Solar PV

The manufacturer accounted for around 40% of total solar module demand in Taiwan in 2020. It expects to see its domestic market share increase to 50% this year.

A research group in the United States is proposing to add social variables in GIS-MCDA algorithms for PV project planning as a solution to avoid opposition to large scale solar from local communities. Although some efforts have already been made in this direction, there is still much to be done to understand the degree to which measuring these variables proactively could help mitigate public opposition down the line, on individual projects.

French floating PV specialist Ciel&Terre said the plant is being split into smaller islands, with a square shape, to avoid stress concentration.

Solar and wind power installations hit all-time highs and became a larger part of the country’s energy mix in 2020, according to a new report from BloombergNEF.

Flat Glass has activated two new glass furnaces that will bring its total production capacity to 8,600 MT per day. JinkoSolar has secured 20 GW of orders for its 182mm-wafer-based modules.

Researchers in the Netherlands have sought to identify all those semiconductor materials that may make the application of carrier multiplication in photovoltaics much more than a mere suggestion. According to them, the bandgap of the materials should be between 0.6–1.0 electronvolt (eV), which would result in maximum theoretical efficiency of around 44%. 2D and bulk materials were indicated as the most promising with near-ideal carrier multiplication.

Solar project developers in France will have until June 25, 2021, to submit their bids. Under new rules, the selected PV projects must use modules manufactured with a low carbon footprint.

Around 88,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year in the country, which supports residential batteries through a dedicated scheme.

The Italian regulation about renewable energy communities entered into force last December. Market operators are now working to establish renewable energy communities (RECs) in Italy. Ènostra coop is currently completing the feasibility study for the development of two RECs in Sardinia. pv magazine spoke with project manager Christian Bartolomeo.

The procurement exercise will be the country’s second attempt to support large-scale solar and wind. The first 88 MW auction launched last year saw the allocation of just 25.5 MW. Solar secured 13.4 MW at an average price of $0.093/kWh. Selected PV projects range in size from 50 to 500 kW.