Proposed HVDC ‘macrogrid’ to transmit low-cost, renewable power in US
A grid-modeling company has proposed an underground high-voltage DC transmission overlay for the continental United States. It could potentially help to reduce climate pollutants and electricity costs, in addition to facilitating solar and wind deployment.
Is hydrogen about to have its solar moment?
As Longi and other solar manufacturers kick off massive growth in hydrogen generation capacity, expect large price decreases resulting from steep learning curves, echoing the rapid advances experienced by the solar power industry since the 1970s.
Indian utility tenders 100 MW of floating solar, 50 MW of ground-mount PV
Assam Power Distribution has launched two separate tenders to develop 100 MW of floating solar and 50 MW of ground-mount PV projects in India. The projects will be developed on a build-own-operate basis.
Eni, Sonatrach start building 10 MW solar array in Algeria
Italy’s Eni and Algeria’s Sonatrach have started building a 10 MW solar project in Algeria. The oil giants also inaugurated a solar lab to test the efficiency of different PV technologies under local irradiation conditions.
PV Hardware opens new solar tracker factory in Saudi Arabia
PV Hardware (PVH), a solar tracker and mounting systems manufacturer, has opened a new factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is expected to produce 8 GW of trackers and solar structures per year, mainly for projects in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Taiwanese consortium develops easily recyclable solar module
The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and United Renewable Energy (URE) have developed a solar panel that can be easily dismantled to simplify the recycling process. They claim that 96% of the materials in the panel can be recovered, including all of the solar cells and front glass.
1Komma5° to enter solar module business with full-black TOPCon product
Germany’s 1Komma5° says it will exclusively use polysilicon from Europe or the United States to make the TOPcon solar cells for its full-black modules. It is aiming for market launch in the second quarter of 2023.
Permitting issues for solar on agricultural land in Romania
The Romanian government has reportedly rejected almost all permit requests for large-scale solar projects. Law firm Vlăsceanu, Nyerges & Partners claims that the authorities are misinterpreting new rules designed to streamline the permitting process for small projects and support solar on agricultural land.
Zucchetti unveils 5 kWh high-voltage battery for three-phase storage applications
Zucchetti’s new battery features a nominal capacity of 5.12 kWh and a nominal voltage of 400 V. It says it is suitable for C&I and residential PV systems.
Assessment of hydrogen-induced contact resistance in TOPCon solar cells
Researchers have looked at how hydrogen-induced contact resistance could help to reduce changes in series resistance, in either TOPCon or PERC solar cells. They said degradation occurs purely at the n-type silicon-to-silver (Ag) contact on both cell architectures.
