Serbia signs deal for 1 GW of solar, 200 MW of battery storage
An implementation agreement is in place between Serbia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy, utility company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and a consortium of Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables for six new solar plants totalling 1 GW. Up to 200 MW of battery storage will be developed across the sites.
IFC, Raiffeisen Bank provide €90 million for 225 MW of solar in Bulgaria
International Finance Corp. (IFC) and Raiffeisen Bank International have signed off on a €90 million ($97.8 million) debt package to support the development of a 225 MW facility in northeastern Bulgaria.
Octaspherosilicates-based anti-icing coating for PV systems
Developed by scientists in Poland, the new coating uses transparent silicone-epoxy modified with functionalized octaspherosilicates. The researchers have created five samples, each with a different combination of chemicals, and have found that ice adhesion was reduced by up to 43%, with freezing delay time growing by up to 70 times.
The Hydrogen Stream: Harvard researchers say H2 costs underestimated
Harvard University researchers say hydrogen costs are underestimated due to unaccounted storage and distribution variability across sectors, while Kore Infrastructure has told pv magazine that it aims to reach a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of between $1/kg and $2/kg.
JA Solar files patent infringement lawsuit against Astronergy
JA Solar has filed two patent lawsuits against Astronergy in the Unified Patent Court (UPC). The proceedings are related to the tunneling silicon oxide (SiO2) layers, the doped polysilicon layer, and the electrodes used in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar products.
Czechia planning retroactive cuts to feed-in tariffs for PV systems
The Czech government is trying to retroactively reduce feed-in tariffs (FITs) granted for PV projects between 2006 and 2013. The local solar sector has criticized the move, claiming that it could incite panic among investors.
Lithuania’s largest PV carport powering 44 EV chargers
Lithuania-based Soliport has built what it claims to be the largest solar carport in the Baltic states. The 250 kW system is connected to 44 electric vehicle charging points and injects only a small portion of the electricity it generates into the grid.
EU approves aid for 5.4 GWh storage rollout in Poland
The European Commission (EC) has authorized a €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) Polish state aid scheme to support investment into electricity storage facilities.
Perovskite solar module achieves 21.44% efficiency via new passivation tech
Researchers have developed a novel passivation process for formamidinium lead iodide perovskite films, which reportedly resulted in solar cells with 23.69% power conversion efficiency, and modules with 21.44% certified efficiency. After 1000 hours, the hetero-polytypic passivated devices maintained 92% of their initial efficiency, outperforming untreated devices.
Construction begins on 263 MW solar plant in Uzbekistan
China Datang has started building a $150 million, 263 MW solar plant in Uzbekistan for JSC Uzbekenergo.
