Eskom launches tender to ‘repurpose’ coal plants with low-carbon growth tech
The debt-saddled South African utility has issued an expression of interest to seek proposals on how to refurbish three fossil fuel power plants to be decommissioned in the current decade. Eskom said that all of the proposed solutions should be at the tech-readiness level.
Solar pavement for outdoor applications
Hungarian tech company Platio has developed solar pavement for outdoor applications in urban environments, homes, office buildings, shopping malls, and public infrastructure projects. The pavement consists of solar tiles that may cost between €50 and €80, depending on the size and characteristics of projects.
First Solar signs PV-plus-storage PPAs with community choice aggregators
Community choice aggregations are U.S. government entities that procure electricity on behalf of retail electricity customers within a geographic area. Power will be provided by the First Solar-developed Rabbitbrush project under a 15-year contract.
Nextracker the largest tracker provider in 2019
The ten largest solar tracker companies accounted for 88% of the market last year, according to analyst WoodMackenzie, with the market growing 20% from 2018.
Financial close for 181 MW floating PV plant in Taiwan
The installation will be located in the Changbin Lunwei East district. A NT$7.2 billion loan was secured from a consortium of seven banks and the solar facility is expected to be grid-connected this year.
How much dust is enough?
A U.K. study has identified 13 soiling agents with differing effects on light transmittance. Researchers found some dust particles were able to degrade photovoltaic performance by as much as 98%.
New all-black module with output of 400 W
Solaria says that it will start selling its new all-black panel for residential PV applications in the U.S. market within the current quarter. The monocrystalline module is equipped with a microinverter from Enphase and has an efficiency rating of 20.2%.
More than 100 GW of solar in the Netherlands? Possible by 2050
Solar capacity is expected to grow to unthinkable levels in the tiny country, according to a new report by Netbeheer Nederland. Under one scenario in which regional governments and companies would take the lead in the energy transition, cumulative solar capacity could reach 125 GW. Under a second scenario, in which growth would be driven by the central government, total PV capacity could hit 106 GW.
SunPower pauses its solar cell and module factories, reduces salaries and workweek
The solar efficiency leader remains on track to complete its planned split into two independently focused pure-play solar companies by the end of the second quarter.
Germany has 200,000 solar-plus-storage systems
EuPD Research estimates around 65,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year thanks to increasingly popular solar arrays and electric vehicles as well as rising electricity prices.
