Solar Commercial Plants News

The combination of pumped hydro with other storage technologies can increase renewables penetration, improve operational safety and reduce maintenance costs at large-scale hydropower plants, according to new research. The study also focuses on techniques to determine the optimal size of renewables-based pumped hydro storage systems. Costs for hybrid solar-pumped hydro projects currently range from $0.098/kWh to $1.36/kWh.

JinkoSolar, a SMSL pioneer, has provided Danish PV developer Obton with 40 megawatts of superefficient Cheetah HC 60 photovoltaic panels for its newly finished Netherlands-based venture.

Soltec, a leading solar tracker manufacturer, has announced the results of bifacial PV panel and tracker functionality testing from the BiTEC test centre at Livermore, the state of California, revealing an advantage in using two-module-in-portrait as well as a general gain of 15.7 percent.

Mali is set to host one of the world’s largest off grid solar+storage projects, as a 30 MW solar plant will soon be coupled with a 17MW/15MWh storage facility to power the Fekola gold mine. Finland’s Wärtsilä will supply the battery.

Ireland, in collaboration with France, intends to invest 8.8m euros in the development of a 7.5-megawatt photovoltaic installation in Gaza for treatment of polluted water.

EDF Renewables North America and Shell Energy North America (SENA) signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) related to a 132 MWac tranche of the Palen Solar site known as Maverick 7 Solar Project. The project is expected to come online by the end of 2021.

Renova has put forward a majority stake and switched on a 80.8MW PV installation located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

The Spanish government has selected 55 solar installations in the procurement exercise. About 256 MW of the projects it awarded will be built on Mallorca, while Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera will host 61 MW, 6 MW and 2 MW of new capacity, respectively.

Spain’s former oil monopoly has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 but admitted that current technologies would only be able to achieve "at least 70%" of that goal.

The Abu Dhabi-based clean energy group has entered into a formal agreement with an investment fund to develop 400 MW of PV capacity in Armenia, with a projected investment of up to $320 million.

Pacifico Energy Solar Fund II launch has been completed successfully. The money raised will be used for acquisition of five Japan-based photovoltaic projects with a total capacity exceeding 216 megawatts.

The South Australian shift toward renewable power has witnessed a new considerable step forward. The construction is starting at a major clean hydrogen project south of Adelaide. The facility is announced to feature the largest PEM electrolyzer in Australia.

Researchers have introduced a new metric for determination of the highest allowable cost for cell efficiency increase and levelized cost of electricity optimization. The scientists have called this new parameter ‘value of efficiency’.

The Taiwanese PV manufacturer said the project will be the largest solar installation on the island. Construction is scheduled to being near the city of Tainan in the second half of 2020.

Lithuania’s Modus Group has finalised the construction of a 13.5-MW solar park in Ukraine, its first photovoltaic (PV) project in that country.