The government of the Canadian province of Quebec is calling on utility Hydro-Quebec to run two solar tenders totaling 300 MW – one by the end of 2024 and another by the end of 2026. This marks the province’s first call for solar development on a commercial basis.

EDF Renewables, Korea Western Power Co. (Kowepo), and Masdar have secured financing to build a 1.5 GW solar plant near Abu Dhabi, backed by a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Emirates Water and Electricity Co.

The government of the Canadian province of Ontario has directed the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to finalize a design framework for a large-scale energy procurement exercise, which will include solar. It says that ground-mounted solar installations will be prohibited in prime agricultural areas.

Malaysia’s Sustainable Energy Development Authority reports that the 350 MW capacity allocated for residential solar under the net metering initiative has been reached. However, capacity remains available for government buildings, as well as commercial and industrial users under the same scheme.

India’s Bhageria Industries plans to build a utility-scale PV facility at the Khalifa Bin Salman Port of northeastern Bahrain. The project marks Bhageria’s first international solar venture.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting says lower demand and gas prices, combined with higher wind and solar output, pushed electricity prices down across Europe last week. France, Italy, and Spain also set daily solar production records for September.

The Solomon Islands Renewable Energy Development Project will finance two solar farms and a utility-scale grid-connected energy storage system on the Solomon Islands. The Asian Development Bank, Saudi Fund for Development, and Solomon Power are all financing the project.

DNV, an independent energy expert and assurance specialist, has unveiled a service that assesses the probability of hail events at the site of future solar projects across North America, covering a period up to 30 years.

Lithuania’s SNG Solar is set to build a 100 MW solar plant in the port of Riga, Latvia. Upon completion, the facility will be one of the largest solar projects in the Baltics.

A research team from South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST) has designed a wire-free transparent solar cell and module with all electrical contacts placed on the rear side. A 16 cm² module achieved a power conversion efficiency of 14.7% and successfully charged a smartphone using natural sunlight.