Highlights

French solar developer TSE, in association with Alliance BFC, has unveiled the initial results of a pilot study in France on how solar panels can affect soybean growth.

Swiss consultancy Pexapark says falling energy prices, lower heating needs, and healthy gas reserves have had a calming effect on the European power purchase agreement (PPA) market. It foresees an increase in transactions over the short term.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIOT) recently introduced new ceiling prices for solar and wind projects that sell electricity to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). The ceiling price for ground-mounted solar has been slashed from $0.0709/kWh to $0.0502/kWh, threatening the financial viability of large-scale solar projects.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says the country installed 87.41 GW of new PV capacity in 2022.

The future outlook for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells is bright, due to recent R&D achievements and efficiency gains, according to Ayodhya Tiwari, head of laboratory at Switzerland’s Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). CIGS has already shown its value in building-integrated PV applications, but as production volumes increase in the years ahead, ground-mount plants and big utility-scale installations could also become feasible, says Tiwari.

Switzerland has announced a new one-off incentive model for solar, in order to reimburse up to 60% of investment costs for installations that meet certain criteria. The scheme exists in addition to nonrecurring remunerations for small and large PV installations.

The European Union Commission President wants to introduce a new industrial plan to turn Europe into the global clean-tech market leader, with looser rules for state funding and less red tape.

Longi Solar said it will invest CNY 42.5 billion ($6.65 billion) in 100 GW of wafer capacity and 50 GW of solar cell capacity in Shaanxi province, China.

Alessandro Romeo, associate professor in experimental physics at Università degli studi di Verona, speaks to pv magazine about the advantages of cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cells over other thin-film PV technologies, as well as the commercial implications of future efficiency gains and the prospects for industrial expansion.

The Middle East Solar Industry Association (Mesia) has reviewed the latest achievements of key PV markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in its newly published “Solar Outlook Report 2023.” The report offers an overview of developments across the PV industry, including green hydrogen, floating solar, and robotic cleaning.