News

Deal signed for 40 MW solar park in DR Congo
The government of the Tshopo province has signed an agreement with Cat Projects Africa for the PV plant. The project will be connected to the grid operated by utility Société nationale d’électricité and is intended to improve power supply in provincial capital Kisangani.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Africa, DR Congo, off-grid solar system
Corsica hosts 5 MW/7.5 MWh solar plant with Tesla batteries
The project is in Giuncaggio, in the northeastern part of the French island, and was built with Tesla Powerpack batteries, a Nidec power management system and a new power management device from the project’s developer Corsica Sole.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Storage, TESLA, France, SunPower, Europe, Corsica, Nidec, Anthony Bonello
Australia’s Horizon to replace overhead network with solar and batteries
A recent project milestone saw the disconnection of properties from overhead lines and will enable 64km of poles and wires to be replaced by off-grid solar-plus-battery solutions.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Storage, Australia, Oceania, aemc, Horizon, Stephanie Unwin
Chad gets financing for large scale solar-plus-storage project
An €18 million loan has been provided by the African Development Bank. The solar park, planned for capital N’Djamena, will be coupled to 4 MWh of storage.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, storage, Africa, African Development Bank, chad, amea power
Hopes rise that proposed solar farm will transform former Sunnyside landfill site
A proposal to turn the site of a former landfill near Houston’s Sunnyside community into the largest urban solar farm in Texas has local officials and residents hopeful that change may finally be coming to a site that has been an eyesore for decades.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, USA, TESLA, Texas, North America, Sunnyside, Houston, Nathanael Greene, Tracy Stephens, Efrem Jernigan
Solar power could stop China’s Belt and Road Initiative from unleashing huge carbon emissions
China has invested US$90 billion in the countries involved in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013. The BRI involves developing infrastructure in 126 partner countries to boost trade within a region stretching from Indonesia to Western Europe via the Middle East and East Africa, inspired by the historical Silk Road.
Oct 4, 2019 // Solar, China, Europe, Asia, Africa, carbon
Shell Joins India’s Solar Boom, Buys 20% In Renewables Company
Shell has acquired a 20-percent stake in Indian company Orb Energy, provider of corporate loans to businesses that want to invest in solar power installations.
Oct 4, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, India, Asia, shell, Brian Davis, Orb Energy, Maarten Wetselaar, Ben van Beurden
Maxar selects Deployable Space Systems to build solar arrays for Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element
Maxar Technologies awarded a contract to Deployable Space Systems to manufacture flexible solar arrays for the Power and Propulsion Element of the Gateway, a key element of NASA’s Artemis campaign to return humans to the moon.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, California, USA, NASA, North America, Maxar Technologies, flexible solar, Brian Spence, DSS
PacifiCorp’s draft resource plan adds significant new solar+storage generation
PacifiCorp released a draft of its long-term energy plan that continues investments in new wind generation and transmission, while adding significant new solar and storage resources. The plan, which is the result of a comprehensive data analysis and stakeholder input process, demonstrates the company’s adoption of additional lower-cost renewable resources to meet customer needs and support for its phased coal transition.
Oct 4, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Storage, USA, storage, North America, PacifiCorp, Rick Link, Chad Teply, Wyoming
Sunnova Donates Solar Panels to Nonprofits in Puerto Rico
Sunnova Energy Corporation is collaborating, through the Solar Foundation’s “Solar Saves Lives” program, with non-profit organizations in Puerto Rico to support critical energy projects on the island.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Solar, USA, storage, Solar Panels, North America, Sunnova Energy Corporation, Puerto Rico, Karla Zambrana-Melendez
Solar rooftop scheme falls short of goals
The Energy Ministry plans to allocate 10,000 megawatts, currently allotted to the household solar rooftop scheme, to other renewable energy methods such as community waste as the solar panel scheme has received little participation from homeowners.
Oct 4, 2019 // Grids, Rooftop PV, Thailand, Asia, rooftop PV, Kulit Sombatsiri, Samerjai Suksumek
SunPower awarded solar-plus-storage carports in California
US solar firm SunPower is to deploy 3.7MW of solar carports across 10 locations in Contra Costa County, California, with some of the sites using energy storage.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, California, USA, SunPower, solar-plus-storage, North America, contra costa, carport, helix roof system, Frank Di Massa
New configuration gives perovskite cells 18% efficiency
Cesium lead black perovskites could be interesting for solar cell development if their crystals are observed in their less efficient but more stable beta phase. The efficiency shortfall can be solved by healing emerging cracks in the surface of the cell using a choline iodide solution, according to an international team of scientists.
Oct 4, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, China, Europe, Asia, Switzerland, Luis K Ono, Jiao Tong University
Solar helping UK clean up legacy of coal industry
The governmental body responsible for keeping mine pollution out of waterways has announced completion of the first phase of a plan to use solar to keep down its electricity bills.
Oct 4, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, UK, First Solar, Europe, HBS New Energies
Australia’s Townsville battery gigafactory reaches new milestone
Plans to develop an 18 GWh lithium-ion battery factory in northern Queensland have reached an important milestone with the project feasibility study submitted to the Queensland government.
Oct 4, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Storage, Australia, Oceania, lithium-ion battery, Siemens, Magnis Energy, James Cook University, Edify Energy, Cameron Dick, Durr Megtec, Ausenco