Work begins on two PV facilities totaling 146 MW in the Netherlands
Chint Solar Netherlands and Powerfield began construction of two new solar parks in the Netherlands. The Stadskanaal and Buinerveen Solar Parks follow the companies’ 103 MW Midden-Groningen Solar Park, now in operation.
US renewable energy surpasses coal for the first time in more than a century
The coal era could be said to be officially over in the United States.
Malaysia launches 1 GW solar tender
Sunday will herald the largest PV procurement exercise ever held in Malaysia. Half the available capacity will be directed to 10-30 MW facilities with the balance reserved for plants with capacities of up to 50 MW.
Algeria plans 4 GW of solar tenders
The government has announced a plan to deploy new PV capacity at a mega site over the next four years. Around 800 MW of capacity is expected to be tendered annually up to 2024. To be eligible, it is anticipated all modules, cables and mounting structures must have been made in Algeria.
It may be safe to put PV panels in landfills, but that doesn’t mean we should
According to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), health risks from lead in crystalline silicon PV panels are one order of magnitude — or about one-tenth — below the risk levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Albania’s 140 MW PV tender concludes with final price of €0.02489/kWh
The project was awarded to French developer Voltalia. The plant will be located in the Karavasta area, in the centre of the country.
Another Romanian oil company unveils solar plans
Romanian petroleum transport services provider Conpet announced plans to install PV plants across five of its facilities. Initial investment will be limited to 3 million ROL ($680,000), but the group aims to create a renewable energy business unit under its 2020-2025 strategy.
Pouch lamination technique for solar cell encapsulation
Scientists in India have used a pouch laminator to encapsulate a polycrystalline solar cell. The resulting device, the researchers claim, showed better UV photon absorption than solar cells treated with a polymer surface coating.
Solar parks may have better biodiversity impact than intensive monoculture farming
A research project in the Netherlands is seeking to assess the impact of large scale PV projects on soil quality and biodiversity. Principal scientist Wim Sinke, of Dutch research center TNO, says well-designed and operated and maintained solar parks could prove to have better outcomes than monoculture farming.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Lower wafer prices, module procurement, and a new production line
Sveck, China’s top supplier of EVA films for PV modules, has revealed plans to list shares in Shenzhen. China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp. has selected Longi and EGing to respectively supply 238 MW and 112 MW of panels for its projects, with Longi also announcing wafer price cuts. Jincheng Machinery, meanwhile, has started raising funds to develop a new production line.
