BP to take full control of Lightsource BP
Energy giant BP announced today it would take full ownership of solar and wind energy developer Lightsource BP once a deal – pertaining to the purchase of the remaining renewables company’s shares BP does not own – goes through next year.
Thousands of Irish schools to hit the books for solar
Up to 1,600 schools in Ireland can apply from today to receive 6 kW of solar systems to be installed on their rooftops through a federally funded scheme, the Irish government recently announced.
Photovoltaics for marine wildlife telemetry devices
A US research team has tested mini solar modules in marine data collection devices, using animal hosts for water column profile measurements. The findings suggest that submarine PV can effectively operate in these applications at depths of up to 22 meters.
South Africa approves 1 GW solar project
German developer Soventix has secured approval from Eskom for the first phase of a giant 1 GW solar project in the town of De Aar, South Africa. Construction of the first 342 MW is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024.
Chile covers 20.7% of October electricity demand with solar
Chile covered 20.7% of its electricity demand in October with solar power. The nation has 9.18 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity, accounting for 26% of its total power generation capacity.
French developer to build 129 MW of solar-aviary capacity
French renewables producer Unite has started building 10 photovoltaic aviaries in France, with 127 MW of total capacity. Completion is expected in two stages in spring 2024 and January 2025.
Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells have practical efficiency potential of 39.5%
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE have provided guidelines for future research on perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells by identifying the most significant loss mechanisms at the perovskite/ETL interface, in the series resistance, and in light management.
Large-scale PV occupies just 0.13% of all agricultural land in Italy
A new report from Italian energy agency GSE shows that the 16.61 GW of ground-mounted PV plants in Italy only cover a small portion of the country’s agricultural space. In some regions, the percentage is even close to zero.
Clean Energy Council notes decline in Australian renewable energy investment
Investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector is more than 10 times lower than what it should be to reach 2030 targets, according to a new report by the Clean Energy Council.
Solar irradiance modeling method for east-west oriented vertical PV
A Finnish-Norwegian research group has investigated model chains for horizontal-to-vertical solar irradiance conversion in east-west oriented vertical PV systems located at high latitudes. They have found that accuracy and bias of the model chains are different for the east and west sides of solar array.
