Swiss consortium switches on 325 kW vertical PV system on retaining wall
K2 Systems and Solarmotion deployed the vertical array on a retaining wall along a car road in the Swiss canton of Appenzell Ausserhoden. The system utilizes 756 glass-glass modules and is operating under Switzerland’s feed-in tariff program.
European Solar production a mixed bag in November due to Baltic Low Pressure, Storm Ciarán
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Ireland, the west coast of Great Britain, Northern Italy, and the rest of Eastern Europe saw 10-30% above average November irradiance while other areas saw lower or close to average irradiance than normal.
Spanish gas provider tests hydrogen-powered residential water heater tech
Madrileña Red de Gas is testing a heating system prototype developed by Germany company Vaillant that uses exclusively green hydrogen. The 25 kW system is equivalent in shape and size to a current natural gas heating system.
CIP pushes ahead with 480 MWh battery project in Australia
Danish investment group Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has tapped Canadian PV and battery manufacturing heavyweight Canadian Solar to provide energy storage solutions for the first of several large-scale battery projects it has planned for Australia.
India’s SECI launches tender for 1 GW of renewables, storage
Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has started accepting bids from developers to supply 1.5 GW of renewable energy with storage systems.
LeTID minimal issue for gallium-doped Czochralski silicon PERC products
Scientists from Trina Solar, Longi, Fraunhofer ISE, and other entities have looked at light and elevated temperature-induced degradation (LeTID) in gallium-doped Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si:Ga) PERC cells. They have found little relevant degradation.
Brazil’s solar capacity hits 34.9 GW, surpassing wind in national energy mix
Solar, at 34.9 GW of installed capacity, now accounts for 15.8% of Brazil’s energy mix, ranking second after hydroelectric plants at 49%, but ahead of wind power at 12.2%, according to the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).
Sri Lanka launches 19 MW (AC) ground-mounted solar tender
Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is inviting proposals for the development of 1 MW (AC) to 5 MW (AC) solar projects across half a dozen locations in the South Asian country.
Poland allocates 494 MW of solar in 2023 auctions
Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office has awarded 494 MW of solar in largely unsubscribed auctions this year. It allocated 123 MW for installations smaller than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 284.95 ($71.28)/MWh, and 471 MW for projects larger than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 272.91/MWh.
Battery prices down 14% this year, says BloombergNEF
BloombergNEF says it has recorded a 14% decline in battery prices this year, mainly due to cheaper raw materials, following an unprecedented rise in 2022.
