Planet One Group secures $52 million financing for 50 MW solar farm in Sierra Leone
A consortium of financial institutions last week announced they co-invested $52 million to help finance the development of a 50 MW greenfield project in Sierra Leone titled Planet Solar spearheaded by Frontier Energy and Planet One Group.
EU likely to phase out fossil fuel-powered boilers by 2040
The European Parliament and European Council yesterday provisionally agreed to phase out fossil-fuel boilers in the next two decades, among a raft of other infrastructure recommendations aiming to boost infrastructure energy efficiency. Europe’s peak body for heat pumps, the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), welcomes the news.
Exploring the depths of Italy’s oldest BIPV project
Scientists have assessed the performance of Italy’s first publicly funded BIPV project, which was installed in 2001. Their analysis shows that only one of the 10%-efficient panels in the 11 kW array experienced a severe fault that caused the complete loss of functionality.
November high pressure delivers high irradiance in the Northeast U.S., cloud in the Gulf
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that North America in November experienced a divide in irradiance patterns across the continent.
MIT researchers plan to use acenes to make singlet fission solar cells
Acenes are benzene molecules with unique optoelectronic properties. Singlet fission solar cells can produce two electrons from one photon, making the cell more efficient.
New research identifies advantages of POE encapsulants in dual-glass solar modules
To understand better the long-term effects of humidity on durability of glass-glass modules, Austrian researchers carried out lengthy damp-heat tests on double glass modules made with EVA and POE encapsulants. They identified several POE advantages, such as improved interfacial strength and less water uptake, among others.
Toshiba develops PV photocoupler for automotive applications
Japan’s Toshiba says its new PV output photocoupler for solid-state relay could be used for battery management systems, onboard chargers, and inverters.
China module prices slide to new record low, manufacturers cut production
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
India’s Alpex Solar preparing IPO in Mumbai
India’s Alpex Solar has filed a draft prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) on the NSE Emerge trading platform in Mumbai. It plans to use the net proceeds to expand its PV panel capacity from 450 MW to 1.2 GW and set up an aluminium frame manufacturing unit.
Jamaican utility launches solar-plus-storage, wind project tender
Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) is inviting applications for engineering, procurement and construction services of a 115 MW utility-scale solar plant, 171.5 MWh battery energy storage system and 12 MW wind plant at unspecified locations at unspecified locations in the Caribbean country.
