EIB finance for Burkina Faso solar plant
The European Investment Bank will lend more than half the cost of expanding the first solar project built by the West African nation’s electric utility, from 37 MW to 50 MW.
Poland’s first solar PPA will see photovoltaics power cement production
The local subsidiary of German company Heidelbergcement will take solar electricity from the 65 MWp Witnica solar park between Poznań and Berlin for ten years under the power purchase agreement.
European Commission approves further €2.9bn battery research project
Companies from a dozen EU member states will commit the public funds in a bid to come up with novel battery chemistries and production methods as well as recycling and circular economy innovation.
The impact of solar spectra on PV module performance
Scientists in Poland have measured the effect of solar radiation spectra in variable weather conditions on the performance of different kinds of PV module technologies. They found that amorphous silicon panels offer the best response to this effect in stationary or BIPV projects on facades, while crystalline silicon and CIS solar panels represent the best options in projects with trackers.
Polish oil company plans 100 MW solar park at brown coal mine
The solar park is expected to be connected to the grid infrastructure of a coal power plant located nearby. Polish oil group Orlen is targeting 2 GW of renewable energy assets by 2030.
IFC says green recovery could drive $2.5tn renewables market this decade
The private-sector arm of the World Bank, which claims to leverage $3 of its own capital and $8 from third parties for every dollar invested in its blended finance funds, has attempted to quantify what devoting Covid recovery funds to green investment would mean for emerging economies.
EU records annual rise of 7 TWh in third-quarter solar output
European renewables, including Spanish solar, made big gains as energy demand recovered before the second wave of Covid infections. Nuclear was a notable loser, in part because clean energy volumes in the north of the continent drove down power prices sufficiently to make reactors uncompetitive.
North Macedonia announces 60 MW solar tender
The procurement exercise has been planned for the first quarter of the year.
Metal producer disconnects solar plant from grid, trial started in Ukraine
Kyiv’s Commercial Court has begun hearing a case that could be of interest to solar developers with a stake in Ukraine’s solar sector, or those looking to buy into the country’s energy market. For nearly a year the grid connection of a solar plant had been capped by an adjacent metal producer. The legal proceedings could prove a test for Ukraine’s suitality to provide sufficient investor protection, the plaintiff stated ahead of the trial.
A 19.5% efficient solar tile with five-busbar technology
The tile has a power output of 45 W, an open circuit voltage of 5.63 V and a short-circuit current of 10.12. The product costs $1.38/W and has a 25-year performance guarantee
