Solar PV

Researchers have simulated the operation of seven renewable energy communities in the Port of Naples and found them to offer lower life cycle costs. Using varying capacities of solar and wave energy, they were able to optimize the system to a 90% self-consumption rate. They also offered a scheme for the management of a port energy community.

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.

The Spanish authorities have approved 7.2 GW of new PV projects so far this year, with 3.1 GW authorized in the second quarter alone.

Researchers in China have built for the first time an inverted perovskite solar cell relying on a high-entropy hybrid perovskite material. The result is a device with an improved open-circuit voltage and fill factor, due to reduced non-radiative recombinations and optimized interface.

Researchers in Italy have developed a low temperature a blanket-cover encapsulation technique that reportedly improves the stability of perovskite PV devices. They said the new technique reduces thermomechanical stresses caused by both the encapsulation process and the temperature gradients occurring during accelerated ageing stresses.

China, with an 18% share of the global population, uses 26% of the world’s primary energy and emits 33% of the world’s energy-related CO2. The energy transition unfolding in the country isn’t merely a national affair as its ramifications echo globally, explains Mahnaz Hadizadeh, a researcher for consultancy DNV.

Australian zinc bromide flow battery specialist Redflow has struck a partnership with Queensland state-owned generation company Stanwell to work together on the development of a non-lithium long-duration battery energy storage solution for use in a 400 MWh project. Meanwhile, Toronto long duration energy storage specialist e-Zinc has secured $31 million which will go towards developement and completion of its pilot manufacturing facility in Mississauga, Ontario.

RWE and SolarDuck have built a 0.5 MWp offshore floating solar pilot project in the North Sea, 12 km off the Dutch coast. The installation features six interconnected platforms capable of withstanding extreme offshore conditions.

The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) has imposed a 10% import tariff on solar panels to protect local manufacturers, attract investment, and deepen the value chain. The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association has questioned the lack of formal industry engagement, calling the timing “not ideal.”

Colombia’s Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME) says the country’s PV capacity has reached 1,193 MW. The nation surpassed the 1 GW threshold several weeks ago with the commissioning of two large-scale solar facilities.