Dark December for northern Europe, sunny in the South
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that increased cloud led to solar assets in Northern Germany and the Netherlands receiving only 70% of normal irradiance in December. This cloud activity, however, did not make it below the Alps, and Southern Europe saw reduced rain and significantly less cloud than normal, with some regions experiencing 130% of the normal December irradiance.
French startup offers new solution for green solar rooftops
Vegetek has developed a “biosolar” roof solution for new and existing buildings. It combines the benefits of greenery and solar panels.
IEA warns of Australian rooftop PV slowdown amid high costs, grid issues
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says the rollout of rooftop solar in Australia will drop off “faster than anticipated,” with grid integration challenges and saturation of the power system contributing to a revision of expectations for renewable energy growth.
Hybridizing residential ground source heat pumps with PVT, free cooling
Researchers in Sweden sought to raise the efficiency of ground source heat pumps by combining their operation with that of PVT systems and free cooling. Through a series of simulations, they found that this integrated solution may reduce borehole length and land area requirements.
Hawaiian utility to balance grid with 565 MWh battery
A large grid-scale energy storage project in Hawaii, featuring Tesla Megapacks, could potentially minimize the curtailment of renewables output.
Grew Energy to build 2.8 GW wafer, solar cell factory in India
Grew Energy has signed a $457.37 million deal to set up a 2.8 GW factory in India. The state government of Gujarat will facilitate approvals for the manufacturing unit.
Solar wafer prices stabilize with potential for future price hike
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.
First Solar opens 3.3 GW solar panel factory in India
India’s first fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing plant will produce First Solar’s Series 7 solar PV modules, which were developed at the company’s research centers in the United States. The new facility employs 1,000 people.
Greenvolt secures 1.2 GW in Polish auction
Greenvolt Power, a Portuguese independent power producer, says it was awarded 1.2 GW of capacity for six battery energy storage systems (BESS) in a recent renewable energy auction in Poland, claiming it was the “top winner.”
Valmont Solar opens mounting system factory in Brazil
Valmont Solar says its new production facility boasts the largest tracker control system manufacturing unit in Brazil and will create more than 300 new jobs. The solar tracker specialist says the factory will serve as a vital supply hub for the Latin American market.
