Soltec plans IPO
The Spanish solar tracker maker is hoping to debut on the stock markets of Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia this year.
Sunfolding looks to disrupt the tracker industry with air pneumatics
With $32 million in series B funding and an ever-growing project pipeline, air-based tracker startup, Sunfolding, is hoping to increase its hold in the tracker market with tech that’s simple, light and can be installed on terrain previously thought untouchable.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: New EVA encapsulant factory, 1 GW PV pipeline
Cybrid, a Shanghai-listed backsheet supplier, will open a new EVA encapsulant factory in Zhejiang province. Datang, meanwhile, has revealed plans to build 1.05 GW at 10 sites across three provinces.
Single-axis bifacial PV offers lowest LCOE in 93.1% of world’s land area
Researchers from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore have concluded that utility-scale PV projects relying on bifacial panels and single-axis trackers deliver the lowest levelized cost of energy in most of the world. They found that the combination of bifacial products with dual-axis trackers is still too expensive, despite the higher yield. The second-lowest LCOE is offered by monofacial single-axis tracker plants.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 4.3 GW of new cell capacity and a 1 GW solar park
Cell manufacturer Aiko Solar is raising funds to increase its production capacity with 4.3 GW of new lines while Datang Corporation has inked a deal for a 1 GW desert project.
Nextracker the largest tracker provider in 2019
The ten largest solar tracker companies accounted for 88% of the market last year, according to analyst WoodMackenzie, with the market growing 20% from 2018.
Wireless sensing for remote operation of off-grid tracker solar
Researchers in Thailand are proposing a wireless monitoring solution for PV in remote locations. The system, based on global standard ZigBee 2.4 GHz wireless technology, can read data and tilt solar panels in auto and manual modes.
Spanish bank acquires big stake in solar racking manufacturer
Banco Sabadell has acquired a 41.5% interest in Pamplona-based STI Norland through its Aurica Capita fund.
Nextracker unveils new software for solar park monitoring
The U.S. tracker provider has launched NX Navigator, a control system it says offers improved monitoring across a range of weather conditions. The company claims the software enables PV plant operators to schedule maintenance operations such as cleaning and mowing.
Testing floating PV with tracking systems
French water management agency Société du Canal de Provence (SCP) is planning an innovative floating project to test its combination with a solar tracking system. The 250 kW project was awarded a fixed tariff in a special tender for innovative PV projects held by The French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) in February 2018. The plant will be deployed on a water surface managed by SCP in Southern France.
