Tunisia launches 200 MW solar tender
Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy has kicked off a new procurement exercise for large-scale solar.
Africa needs regional strategy for PV manufacturing
A new policy paper from the African Policy Research Institute (APRI) recommends that Africa adopt a regionalized PV strategy to successfully integrate into the global solar value chain. It warns that without a coordinated approach, individual countries are unlikely to integrate into the global market.
The Hydrogen Stream: Infinity sends fuel cell to NASA for lunar testing
Infinity says it has delivered a fuel cell prototype to NASA for ground testing, aimed at demonstrating a regenerative energy storage system for potential lunar applications.
Scientists investigate potential of diatomite as a raw material for solar cells
A German-Algerian research team has been investigating ways to produce silicon from diatomite, a fossil material containing amorphous silicon dioxide. The researchers said that, for potential solar cell applications, it will be crucial to extract silion with a low level of impurities.
Rotating, vertical floating PV system for offshore applications
An international group of scientists has designed a patented mooring tech and a vertical PV system that reportedly allows the bifacial solar panels to align with the prevailing wind direction to shed wind loads. Depending on a project’s latitude, the system can deliver different power yield.
EU-funded project seeks set up pilot production of large-area perovskite PV modules
The EU-funded Laperitivo project aims for 22% efficiency in 900 cm² opaque perovskite modules and 20% efficiency in semi-transparent ones. The project partners include imec, Fraunhofer ISE, TotalEnergies, and EDF.
Amea Power to build 1 GW of solar, 900 MWh of storage in Egypt
Dubai-based developer Amea Power has agreed to build a 1 GW solar plant with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and an additional 300 MWh BESS. This follows the signing of two power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co.
Egypt set for giant solar-plus-battery storage project
Norwegian developer Scatec ASA has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 1 GW solar array and 100 MW/200 MWh battery storage project in Egypt. CEO Terje Pilskog says it is Egypt’s first hybrid solar-plus-battery project.
Algeria’s PV capacity tops 436.8 MW
Solar power is the leading source of renewable electricity in Algeria, with a total capacity of 436.8 MW. About 388.95 MW (82.4%) is grid-connected, and 47.85 MW (10.1%) is off-grid. Recent large-scale tenders aim to push the country’s capacity beyond 4 GW soon.
Citroën lightweight compact EV equipped with solar kits
La Croisière Verte is the name of a 13,500 km expedition from the north to south of Africa in a fleet of four Citroën AMI vehicles, each carrying 5,600 W of lightweight PV panels in foldable packs.
