Albania’s first floating PV plant is now operational
The 500 kW floating array was built with floating membranes supplied by Norwegian specialist Ocean Sun. The project is expected to continue its second implementation phase during the second half of 2021, when three more 500 kW floating units will be installed.
Canada Infrastructure Bank to invest in 250 MW/1,000 MWh storage project
The massive Oneida Energy Storage project in Ontario will store surplus energy during off-peak periods and provide grid-balancing services to reduce renewables curtailment.
Registrations of interest open for Australia’s 8 GW renewable energy zone
Australia’s largest renewable energy zone is one step closer to fruition with the New South Wales Government calling for registrations of interest from developers of solar PV, wind and energy storage projects.
Nano-micro-scale cooler for solar modules
The proposed technique is based on radiative cooling and consists of a glass coating made with a two-dimensional subwavelength nanostructured grating, which is imprinted in soda-lime glass and has enhanced mid-infrared emissivity, and a micro-structured grating. The temperature decrease provided by the nano-micro-grating coating was found to be approximately up to 5.8 degrees Celsius.
Australia can power renewable energy age, says Tesla
Tesla said it plans to heavily invest in raw materials from Australia for its batteries. The company said the nation now has the chance to secure a more lucrative slice of the global supply chain as the world transitions to renewable energy.
US startup offers rapid shutdown module with power optimization
Enteligent’s rapid shutdown device is bolstered by what it describes as ”robust power optimization.”
Bifacial n-type TOPCon cell with 22.6% efficiency
The device also showed an open-circuit voltage of 702 mV, a short-circuit current of 40 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 79.7%. It has a large area of 239 cm².
Venezuela sees first grid-connected PV system come online
The system will power the broadband transport networks. The solar panels are “made with 100% Venezuelan engineering.”
Large scale PV returns to Czechia thanks to $216 million solar rebate program
The RES+ program will be open to installations of up to 1 MW and also solar power projects exceeding 1 MW in size. Selected developers may secure a rebate covering up to 50% of a project’s cost.
German homeowners discouraged by storage costs
About three-quarters of German solar installers offered residential storage systems last year, according to EUPD Research. Such products have become cheaper, but many people are still discouraged by the high price of storage.
