Spain largest PPA market in Europe last year with almost 4 GW of deals
According to Swiss consultancy Pexapark, around 11 GW of power purchase agreements were closed in Europe last year. For 2022, the analyst expects shorter deals and the presence of more new entrants.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: GCL-Poly wants to move to Shanghai Stock Exchange
In other news, Longi raised funds to build another 18 GW of solar cell capacity and Suntech began work on its 10 GW module factory in Anhui Province.
Italy’s third Capacity Market auction expected to open new opportunities for large-scale storage
The retirement of coal baseload capacity, some regulatory adjustments and high energy prices volatility could bode well for the deployment of batteries in Italy, and especially in Sicily. Problems, mostly related to the timing and the structure of the auction, remain, however. We spoke about it with Michele Scolaro, Aurora Energy Research Associate.
A 4,000 cycle lithium-sulfur battery
Scientists in the United States developed a lithium-sulfur battery using a commercially available carbonate electrolyte, that retained more than 80% of its initial capacity after 4000 cycles. The group used a vapor deposition process which unexpectedly produced a form of sulfur that did not react with the electrolyte, overcoming one of the key challenges for this battery chemistry.
Portable, space-saving photovoltaic towers
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed solar towers that can be moved from one place to another and can generate 20-30% more power while requiring only 50-60% space compared to conventional mounting setups.
Subwavelength antireflective structure for thin-film solar cells
Consisting of a two-dimensional (2D) array of rings and pillars, the structure can improve the short-circuit current of a thin-film crystalline solar cell by over 50%, its creators say. The subwavelength AR structures are robust to certain degrees of fabrication errors, they add.
Next-gen concentrated solar power now under development
In new studies led by researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US Department of Energy pursues an energy cost goal of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour.
Tapping the offgrid solar market in India
Ashutosh Verma, the founder of solar appliance manufacturer Exalta India, says that the key to expanding the uptake of solar products in rural parts of India lies in improving access to finance.
Solar-plus-storage powers Australian mining town
The remote Australian township of Jabiru, deep in the heart of Kakadu National Park, has been powered 100% by solar PV during the final commissioning of the new Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Power Station.
SunPower to sell C&I solar business to TotalEnergies
SunPower is selling its C&I operations so it can focus on expanding its residential business, while TotalEnergies will advance its distributed generation activities in the US market.
