EV battery prices fell by 50% at end of 2023, says TrendForce
Average sales prices of Chinese power cells at the end of 2023 were half of what they were at the start of the year, according to TrendForce. Despite the drop, the research firm says prices should stabilize in the second half of 2024.
Idaho commission cuts rooftop PV compensation, driving industry concerns
Electric utility commissions across the nation are following the lead of California to cut compensation for rooftop solar generation. Is Idaho the next step in a death march for the industry?
Color characterization technique for BIPV
Scientists in Switzerland have created a new technique to characterize the color of BIPV panels. The method uses an optical fiber spectrometer to detect color characterization signals.
Renewables-powered high temperature heat pumps are cheapest option for industrial steam
New research from Austria has compared different industrial heat-generating techniques and has found that wind or solar-powered heat pumps are the cheapest and most environment-friendly solution.
Hemetsberger wages battle for gender parity at SolarPower Europe
PV is often touted as the progressive titan of the renewable energy industry, but when Walburga Hemetsberger joined Europe’s solar lobby giant SolarPower Europe in 2019 as CEO, she faced a problem: her board was male-only. On the cusp of her fifth year in an industry where she is a rare species – a woman in charge – she explains why she fought for more female representation in the solar sector from the belly of her business group.
KAUST unveils triple-junction perovskite-perovskite-silicon solar cell with 26.4% efficiency
The triple-junction solar cell is based on a 15.0%-efficient top perovskite solar cell modified with potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) and methylammonium iodide (MAI). According to its creators, the triple-junction device displays a remarkable power conversion efficiency improvement compared to state-of-the-art devices.
France announces new FIT rates for PV systems up to 500 kW
France’s new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for the period from August 2023 to January 2024 range from €0.2077 ($0.2270)/kWh for installations below 3 kW to €0.1208/kWh for arrays ranging in size from 100 kW to 500 kW.
Kuwait tenders 1.1 GW solar project
Kuwait has tendered a 1.1 GW solar project to supply electricity to the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy under a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Fraunhofer IWU unveils online tool for sizing of rooftop PV systems
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (Fraunhoer IWU) has developed a new online tool to calculate the size of rooftop solar arrays, heat pumps and batteries.
Renewables covered almost 60% of German electricity demand in 2023
New statistics from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) show that PV systems in Germany generated around 59.9 TWh of solar power in 2023, with 6.4 TWh used for home consumption.
