The Hydrogen Stream: Europe to launch hydrogen auctions
The European Commission says it will set up the new European Hydrogen Bank by the end of this year, with additional plans to hand out 10-year contracts in a new hydrogen auction. Linde Engineering, meanwhile, is teaming up with several other companies to test solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) and ammonia cracking technology.
Kenya to combat rural energy access gap with over 130 solar minigrids
Kenya’s government plans to build 137 solar minigrids across remote locations in the East African country. The project received $150 million in funding from the World Bank.
The Hydrogen Stream: German grid operator increases hydrogen blend in regional gas network
Netze BW has increased the amount of hydrogen it is injecting into the regional grid of Oehringen, in the southwest of Germany, from 20% to 30%. pv magazine spoke with the project leader, Heike Grüner, about the next phases of the project.
TOPCon’s time to shine
Several of the world’s largest PV manufacturers are making the switch to n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells, in search of higher performance and longer lifetimes. With gigawatts of manufacturing capacity up and running in 2023, TOPCon is described by many as a mature technology today. In this pv magazine Webinar, we will examine the performance and durability advantages that n-type TOPCon cells and modules achieve – with case studies from modules deployed in the Middle East/North Africa region.
Solar, storage system for water treatment in Malawi
RIC Energy has built a 1.3 MW PV array and a 4.5 MWh battery system for two water treatment plants and five water pumping stations in Malawi. The hybrid system will treat enough water to supply more than 200,000 people.
New model estimates PV potential for water pumping in Africa
An international team has developed a numerical model that calculates how much groundwater can be pumped by PV systems of different sizes across the entire African continent. The results show that larger PV systems do not always pump the highest volume of water.
Africa-focused solar fund raises $92.7 million
Rgreen Invest and Echosys Invest have raised €87.5 million ($92.7 million) through the Afrigreen Debt Impact Fund. They said they will use the money to finance on-grid and off-grid solar projects for small- and medium-sized commercial and industrial customers in Africa.
South Africa introduces rebate scheme for rooftop PV
South Africa’s new rebate program for private rooftop solar arrays has a budget of ZAR 4 billion ($216.7 million). It does not cover inverters, battery storage systems, or installation costs. However, some industry analysts have already criticized the scheme for failing to fully address the country’s load-shedding problem.
Developers accelerating construction of large-scale solar across Africa
The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has identified the top five solar markets in Africa. Its latest report also looks at the most notable large-scale projects across the continent.
Utility-scale PV and string inverter market trends
In this pv magazine Webinar, we’ll hear about utility-scale PV market developments in Europe and accompanying technology trends. String inverter market changes and the changing equation for LCOE will be brought into the spotlight.
