In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that April’s weather in Europe presented a north-south divide impacting solar generation across the continent. High pressure systems over the Mediterranean meant sunnier than normal conditions in Southern Europe, benefitting PV output.
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
If solar-powered irrigation pumps can be rolled out in a responsible manner at scale, the impact on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa could be transformational.
As the world becomes increasingly roiled by extreme weather, drone-based electroluminescence (EL) mapping can be a key weapon in the arsenal of solar investors.
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that a significant high-pressure anomaly in the Pacific fostered more settled conditions and pushed a deep layer of dryer air over the Western United States, resulting in clearer skies. Whilst coastal regions saw average to slightly more irradiance than normal, Midwestern states including Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming, received up to 110% normal levels.
Chinese company Hunan Rich Photovoltaic Science and Technology is set to invest over €300 million in the development of a 1 GW solar panel factory and 200 MW solar power plant in Serbia. The agreement is one of two the country’s Minister of Mining and Energy has signed with Chinese companies this week.
Scientists in Czechia have conducted a techno-economic analysis of a green hydrogen production system powered exclusively by photovoltaic and wind energy. The system uses surplus energy for water treatment and, according to its creator, can achieve a levelized cost of hydrogen of $3.12/kg.
The subsidiary operated a module manufacturing facility in Lannion, Brittany, northern France. According to Recom, the annual production capacity of the Sillia plant had been expanded from 50 MW in 2017 to 500 MW. The Recom Group as a whole remains unaffected by this liquidation and is in the process of consolidating its European cell and module manufacturing in one central location in Padua, Italy.
Under Czechia’s new rules for agrivoltaics, farmers and developers will not need approval to change land designations and zoning plans for agricultural areas devoted to PV generation. The provisions currently only allow agrivoltaics to be deployed in orchards and vineyards.
SolarDuck and Tokyu Land have installed a floating solar demonstration unit in Japan. This project is billed as the nation’s first offshore floating solar power plant on the surface of the ocean and will be used to power electric vehicles and boats.
A new report prepared under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation on Innovative Solar provides a comprehensive overview of floating solar potential in India. It also provides projections for installations from 2024 to 2040.
The competition regulator in the Netherlands says that the grid fees that big energy suppliers are applying to PV system owners are legitimate. Solar customers currently pay between €100 ($107) and €697, depending on the system size.
Amea Power has started the construction of a 120 MW solar plant in northeastern Tunisia. Once operational, the plant is expected to generate 222 GWh of clean energy per year.
Engie and UAC Berhad have signed a 20-year solar power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 7.35 MW solar array in Malaysia.
UK scientists have proposed a way to combine photovoltaic-thermal energy with Stirling engines and battery storage in residential buildings. Despite the high upfront costs, they said the cost-effective hybrid co-generation system could significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
Infinite Mobility, a developer of solar-powered bikes for last mile delivery fleets and commuters, is shipping samples to potential distributors in Europe, a month ahead of series production.
The authorities in Ireland have opened a €20 million ($21.5 million) fund for energy research and innovation. It will support projects contributing to the nation’s clean energy transition, such as heat decarbonization and energy storage.
An Austrian research team has demonstrated lightweight, flexible and ultra-thin perovskite solar technology in palm-sized autonomous drones, showcasing the stability and energy-harvesting potential of the technology. The champion single junction cell in the study had an open-circuit voltage of 1.15 V and 20.1% efficiency.
An international research group has developed a solar cell based on a lead-free perovskite material known as Cs2AgBiBr6. The cell’s absorber was doped with trans-polyacetylene, which reportedly helped the device to improve its efficiency by more than 20%.
The new MLPE from Tigo is designed to support commercial and industrial as well as utility-scale solar projects.
The Chinese module manufacturer said the new efficiency record was confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).
A 4.4 MW solar project featuring modular PV technology from 5B has commenced operations in Australia. The project includes 2 MW/1 MWh of battery storage systems from UK supplier Aggreko.
A new mobile power generator that combines solar and renewable hydrogen to provide zero-emissions power for remote and off-grid applications has been unveiled by Australian startup H2PowerBox.
Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a scalable two-step evaporation and inkjet process for perovskite thin-film solar cells. The new technique reportedly enables to build champion cells with the same efficiencies as those made with the spin coating process.
Longi recorded 67.5 GW of solar module shipments in 2023, according to its latest financial results. The Chinese module maker reported revenue of $17.9 billion and a net profit of $1.49 billion for the year.
The Japanese authorities selected 30 battery storage projects in the procurement exercise. The selected developers and plant owners will be awarded a 20-year fixed revenue.
BSES Rajdhani Power’s new 20 MW/ 40 MWh project is India’s first utility-scale, standalone battery energy storage system to secure regulatory approval under Section 63 of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003. The project is supported by a concessional loan from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).
Modeling shows that shifting just one-third of the electricity consumption of commercial and institutional buildings in Australia to the middle of the day, coinciding with peak solar supply, would create almost 12 GW of new peak capacity in the National Electricity Market.
State-owned utility Egyptian Electricity Holding Company is requesting expressions of interest for the design, building and operation of a 8.2 MW solar plant and 2 MW/4MWh battery energy storage system, located at the site of an existing microgrid in western Egypt.
A group of Chinese researchers has made a first attempt to integrate pumped hydro with compressed air storage and has found the latter may help the former to better deal with large head variations.