Greece struggling to connect 1 GW of installed PV to grid
Pospief, the association of solar producers in Greece, says that about 1 GW of installed PV projects are still waiting to connect to the grid. The Greek distribution system is unable to accommodate new, small-scale PV capacity, aside from net-metering projects.
France unveils new FIT rates for PV systems up to 500 kW
France’s new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for the first quarter range from €0.2349 ($0.25)/kWh for installations below 3 kW in size to €0.1287/kWh for arrays ranging in capacity from 100 kW to 500 kW.
The Hydrogen Stream: BMW unveils hydrogen car demonstration fleet
BMW has launched its iX5 Hydrogen vehicle pilot fleet, with plans to start production by the end of the decade. Everfuel and Hy24, meanwhile, have launched a joint venture to accelerate hydrogen development in Scandinavia.
Germany trying to attract ‘solar workers’ from India
The German Solar Industry Association and the Indian Skill Council for Green Jobs signed an agreement in Delhi on the weekend, marking German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India.
DMEGC unveils 570-580 W TOPCon solar module series
DMEGC Solar says its new tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar panels combine a double-glass design with half-cut n-type cell technology. It says the efficiency ratings range from 22.07% to 22.45%.
Africa-focused solar fund raises $92.7 million
Rgreen Invest and Echosys Invest have raised €87.5 million ($92.7 million) through the Afrigreen Debt Impact Fund. They said they will use the money to finance on-grid and off-grid solar projects for small- and medium-sized commercial and industrial customers in Africa.
Novel software to optimize PV cleaning strategies
Virtuous-Re’s new PVradar Cleaning App can reportedly model soiling losses and cleaning benefits, while reducing cleaning costs and maximizing the overall economic performance of projects.
Scratching the surface of silicon in tandem solar cells
German scientists have investigated the role of surface texturing in perovskite-silicon tandem cells and have found that several new processes offer the ability to etch smaller, more uniform textures onto the surface of a silicon cell than today’s industry standard. This could help to ease the subsequent growth of a perovskite cell on top of the silicon, enabling researchers and manufacturers to target higher performance.
Australian startup buys Britishvolt
Startup Recharge Industries has acquired collapsed battery producer Britishvolt, just weeks after announcing plans to build a lithium-ion battery gigafactory in Australia.
Sono Motors scraps development of Sion solar cars
Sono Motors, a solar electric-vehicle manufacturer in Germany, has terminated its Sion passenger car development program, as it has failed to secure enough funding to support pre-series production. It says it will now focus exclusively on retrofitting and integrating its patented solar technology into third-party vehicles.
