News

Western Sydney Uni launches new solar racecar to contest 3,000km challenge
Students from Western Sydney University has unveiled its latest solar racing car that it intends to enter in the gruelling 3,000km World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide through Australia’s searing heat this October.
Aug 7, 2019 // Technology, Transport, Australia, Sydney, Western Sydney University, solar racing car, World Solar Challenge, Max Mammone, Barney Glover, Transport, Oceania
Australian coal generator undercut by rooftop solar boom
The authorities in Western Australia have revealed that two units at Synergy’s Muja Power Station will be retired from October 2022. The state government said the coal-fired units were only being used about 35% of the time, largely because rooftop solar has reduced demand on the grid.
Aug 7, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Australia, rooftop, installations, Synergy’s Muja Power Station, Marc McGowan, AEMO, Bill Johnston, PV systems, Oceania
ET Solar is back in the US market
Six months after settling claims in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of its U.S. distribution subsidiary, the Chinese PV maker says it has signed more than 500 MW of U.S. module supply contracts.
Aug 7, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, California, USA, bifacial, ET Solar, Yuanfar and Wuxi Bardon Company, Alex Chen, mono-PERC, North America
Bord na Móna seeks EPC contractor for 90 MW PV project in Ireland
The wind power specialist has started prequalifying EPCs for the ground-mounted solar plant, which will be built near Timahoe North, County Kildare.
Aug 7, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Ireland, tender, Europe, IRENA, Bord na Móna, Electricity Supply Board, Terra Solar, ISEA
SolarEdge posts strong revenue increase, slight drop in net profit
The Israeli inverter manufacturer saw its net profit decline 4% year-on-year to $33.1 million in the second quarter, despite shipping 1.3 GW and seeing a 43% increase in turnover. Gross margins were affected by the increase in U.S. tariffs on China made products.
Aug 7, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Inverters, USA, Inverters, Asia, SolarEdge, Israel, Gamatronic, Kokam, SMRE, North America
Dominion Energy Virginia seeks up to 500 MW of solar bids
Dominion Energy Virginia is seeking bids for up to 500 megawatts of solar generation in both 2021 and 2022 to continue moving the Commonwealth toward a clean energy future.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, USA, Virginia, Dominion Energy, The Solar RFP, North America
Hyundai releases car with solar panel roof
Hyundai has released a version of its Sonata hybrid that has solar panels to help charge its battery.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Storage, Transport, Hyundai, Sonata Hybrid, Asia, solar panel roof, Korea, SMMT, Transport
Windlab starts Australian PV-wind-battery park following grid delay
Australian renewables developer Windlab has connected and energized its landmark energy park in northern Queensland, comprising 43 MW of wind, 18 MW of solar and a 4 MWh battery.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Grids, storage, Australia, Windlab, Kennedy Energy Hub, grid-scale, Roger Price, Oceania
Armenia to tender five more large-scale solar projects
The projects will be tendered under single-round competitive bidding processes, supervised by the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, tender, Europe, Armenia, EBDR, Masrik 2 PV plant, the Gagarin PV plant
France allocates 858 MW in PV tender
The average price guaranteed to the winners of the tender’s sixth window is €64/MWh. For installations above 5 MW, the price is €59.5/MWh, which is higher than the fifth window.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, France, tender, Europe, installations, utility-scale, Elisabeth Borne
Qatari utility mulls jump to 800 MW tender as consortia submit bids
A consortium led by Jinko Power and Korea Electric Power Corp., as well as another group led by Japanese conglomerate Marubeni and French energy group Total, have submitted bids for Qatar’s 700 MW solar tender. The final results will be announced in September.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, tender, Asia, Jinko Power, Korea Electric Power Corp., Qatar, Marubeni, Total, Kahramaa, Siraj Solar Energy, IRENA
Metito wins 45-55 MW Bangladesh project with $0.07/kWh bid
A consortium led by Metito Utilities, JinkoSolar and Al Jomaih Energy and Water has won a tender to build a 45-55 MW grid-tied solar plant with a bid of $0.0749/kWh — the lowest ever seen in Bangladesh.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Canadian Solar, tender, JinkoSolar, Metito Utilities, Al Jomaih Energy and Water, Bangladesh, grid-tied PV, Asia, BPDB, WAC Logistics and Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology, SREDA
255 MW Sunraysia Solar Farm nears completion
UNSW Sydney has announced the looming completion of the Sunraysia Solar Farm in Australia. The university is now on track to run on 100% renewable energy from 2020, as the massive 255 MW project will be operational by the end of this year, with 25% of its generation to be purchased by UNSW.
Aug 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Australia, UNSW Sydney, Sunraysia Solar Farm, John Laign, Nicholas Jones, AGL Energy, EPC Decmil Group, Oceania
Don’t have a node for your solar plant? Connect it to the railway!
Railway operators can now feasibly connect solar plants to traction substations, claims a consortium that is now working on a similar demonstration project in the U.K. Almost all of the 30 kW installation’s output will be used to move trains, but in the future storage could come into the picture for larger “railway-connected” solar power projects, says 10:10, the U.K.-based climate change charity that developed the pilot.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, U.K., Aldershot, railway system, Leo Murray, Riding Sunbeams, Great Britain
Economics of road transport starting to favor renewables
According to a new report by BNP Paribas Asset Management, renewables offer more advantages than simply mitigating climate change. Electricity is easier to transport than oil, and wind and solar electricity prices are much more stable than volatile oil prices. An analyst from the French bank argues that major producers will need to reduce oil prices below $20 to compete with clean energy in the transport sector.
Aug 6, 2019 // Technology, Storage, BNP Paribas Asset Management, transport sector, Mark Lewis, oil prices