Space heating without oil, gas feasible in Germany by 2035, says study
Europe’s declining security situation and rising fossil fuel prices are driving calls for independence from gas. A new study by the Wuppertal Institute, commissioned by Greenpeace, shows that a complete shift away from fossil fuels in the heating sector could be possible for Germany within 13 years.
Italy speeds up permits for solar up to 200kW, allocates €267 million for rebates
The Italian authorities have introduced new provisions in the DL Energia decree to reduce energy bills for households and businesses. Italian companies will be able to secure rebates for projects and several southern regions have also been granted a fiscal break for rooftop PV and energy efficiency.
US coal company launches venture to develop 3.3GW of PV
US coal company Peabody Energy has launched a joint venture with Riverstone Credit Partners and Summit Partners Credit Advisors to develop more than 3.3GW of solar and 1.6GW of battery storage capacity over the next five years.
Fully PV-driven system to produce water, electricity, crops
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have fabricated an integrated fully PV-powered system to extract fresh water from the atmosphere. The system uses excess heat from the solar modules to evaporate and condense water that can then be used to grow crops. Part of the water is also used to cool down the solar modules through an active cooling technique.
Solar PPA business on the rise in Japan
Sumitomo, Sunseap and Shikoku Electric are partnering to offer bilateral PPAs to big power consumers in Japan. The consortium will operate through a dedicated joint venture and will offer three different PPA options.
PV-powered filling/recharging station for all kind of vehicles, including EVs and fuel cell cars
Built by Korean oil provider SK Energy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the “Energy Super Station” is equipped with 20kW of solar panels and 300kW of fuel cell stacks. It can refuel conventional combustion vehicles as well as electric vehicles and fuel cell cars.
Indian state of Rajasthan to host 1.8GW of new solar
The Indian state of Rajasthan, with 10.6 GW of installed solar power capacity, has announced plans to build an 800MW solar park in Jaisalmer with Rajasthan Power Generation Corp. Rajasthan Solar Park Development Co. has also revealed plans to build a 1,000MW solar park in Bikaner.
Bluebird Solar expands PV module capacity to 300MW in India
Delhi-based PV manufacturer Bluebird Solar has added a new fully automatic manufacturing line equipped with the latest mono-PERC, half-cut multi-busbar cell technology.
US targets 5 million community solar households by 2025
The US National Community Solar Partnership, a Department of Energy program, has released a roadmap to reach 5 million community solar households by 2025.
US added 5.4GW of small-scale PV last year
Some northern states added as much small-scale PV per capita as the top states in the Southwest, taking advantage of solar irradiance in northern states that’s about 70% as high as that in the desert Southwest.
