Croatia investing in storage amid slow solar development
Croatia is preparing to build Eastern Europe’s largest energy storage project. IE Energy has secured €19.8 million ($20.9 million) to develop a 50 MW storage system, potentially extendable to 110 MW by 2024.
Europe added 41.4 GW of new solar in 2022
In another record year for solar, SolarPower Europe estimates PV in Europe grew by 47% in 2022, rising from 28.1 GW in 2021 to 41.4 GW this year. Germany installed the most with 7.9 GW, followed by Spain at 7.5 GW, and Poland at 4.9 GW. For the first time, the top 10 European solar markets all added at least 1 GW.
Water cleaning robot powered by solar aims to clean Latin America waterways
Researchers at the National University of La Plata (UNLP) in Argentina unveiled an autonomous robot powered by photovoltaic energy that collects waste and hydrocarbons from water surfaces.
Sierra Leone’s first 5 MW solar plant powers on
Serengeti Energy has started operations at what it claims is Sierra Leone’s first solar independent power project. The 5 MW solar installation is located in Yamandu, Southern Sierra Leone. A second project phase is planned for 2023, bringing its capacity to 25 MW.
Roadblocks to rooftop solar in India
India is a long way behind its rooftop solar target of 40 GW by 2022, with just 10.4 GW installed through to September this year. To understand the issues, pv magazine speaks to Amplus Solar pv magazine in an interview about factors holding back rooftop solar development in the country.
Testing prairie and pollinator agrivoltaics at a former nuclear power site
A team in the US will create a pollinator habitat under a 160 MW utility-scale solar project and measure changes in energy, soil carbon, and management costs at the site.
New microinverter for solar water pump applications
Canadian manufacturer Sparq has unveiled a three-phase microinverter for on-grid and off-grid solar water pumps. It has a peak efficiency of 97.5% and a nominal maximum power point tracking (MPPT) efficiency of 99.8%.
Slovenia set to install 258 MW of new solar in 2022
Slovenia’s cumulative PV capacity additions could grow from 466 MW in 2021 to 724 MW by the end of this year. The residential market will account for almost all new capacity, and demand is expected to grow under a net-metering scheme extension until the end of 2023.
European Commission reduces approval time for renewables to 9 months
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have amended a European Commission proposal on approval times for new renewables projects. Approvals will be shortened from 12 months to nine for projects in so-called “renewable acceleration areas.”
Cooling down photovoltaic panels with concrete
Scientists in Italy have proposed the use of radiative coolers made of cementitious materials to reduce the operating temperature of solar panels. The novel system configuration consists of a stack made by a reflector, a cement-based radiative cooler, and a bifacial solar cell.
