News

Fitch: Malaysian solar poised for growth despite record-low tariffs
Record-low tariffs seen in government auctions this month in Malaysia will not dent the country’s solar growth, according to analysts at Fitch Solutions.
Sep 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, Tariffs, Malaysia, auctions, fitch solutions, tenders, market analysis
Greece goes smaller with end-of-year solar tender
Greece has opted to slightly trim the capacity on offer at the year’s last solar-only tender, setting ceiling prices that reflect the gradual technology cost decreases seen in the country.
Sep 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, Greece, tender, solar pv, auctions, Europe, southern europe, rae
ACWA’s ‘record’ bid wins 250MW Scaling Solar duo in Ethiopia
Saudi Arabian energy developer ACWA Power has won a 250MW duo of World Bank-backed solar projects in eastern Ethiopia.
Sep 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, world bank, international finance corporation, Africa, Scaling Solar, tenders, ACWA Power, Arabia Saudi, pv projects
Solar Market Insight Report 2019 Q2
The quarterly SEIA/Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables U.S. Solar Market InsightTM report shows the major trends in the U.S. solar industry. Learn more about the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report. Released June 18, 2019
Sep 16, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Market Research, Research-SEIA, Market research
Sweden increases budget for solar incentives by $48m
Funding for the rebate scheme had already been increased in April. Overall, the budget for this year now amounts to almost $125 million.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Markets & Finance News, Sweden, Andreas Thorsheim
Greece to tender 287 MW of new solar capacity in December
The nation’s energy regulator today announced separate tenders for solar and wind generation capacity will be held on December 12.
Sep 13, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Greece, tender, Europe
Silicon and perovskites should stick together, say Korean scientists
Researchers from the Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology have demonstrated a new method of fabricating perovskite-on-silicon tandem devices, using a transparent conductive adhesive to combine the two cells. The scientists have developed devices with demonstrated efficiencies of 19.4%, and propose strategies to bring that above 24% using existing technology.
Sep 13, 2019 // Technology, South Korea, Asia, silicon, Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology, Young Choi
Germany will need 160 GW of solar by 2030 to prevent power shortages
EuPD Research has calculated what needs to be done to replace the nuclear and coal generation to be phased out in Germany. Accelerated expansion of PV appears the best short-term option. However, storage capacity will need to increase 30-fold by 2040 so solar can become the main pillar of the country’s energy system.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Rooftop PV, Solar to Fuel, Germany, Europe, EuPD Research, BSW-Solar, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
Spain’s OHL to build utility-scale PV in Chile for Austrian developer
Clean Capital Energy (CCE) has picked a Spanish firm with a track record in Latin American solar to build a utility-scale project in Chile’s centre-north.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Chile, utility-scale PV, South america, ohl, clean capital energy, cce
Foresight continues Australian charge with small-scale renewables fund launch
Global solar investor Foresight Group has continued its charge into the Australian PV market, launching a sustainability framework to finance small-scale renewable infrastructure projects in the country.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Markets & Finance News, Australia, solar pv, Oceania, investment, foresight group
Swiss scientists identify causes of defects in silicon carbides for power electronics
Carbon clusters of a few nanometers in size could be responsible for the defects affecting the thermal stability of SiCs. The defective carbon accumulations arise during the oxidation of silicon carbide to silicon dioxide under high temperatures
Sep 13, 2019 // Technology, Inverters, Europe, Switzerland, carbon, Dipanwita Dutta
Kosovo planning auction scheme for solar and wind capacity
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is helping the Kosovan government develop a competitive scheme for the award of payments to renewable energy generators. The Balkan state wants to add 400 MW of clean energy capacity by 2026.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, EBRD, Kosovo, Valdrin Lluka
Five takeaways from EU PVSEC 2019
This week, pv magazine headed to Marseille for the 36th edition of the EU PVSEC conference and exhibition. During the week-long show, leading universities and research institutes presented their latest results to the industry and public. As the conference heads into its final afternoon, we’ve put together five key takeaways from this year’s event.
Sep 13, 2019 // Solar, France, China, Europe, Asia, recycling, EU PVSEC 2019, thermal and UV drone
Duke snaps up Canadian Solar’s 200MWac Texan bifacial PV project
Duke Energy Renewables has clinched another major solar acquisition in Texas, bringing its PV project count up to four in the Lone Star state.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, USA, Canadian Solar, Duke Energy Renewables, Texas, utility-scale PV, North America, bifacial modules, shell, recurrent energy, 8minute Solar Energy
Wacker enters battery business with acquisition of 25% stake in Nexeon
The Munich-based chemical company has taken a substantial minority share in the British materials specialist to expand its silicon-based high-performance battery activity. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
Sep 13, 2019 // Storage, Germany, UK, Europe, Wacker Chemie AG, Nexeon, Christian Hartel, Scott Brown