Canada

Scientists in Canada evaluated the potential of a lesser-known approach to boosting solar generation efficiency. Thermionics uses heat from the sun to generate electricity, and could be combined with photovoltaics to create devices with better than 40% efficiency from a single junction. In their evaluation, the scientists find promising pathways for further research, despite a mountain of challenges that will need to be overcome.

The pumped hydro project aims in part to reduce the amount of electricity that is exported from Ontario to several U.S. states at a loss.

The latest update to the Photovoltaics Report produced by research organization the Fraunhofer ISE has offered up the usual slew of interesting stats on the state of solar across the continent.

The province wants sufficient clean power generation facilities to meet 10% of its electric demand after announcing it wants 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has chosen Exus to manage the 700 MW Travers Solar Project.

And that figure is based on a less ambitious climate change policy than the one Ottawa has committed to since the North American Renewable Integration Study started, in 2018.

The two big solar players are preparing to list big slices of their business on the STAR market tech board.

If the three record-busting low solar price tariffs recorded in the Middle East in the past 18 months are to be believed, renewables-powered hydrogen in prime sites in the region could already compete with gas-plus-CCS production, according to IRENA. Has the Gulf discovered the new petrol?

State-owned utility Hydro-Quebec has deployed its first 10 MW of ground-mounted solar to test the technology at the province’s latitude.

The massive Oneida Energy Storage project in Ontario will store surplus energy during off-peak periods and provide grid-balancing services to reduce renewables curtailment.