Mark Hutchins
Hanergy to partner with Beijing EV group
Thin film solar producer, Hanergy has announced plans to partner with Chinese electric vehicle group BAIC BJEV to develop thin film solar products ‘for the car and household’, as well construction of distributed generation for industrial parks and solar poverty alleviation projects.
Canadian Solar awarded 112 MW project in Brazil
Leading module manufacturer, Canadian Solar has been awarded a 112 MW project in Brazil, after the country allocated around 574 MW of PV in its recent A-4 power auction.
US researchers model alternatives to farmland for PV deployment
A team of scientists from the University of California has published a study, which says the state could meet 100% of its electricity demand up to 2025 from PV, without having to deploy a single panel on productive farmland or protected natural areas.
Oxford PV receives €15 million financing from EIB
Perovskite solar start up, Oxford PV has received €15 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), to support its efforts at commercialization of silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell production.
SERIS reaches 21.5% efficiency for fully screen printed cell
The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) announced a new efficiency milestone, achieving 21.5% average cell efficiency for its fully screen printed bifacial silicon technology. According to SERIS, the milestone was achieved at pilot-scale production using commercially available wafers.
Solar Frontier hits new thin film cell efficiency record
The Japanese thin film module manufacturer has announced the achievement of a new world record, having achieved a 22.9% conversion efficiency for a CIS cell measuring 1cm². The record has been verified by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
ETH Zürich demonstrates decentralized energy systems
Researchers at ETH Zürich have published a paper illustrating the potential for distributed energy systems with solar at their heart, as a replacement for the current centralized energy system.
Floating electrolyzer for PV powered hydrogen
Scientists at New York’s Columbia University have a developed a floating device, which uses PV generated electricity to convert seawater into hydrogen.
Malaysian pension fund acquires 45% stake in 365 MW PV portfolio
European renewable energy investment platform Vortex, has sold a 45% equity stake in Vortex Solar Investments to Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), Malaysia’s second largest pension fund, in a GBP 67.5 million transaction.
Wirsol to acquire two ‘subsidy free’ solar projects in the UK
Wirsol has announced the acquisition of two solar projects totaling 16 MW, which are gearing up to begin construction in the U.K. Wirsol also says it has plans to expand this portfolio to around 150 MW over the next 18 months.
