Key takeaways from the Solar Africa 2023 expo
The latest edition of the Solar Africa 2023 expo held last week in Nairobi has seen the participation of 75 exhibitors and 4,000 visitors. pv magazine was there to follow the event and explore the potential of the solar markets in East and Central Africa.
New solar panels produce water from humidity
US-based manufacturer Source Global has introduced a solar module technology that can produce drinking water from as little as 10% humidity in the air. The company says that its optimized technology can produce water in a range of conditions.
Acciona finishes PV-powered irrigation system without batteries
Acciona has completed a 1.5 MW solar plant that powers an irrigation system covering 3,400 hectares in northeastern Spain, serving 150 irrigators. The company will supply water to local farmers under a 26-year contract.
Fraunhofer ISE creates way to assess perovskite-silicon tandem PV modules
Fraunhofer ISE is leading a project that is developing methods to characterize perovskite-based tandem modules, in an effort to facilitate their industrial implementation. A specially built Wavelabs solar simulator is now being used at the institute’s CalLab PV Modules.
German agrivoltaics pilot features closed cycles for water, nutrients
The State Research Institute for Viticulture and Pomiculture (LVWO) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, has started generating electricity and cultivating berries in a pilot plant. Separately, a project combining agrivoltaics with apple cultivation in Austria has also shown promising initial results.
PV plants in Brazil hit by low performance in 2022
Centralized and distributed-generation PV plants in in Brazil generated less than expected last year, according to a study by Brazilian consultancy Greener.
Large-scale PV business still see growth in Italy
Italy has secured 939 MW of new PV projects, with Spanish group Repsol alone planning 825 MW of solar development, including its first two arrays in Puglia. Comal and Sonnedix have likewise unveiled new PV projects in Sardinia and Lazio.
Soltec’s new bifacial tracking algorithm
Soltec says its new algorithm optimizes tracker positioning by considering both frontal and rear radiation, resulting in a production increase of up to 0.30%.
NASA makes unusual discovery while testing perovskite solar cells in space
NASA has discovered that perovskite solar cells tested in space exhibit less degradation than reference devices tested on Earth. The agency acknowledged that it is uncertain about the specific factors in the space environment that contributed to the superior performance of the perovskite absorber film.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, ACWA Power invest $3.25 billion in three new solar projects
With a combined capacity of 4.55 GWac, the projects will power some 750,000 households. The Public Investment Fund is mandated to develop 70% of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy target capacity by 2030.
