Middle East

The British energy giant will support the potential development of multiple gigawatts of wind, solar and green hydrogen projects in the Middle Eastern country by 2030.

While there are still many uncertainties as to the way in which hydrogen trade might evolve and change economic ties and political dynamics between countries, experts agree that green hydrogen can bring winds of change to the global energy arena. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, significant geoeconomic and geopolitical shifts are just around the corner.

Selected projects will be awarded a fixed tariff of ILS 0.2091 ($0.06.708)/kWh over a 23-year period.

Researchers in Jordan have designed a solar-assisted heat pump system for swimming pool heating at a hotel in the coastal city of Aqaba. They found that the system has a payback time of only 1.94 years and that total profits after ten years of operations may reach around $1.88 million.

Israeli researchers have tested organic PV modules to power polytunnel greenhouses and have found that they might offer advantages over conventional crystalline silicon, despite their lower efficiency rates. They have lower operating temperatures but are subject to degradation, due to the mechanical stress caused by the wind-induced movement of tunnel sheeting.

China-based Sungrow has agreed to supply Israeli developer Enlight with 430MWh of its storage systems. The batteries will be used in two projects secured by Enlight in tenders held by the Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity.

The London-based development institution will offer up a loan and grant to fund the construction of five solar plants at municipal sites across Gaziantep, as part of the lender’s Green City program.

The Israeli authorities allocated more than 1.14 GW of PV capacity and 210 MWh of storage across two different tenders. In a first procurement exercise for the 330 MW/210 MWh Dimona solar-plus-storage project the winner was Israeli company Shikun & Binui Holdings Ltd. In another tender for innovative PV projects local developer Prime Energy secured 475 MW with the final average price of $0.0541/kWh.

An international research team has examined combining solar power generation with energy-intensive hydroponic horticulture and has found that this may be a viable solution depending on project size and available incentive policies. Their approach considered various factors impacting PV system efficiency, including environmental factors, the type of solar array, and the electricity demand from the hydroponic farm.

The optimizers are available in two versions that can be used with modules of up to 440 W and 500W. The devices have an efficiency of 99.5% and come with a 25-year guarantee.