ACWA forces offline Moroccan CSP plant following leak
ACWA Power’s preliminary analysis of a leak in the hot molten salts tank at its 150 MW solar plant in Morocco indicates a forced outage until November this year.
Panasonic reveals new air-to-water heat pumps
The new products are intended for commercial applications and and multi-dwelling buidlings. They have a size of 20 kW to 30 kW and use R290 as the refrigerant.
Solarpack closes financing on 300 MW of solar under PPA in Peru
Solarpack has closed financing for a 300 MW solar project in Peru, marking the country’s first solar farm to sell power through a bilateral power purchase agreement (PPA).
France concludes C&I rooftop PV tender with average price of €0.1021/kWh
The French authorities have wrapped up a procurement exercise for commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop PV projects. They allocated 362.2 MW of solar capacity to 42 developers at an average price of €0.1021 ($0.1104)/kWh.
Perovskite solar cell with self-assembled organic electron transport layer achieves 21.5% efficiency
Developed by scientists in Saudia Arabia, the device is reportedly the most efficient perovskite solar cell ever reported to date with an organic electron transporting layer. The cell achieved an open-circuit voltage of 1.13 V, a short-circuit current density of 24.7 mA cm2, and a fill factor of 77%
India’s NTPC allocates 1,584 MW of renewables-plus-storage at $0.056/kWh
India’s NTPC has allocated 1,584 MW of renewables-plus-storage projects at $0.056/kWh. The winning developers will set up renewable energy projects backed by energy storage systems to provide firm, dispatchable renewable energy, developed on a build-own-operate basis.
Quinbrook to build polysilicon factory in Australia
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ plan for a multibillion-dollar polysilicon production plant in Australia has received a major boost, with the Queensland state government clearing the way to fast-track the project.
Dry Amazon delivers sunny start to 2024 for South America
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Chile, Uruguay and Argentina saw irradiance up 5% to 15% above normal in January and February. Responsible for the surplus sunlight across South America was the ongoing Amazon drought, and circulation changes that pushed weather fronts further south of the continent than usual.
Can anything topple lithium-ion?
The need for long-duration energy storage in a net-zero world is undeniable but with conventional battery prices tumbling, can anything dislodge the mainstream grip of lithium ion? S&P Global’s Susan Taylor provides an update on non-lithium storage technologies.
Sodium-ion batteries – a viable alternative to lithium?
While lithium ion battery prices are falling again, interest in sodium ion (Na-ion) energy storage has not waned. With a global ramp-up of cell manufacturing capacity under way, it remains unclear whether this promising technology can tip the scales on supply and demand. Marija Maisch reports.
