Middle East

AgRE.tech, which is developing a robotic operating system for existing photovoltaic infrastructure, has raised $2 million from EDF and Zemach Regional Industries. The company says it will soon set up commercial fields.

The Saudi Arabian developer has reached financial close for the Tashkent Riverside project in Uzbekistan, which includes a 200 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

The Saudi research institute said its new four-terminal tandem device has achieved the highest efficiency ever reported for perovskite-based 4-T and triple-junction tandem solar cells to date. The key feature of the cell is the hole transport layer of the top perovskite cell, which was engineered with self-assembled monolayers.

Scientists in the Emirates have conceived a new space vector pulse width modulation method that reportedly reduces switching losses and increase efficiency in three-phase photovoltaic inverters. The proposed technique was found to have a higher efficiency, while providng lower common-mode voltage, leakage current and total harmonic distortion compared to traditional pulse width modulation approaches.

Agri-Light has launched its first pilot agrivoltaic project, using a two-axis solar installation on a rail system to move solar panels horizontally above a vineyard in the Negev Desert. The results are due this summer, and the company plans to build commercial projects in Israel and Spain next year.

A group of scientists from the UAE-based energy utility has developed a new method to conduct I-V curve measurements without transporting the solar modules to laboratories for detailed analysis. The proposed Suns-Vmp approach reportedly offers a “very low” average root mean square error between the simulated and the real I-V curves.

According to a new survey, 91% of respondents support the expansion of renewable energy sources in Jordan. Strategic interests of geopolitical actors, in particular the US, are seen as hindering the country’s energy transition, however.

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is expanding its presence in the Middle East and Europe via a 4 GWh long-term supply agreement with Israeli integrator BLEnergy.

The authorities in Oman have revealed the preferred bidders for a 500 MW solar tender for the Ibri III Solar IPP facility.

The Turkish manufacturer said its Varm BCP heat pump has a heating capacity of 3 kW at 20 C outdoor temperature and a coefficient of performance ranging from 3.62 to 4.48.