: As PERC settles into its position as a mainstream technology, leading module manufacturers are searching for ways to push ever more watts out of their module, and eliminate lingering degradation issues. So far this has included ramping up production capacities for half-cell modules and developing innovative new connection strategies. pv magazine looks into the latest technologies leading to gains in power output and quality at module level.
US: Longi, Canadian Solar in talks with Suniva
Reports from the Suniva’s bankruptcy filings indicate conversations with multiple companies that could potentially acquire the bankrupt cell and module maker.
