Neoen commissions 101 MW solar facility in El Salvador
The project consists of a 76 MW unit selected in an energy auction, and a 25 MW section selling power to a local power distributor.
Solar Systems LLC to build 100 MW PV plant in south-eastern Russia
The Russian developer has signed an agreement for the grid connection of the plant with local power distribution company IDGC of Northern Caucasus.
REC Silicon posts US$57.5 million revenue for first quarter 2017
Quarterly financial results from Norwegian based polysilicon producer REC Silicon show a drop in revenue from $80.4 million the previous quarter. EBITDA for the quarter was $4.6 million, also down from $4.9 million in the previous quarter.
University of Twente publishes research on back reflector materials
Researchers at the Netherlands’ University of Twente have developed a material comprising thin, diamond-like photonic nanostructures which reflect a surprisingly wide range of colours of light, from all angles. This could make the material ideally suited for use as a back reflector for PV modules.
Norway’s oil producer Statoil eyes first investments in solar
The Norwegian oil company confirmed it is evaluating new business opportunities within solar. The company launched a $197 million fund dedicated to renewable energies in February 2016.
Natcore achieves 20.7% efficiency on silver-free back contact cell
The latest efficiency milestone for Natcore’s Foil Cell is verified by the NanoPower Research Lab at Rochester Institute for Technology. The result was achieved on the Natcore Foil Cell, which utilizes a lasering process and novel metallization strategy, eliminating the need for costly silver.
Sweden’s Infranode invests $11.3 million in distributed solar energy
The Swedish investment firm is also ready to commit a further $56.7 million to solar and geothermal heat pump energy assets.
KIT researchers detect nanostripes on perovskites
KIT scientists have researched the underlying physical mechanisms of perovskites to understand the reason for their high efficiency potential. For the first time proof for nanostructures in the perovskite layers has been provided.
Dutch pension fund PGGM invests €200 million in SolarCity’s project portfolio
The Dutch fund will invest in a portfolio of solar projects of Tesla’s solar unit. The projects are spread across 21 U.S states and have a combined capacity of 275 MW.
Masdar & MIT develop method for high efficiency semiconductor materials
Researchers from the Abu Dhabi based Masdar Institute and the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology have jointly published the development of a fabrication method, which they say could make high efficiency semiconductor materials such as gallium-arsenide, indium phosphide and others more competitive with crystalline silicon.
