U.S. power company NRG continues moving into solar during Q1
Despite a challenging financial environment, NRG continues its solar expansion, including an increasing presence in community solar.
University of Twente publishes research on back reflector materials
Researchers at the Netherlands’ University of Twente have developed a material comprising thin, diamond-like photonic nanostructures which reflect a surprisingly wide range of colours of light, from all angles. This could make the material ideally suited for use as a back reflector for PV modules.
Norway’s oil producer Statoil eyes first investments in solar
The Norwegian oil company confirmed it is evaluating new business opportunities within solar. The company launched a $197 million fund dedicated to renewable energies in February 2016.
Eon and Google launches Sunroof platform in Germany
The Sunroof platform is already available in the United States, having launched there in 2015. Thanks to Eon, the platform used by homeowners to assess the solar potential of their roofs will also be online in Germany in the near future.
Natcore achieves 20.7% efficiency on silver-free back contact cell
The latest efficiency milestone for Natcore’s Foil Cell is verified by the NanoPower Research Lab at Rochester Institute for Technology. The result was achieved on the Natcore Foil Cell, which utilizes a lasering process and novel metallization strategy, eliminating the need for costly silver.
Sweden’s Infranode invests $11.3 million in distributed solar energy
The Swedish investment firm is also ready to commit a further $56.7 million to solar and geothermal heat pump energy assets.
KIT researchers detect nanostripes on perovskites
KIT scientists have researched the underlying physical mechanisms of perovskites to understand the reason for their high efficiency potential. For the first time proof for nanostructures in the perovskite layers has been provided.
Dutch pension fund PGGM invests €200 million in SolarCity’s project portfolio
The Dutch fund will invest in a portfolio of solar projects of Tesla’s solar unit. The projects are spread across 21 U.S states and have a combined capacity of 275 MW.
Masdar & MIT develop method for high efficiency semiconductor materials
Researchers from the Abu Dhabi based Masdar Institute and the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology have jointly published the development of a fabrication method, which they say could make high efficiency semiconductor materials such as gallium-arsenide, indium phosphide and others more competitive with crystalline silicon.
India: Andhra Pradesh tenders 100 MW solar project
The Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation releases tender details of $70 million solar project to be built in Talaricheruvu.
