The weekend read: Mexico headed for a solar slowdown
It has already been a complicated year in terms of private investments in Mexico’s energy sector. And for solar, a lack of policy certainty and a government supportive of the fossil fuels industry are serving to further muddy the waters for projects already in development, while putting the brakes on any new plans.
Tender launched for utility-scale floating PV in Brazil
The state of São Paulo’s energy supplier is seeking proposals for four floating solar projects, ranging in size from 1 MW to 30 MW.
Cost analysis shows off-grid-solar powered electrolysis potential of Australia and Chile
Scientists at the University of New South Wales have developed a model to determine the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) by also considering historical weather data at specific locations. According to them, powering electrolyzers with off-grid solar offers the advantage of avoiding the expense of a grid connection and exposure to the risk of delays in both the physical connection and the approval process.
SolarPower Summit 2020: Policy measures and open-source information key to PV sustainability
Rising volumes of solar capacity are to be welcomed but, as panelists at a session of today’s SolarPower Europe event discussed, the technology must be kept ethical and responsible. That means industry working together; new, harmonized, mandatory and voluntary policy instruments; and a focus on quantifiable, life cycle-based investor criteria.
Solar under net metering reaches 3.6 GW in Brazil
According to Brazilian solar association ABSolar, there are currently more than 300,000 distributed generation PV systems connected to the country’s grid.
Chile introduces energy communities
The government has published new rules for distributed generation which will come into force on November 6.
Over-irradiance events affect utility scale PV components
Researchers are seeking to understand the extent to which sudden spikes in irradiance can affect solar power plants. The preliminary findings indicate large scale PV projects are not immune to such events, especially when the spikes last longer than a minute.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: More ingot and module capacity, China’s largest rooftop project and a possible new listing
A new week has brought another slew of big production capacity announcements as online retailer JD.com prepares to install 200 MW of solar rooftop capacity and project developer SFSY reported on a promising new business stream.
Chile connects first floating PV plant to grid under net billing scheme
Developer Solarity has completed the first floating PV array to be connected to the national distribution network under Chile’s net billing scheme. The plant will supply 100% of project owner Hortifrut’s energy needs, while allowing it to sell excess power to the grid.
Panama to hold October renewables auction
Selected projects will secure five-year power purchase agreements and will have to begin commercial operation on January 1.
