pv magazine test: Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2022 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from our outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. In this issue, we present data for December and January, as the pandemic lockdown delayed the publication of yield results for the final month of 2021, alongside analysis from George Touloupas, director of technology and quality at CEA.
Sodium-ion batteries go mainstream
Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a viable alternative to lithium-ion technology. Industrial heavyweights CATL and Reliance Industries, following the acquisition of UK-based sodium-ion specialist Faradion, are bent on bringing the technology out of the lab and into mass production. Against a backdrop of soaring prices and predicted shortfalls of lithium-ion battery materials, sodium-ion chemistry has never been more tantalizing.
California’s fight to save rooftop solar
Grid experts, environmental organizations, labor groups, and working people are fighting against a proposal to limit California’s net metering policy for rooftop solar, which has been maligned as a “tax on the sun.”
Market turmoil drives change in PPAs
Utilities are reshaping their PPA strategies as hungry corporates twist what we thought we knew about procurement approaches. All the while, project owners and operators are seeking an answer to the lingering question: After the 10-year PPA, what next? Luca Pedretti, chief operating officer at Pexapark, reads the market and predicts how we can move forward.
Grid access threatens Poland’s PV prosperity
Solar dominated the Polish renewable energy sector in 2021. PV was responsible for the largest increase in nominal capacity last year, but until recently, it was only a niche market in the country. Rising electricity prices were the main contributor to Poland’s record year for PV, as they ensured profitability for solar installations, in combination with stable, flexible support via an energy auction system. Piotr Mrowiec, associate partner at Rödl & Partner, offers an update on PV in Poland.
New funds, support for Central Asian renewables
Developers have been eyeing the potential for large-scale solar development in Central Asia for a number of years, but a significant project pipeline has been slow to materialize. Fortunately, conditions are now improving, as Amsterdam-based pension fund investor ILX is partnering with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on a new fund, according to the EBRD’s head of loan syndications, Christian Kleboth, and Gianpiero Nacci, a director on the EBRD’s Green Economy and Climate Action team.
Final Thought: Start of the ‘bifacial nPV’ era
Radovan Kopecek, Managing Director Advanced Cell Concepts, ISC Konstanz
