LCOE from large scale PV fell 4% to $50 per megawatt-hour in six months
Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance say the lowest-cost projects financed in Australia, China, Chile and the UAE in the last six months hit a levelized cost of energy of just $23-29/MWh and the best solar and wind projects will produce electricity for less than $20/MWh by 2030.
Mini perovskite module with 18.13% efficiency
Scientists from Singapore have developed semi-transparent perovskite solar cells that can be easily integrated into a range of urban contexts, including building facades, gates and windows. The 21cm2 mini panels are made of perovskite solar cells based on methylammonium lead iodine (MAPbI3), with an efficiency of 20.28% for 0.16 cm2.
Cost-effectiveness of PV module cooling techniques
Researchers in Malaysia have proposed a new method to determine the best way to design PV cooling systems. They will rank cooling technologies by manufacturing costs and expected panel output.
The 900 MW fifth phase of 5 GW solar park moves forward in Dubai
The $570 million fifth phase of the project will sell power at $0.016953/kWh under a 25-year power purchase agreement. It is scheduled to go online in the second quarter of 2021.
Solar can drive down levelized cost of desalinated water
A study from Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology states decarbonization of desalination could help achieve a levelized cost of water of €0.32-1.66 per cubic meter. Solar and storage are expected to play a decisive role.
Huawei, Sungrow and SMA dominate global inverter market
Analysis from Wood Mackenzie shows global inverter demand grew 18% last year. The ten largest inverter suppliers accounted for 76% of the global trade.
A redox flow battery for MW-sized solar-plus-storage
Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of newly-merged British-Canadian vanadium redox flow battery business Invinity Energy Systems has spoken to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit it is marketing for grid scale solar-plus-storage projects and why it may be a better bet than lithium-ion.
Big solar projects are back in the US
The number of 100 MW-plus solar projects is rapidly increasing in the U.S. And if there’s one solar segment that can weather a pandemic, it’s utility scale photovoltaics.
Brazil hits 5 GW milestone
In Brazil, like in many other parts of the world, industry associations claim that solar will be a strategic element in the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, due to its potential to create jobs, generate income, and attract new investment.
Abu Dhabi’s 1.5 GW tender draws world record low solar bid of $0.0135/kWh
The tariff is around $0.0021 lower than the $0.0156/kWh French oil giant Total and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp offered in Qatar’s 800 MW tender in late January. French energy company EDF and Chinese solar company JinkoPower reportedly submitted the record bid in the UAE exercise.
