WEG to build two PV plants totaling 62 MW in eastern Brazil
The Brazilian engineering company will act as EPC contractor for the construction of two solar parks in the state of Paraiba. The two projects were selected in the country’s first two solar auctions.
Enel plans to start solar cell production, announces developments for 34 MW in Zambia and 238 MW in Mexico
The Italian utility is laying the foundations for solar cell production at its PV panel manufacturing facility. The final goal of the project is 1 GW commercial cell production. Meanwhile, Enel Green Power has secured the PPA for a 34 MW PV facility in Zambia, and has broken ground on a 238 MW solar park in Mexico.
Fraunhofer ISE to investigate PV panels for commercial vehicles
German solar research institute Fraunhofer ISE is investigating the development of integrated PV panels for commercial vehicles. After conducting analyses using real life solar irradiance data, Fraunhofer sees great potential in this field.
Çalik Group acquires 50% stake in Turkish solar EPC contractor Halk Enerji
Halk Enerji will focus on unlicensed PV projects up to 1 MW, which in Turkey are expected to reach a volume of 2 GW this year.
Sweden tops 140 MW of installed PV capacity
The Scandinavian country added only 13 MW of new PV systems in 2016. Around 52% of the cumulative capacity is represented by PV systems up to 20 kW.
Germany supports implementation phase of Tunisian Solar Plan
The German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) will provide the Tunisian government with €7 million. The North African country will use the donation to finance the preliminary support project of its 1 GW renewable energy plan, which includes the installation of 650 MW of solar.
Tempress & ECN develop process for IBC cell production
Equipment manufacturer Tempress has teamed up with Dutch research center ECN to develop a production process for n-type IBC solar cells with efficiency above 21%. A pilot of the new process was completed in just three months, illustrating its compatibility with mass production.
Solutions unveiled for next generation storage
Two innovative new technologies with potential applications in solar were unveiled this week. Research teams across the world are looking at new way to boost solar’s stability by integrating with storage. Scientists in Australia and in China demonstrate their innovative steps toward achieving this.
France releases renewable energy plan for French Guiana, solar FITs to be increased by 35%
The French Government this week unveiled a new renewable energy plan for French Guiana. The program includes development of distributed generation, self-consumption and storage solutions, and a 35% increase of FITs for grid-connected installations. Around 40 MW of additional PV capacity is expected to be installed in the region.
Solar and wind set new record in Germany in March
According to provisional statistics from German institute IRW, PV systems in Germany have provided approximately 3.3 billion kWh in March, up 35% from the same month a year earlier and 118% from February 2017.
