Japan’s 23rd solar auction concludes with lowest bid of $0.030/kWh
Japan has allocated 93 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest bid came in at JPY 4.47 ($0.030)/kWh, while the average final price was JPY 5.06/kWh.
Bangladesh launches 2.65 GW solar tender
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is tendering 14 solar power projects ranging in size from 105 MW to 250 MW.
Fraunhofer showcases hydrogen microgrid platform
The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU will showcase a new hydrogen microgrid platform at the end of March. The researchers say it could help to serve hospitals, remote rural areas and war-torn regions.
GB Energy invests in rooftop solar rollout for UK schools, hospitals
First Great British Energy project will see the state-owned renewables company roll out rooftop solar across around 200 schools and 200 National Health Service (NHS) sites in England. Monies for community energy groups and power schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland included in investment package.
‘Bias, both conscious and unconscious, affects hiring and promotions’
This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Josef Kastner, the CEO of Austria-based Nexun. He says professional decisions must be based on ability, not gender. “Societal expectations influence leadership styles, but fairness is non-negotiable. Everyone deserves the same rights and opportunities,” he states.
Transparent tandem solar cell hits record 12.3% efficiency
A global research team has developed a tandem solar cell with 30% transparency by combining perovskite and organic layers, achieving a record 12.3% efficiency for transparent solar cells.
Mandatory switch to smart meters on track in Flanders
Belgian grid operator Fluvius says it is on course to finish installing smart meters in all solar-powered homes in the Belgian region of Flanders by the end of this year.
Accuracy Analysis: ECMWF’s AI model for solar forecasting performs well
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, analyses a new AI-driven weather model from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
Corporate PPAs with variable price structure achieve higher performance
Researchers in Portugal have simulated 800 power purchase agreemeents across eight different contract type and have found that contracts with a variable price structure achieve higher performance. Their analysis considered net present value, contract performance deviation and volume residual as the main indicators.
UK researchers build two-electrode photoelectrochemical device with 5% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency
A research team from two London universities have developed a multi-layer device that addresses the instability of organic materials in water to further their use in direct solar hydrogen generation. Monolithic tandem anodes fabricated by the team reached a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 5%, a record in organic photoelectrochemical device performance.
