Weekly Round-Up: Gigafactory in Spain, financial close in Armenia, PPA in Sweden
Solar and storage are developing at a relentless pace and pv magazine cannot cover all the interesting developments that are announced day by day. In this weekly Round-Up, we provide a quick review of all facts and deals that should not be off of our readers’ radar.
US government wants to cut solar costs by 60% in 10 years
The US Energy Department set a goal of achieving 2 cents/kWh by 2030, and announced an initial $128 million in funding to support technology development.
SMA exceeds €1bn in sales for first time since 2012
German inverter manufacturer SMA has managed to shake off the impact of the pandemic by posting strong revenue and profits for 2020.
Adriatic Sea to host 100 MW offshore PV plant
Italy’s Saipem is planning what could be the world’s largest offshore PV plant — a 100 MW facility located off the coast of the Italian northern region of Emilia-Romagna. The project, whose approval process began two years ago, is expected to become operational by the end of 2025.
How much floating PV is enough?
Scientists in the UK have had a closer look at the impacts of floating PV systems on the water. They found that their cooling effect on water mitigates blooms of toxic blue-green algae and increased water evaporation, which are both caused by global warming. They also warned, however, that colder water may result in a reduction of the duration of so-called thermal stratification. The right proportion between the surface occupied by the PV array and a water surface’s total area is key for addressing this issue.
Tunisia’s 70 MW PV tender attracts lowest bid of €0.035/kWh
The Tunisian authorities will review 57 project proposals in the country’s latest solar tender, which will facilitate the construction of six PV plants with installed capacities of 10 MW each, as well as 10 smaller solar arrays.
Solar could supply half of India’s clean energy aims
U.S.-based researchers have modeled the costs of achieving 200 GW, 400 GW and 600 GW of renewable-energy capacity in India within this decade. They said PV should account for no more than half of all generating capacity and have urged policymakers to shift their focus to wind power.
Voltalia wins Albania’s 100 MW PV tender with bid of €0.02989/kWh
The French developer will sell 70% of the power generated by the facility to Albanian power utility Operatori i Shpërndarjes së Energjisë Elektrike SH.A. (OSHEE) under a 15-year PPA and the remaining portion will be sold on the spot market.
South Korea deployed 4.1 GW of solar in 2020
Last year saw a record for solar, in terms of newly deployed capacity. This year, however, growth may be limited by new regulations for project siting.
EV recharging station powered by solar, hydrogen
The recharging station was designed by French automation group Sirea. It is powered by a solar carport and a small electrolyzer.
