European Commission proposes electricity market reform
The European Commission’s long-awaited reform of the European Union’s electricity market proposes to keep the merit order mechanism, but going forward the European energy market will be more strongly characterized by long-term PPAs and bilateral contracts for differences.
French region announces financial aid for solar PPAs
France’s largest administrative region, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, has launched a call for new solar projects. It aims to promote access to power purchase agreements (PPA) for companies and encourage the emergence of new installations.
Key takeaways from Poland’s Enex Expo
The record-breaking size and bustling halls of Enex Expo showed that the Polish PV market has no intention of slowing down. While last year’s switch from net metering to net billing is expected to continue to reverberate through the residential solar market, the commercial and industrial (C&I) and utility-scale PV market segments stand ready to pick up the slack.
Colombia allocates 5.77 GW of solar in renewables auction
The Colombian authorities assigned 7.49 GW of renewable energy projects in the nation’s latest procurement exercise.
Longi reveals plans to open 5 GW solar module factory in US market
Longi Solar is working with PV developer Invenergy to build a solar module manufacturing facility in the US state of Ohio.
Optimizing off-grid PV systems for different design criteria
A new report by IEA PVPS Task 18 provides a blueprint guide on how to conduct feasibility studies for off-grid and edge-of-grid power systems. The optimal system size and specifications vary depending on the client’s priorities. The desired project outcomes can be identified using pure financial analysis (NPV, IRR) or additionally taking environmental performance into account.
New technique to recover undamaged solar cells in end-of-life PV panels
Scientists in China developed a novel swelling process to detach glass and EVA backsheets from solar modules at the end of their lifecycle. The technique utilizes an ester of a dicarboxylic acid known as dibasic ester. It reportedly prevents excessive cracking of solar cells.
Dutch-German consortium to bring 2T perovskite/silicon tandem PV to market
The consortium says it intends to develop a simplified approach and best practices to produce 2T perovskite-silicon tandem solar products. The modules should have a bifacial design, glass-glass encapsulation, and a power output of over 300 W/m2.
Greece deployed 1.36 GW of new solar in 2022
Data released by the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies show that the Greek solar market installed three times more capacity in 2022 compared to 2021.
Renewables-powered heat pump for district heating
South Korean researchers have developed a heat trading system including a ground-source heat pump, solar thermal collectors, a fuel-cell system, and two heat storage tanks for district heating at hours of peak solar production.
