Australian battery storage market passed 1GWh in 2021
Australian deployment of battery storage remained steady in 2021, according to market research firm SunWiz, bringing cumulative installations to 1,089MWh.
India’s utility-scale PV capacity hit 41.7GW in December
India installed 41.7GW of cumulative utility-scale solar capacity as of Dec. 31, 2021. It has another 44.6GW in the pipeline.
Ikea invests €340 million in solar
Ikea’s holding company, INGKA Holding, will invest €340 million ($371 million) to acquire nine PV systems from Enerparc. In the future, Ikea said it will work with Svea Solar to sell residential PV systems.
Germany introduces new provisions to support solar, wind
Germany has come up with new measures that could lead to a cumulative installed PV capacity of 215GW by 2030. Higher feed-in tariffs for rooftop PV will likely be announced soon.
Aluminum-nickel molten salt battery for seasonal renewables storage
US scientists have developed a battery that can retain 92% of its initial capacity over periods of 12 weeks, with a theoretical energy density of 260 W/hour per kg. It was built with an aluminum anode and a nickel cathode, immersed in molten-salt electrolyte.
Power-to-gas-to-power designs to incorporate hydrogen in solar-wind microgrids
Researchers in Mexico have looked at integrating hydrogen-based power-to-gas-to-power into an existing rural microgrid. They said this solution could become competitive if electrolyzer, fuel cell and hydrogen tank costs are halved, or if diesel prices keep rising.
Tata Power commissions 160MW AC solar project for NTPC
Tata Power’s solar manufacturing and EPC unit has commissioned a 160MW AC solar project in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
EDP wins project with negative bid in Portugal’s 263MW floating PV tender
Portuguese utility EDP has won the largest project in Portugal’s latest procurement exercise. It has agreed to pay –€4(–$4.39)/MWh for a 15-year contract, but with a 30-year grid connection for the floating array and other renewables projects.
AC Energy, Citicore switch on 72MW solar park in Philippines
AC Energy, the renewable energy unit of Philippines-based conglomerate Ayala Corp., has finished building the 72MW Arayat-Mexico PV plant on the island of Luzon, in cooperation with Manila-based Citicore Power.
Colombian utility seeks EPC contractors for 83MW solar plant
Empresas Públicas de Medellín is seeking engineering, procurement, and construction specialists to work on an 83MW solar plant in Colombia. The project secured a 15-year power purchase agreement in the nation’s latest auction and is scheduled to go online by Jan. 1, 2023.
