Netherlands raises solar panel recycling fee to ‘absorb shocks’ in market
PV module importers in the Netherlands saw the solar module recycling fee increase from €6.50 ($6.8) per ton to €40 per ton in July. In a chat with pv magazine, Jan-Willem Jehee, operations manager at Stichting Zonne-energie Recycling Nederland (ZRN), explains the money generated from the fee hike will be used to finance a guarantee fund that would ‘absorb shocks in the market should one occur.’
Spanish startup unveils distributed-generation wind-PV system
Soleolico says its new hybrid system uses ultra-light solar panels from Spanish manufacturer Izpitek and wind turbines that follow the wind through a magnetic system. The system is also able to absorb CO2.
Masdar to develop 500 MW of renewables in Tajikistan
W Energy, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and W Solar, plans to develop 500 MW of clean energy projects in Tajikistan, including floating PV installations.
US solar O&M contract prices averaged $7.90/kW in 2022, says WoodMac
Wood Mackenzie says O&M contract prices for US utility-scale project averaged $7.90/kW in 2022, underscoring the growing fragmentation of the solar O&M segment. However, the rankings of the top three vendors have remained unchanged from 2021.
Mauritius seeks consultants for 30 MW floating solar plant
The Mauritian government’s Central Electricity Board (CEB) is inviting consultancy firms to pitch their bids on conducting a feasibility study into developing a 30 MW floating solar PV farm at Tamarind Falls Reservoir in the archipelago’s southwest.
India needs more PV capacity to reach 2027 target of 186 GW
India needs to expand its PV capacity to achieve its 2027 energy target of 186 GW. As of March 31, 2023, the country had already installed 66.7 GW of solar, including an additional 12.9 GW added during the 2023 fiscal year.
High resolution satellite imagery for residential PV system detection
US-based Maxar Technologies used satellite imagery imagery with resolution of 31 cm to 15.5 cm to identify rooftop PV systems in southern Germany. The company claims its new approach was able to identify 97.8% of the solar arrays with high confidence.
EU cross-border solar auction largely oversubscribed
The first tender under the European Union’s new €40 million ($41.8 million) multilateral solar scheme – targeting 5 MW to 100 MW projects based in Finland and providing energy to Luxembourg – has been ‘oversubscribed’ with bids ‘significantly exceeding target volumes’, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy recently announced.
Higher demand, lower wind energy prices boost European electricity market prices
In the last week of September, European electricity market prices rose from the previous week. For a majority of prices the weekly average was above €100/MWh and, in several markets, some hourly prices were above €200/MWh. The rise in gas prices, the decrease in wind energy production and higher demand favored this behavior. Brent futures continued to rise, reaching their highest level since November 2022 on September 27.
US solar construction costs fell amid pandemic, says EIA
PV module prices have fallen since the start of the pandemic in 2020, reaching a global two-year low in April 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In the first two months of this year, average PV module prices in the United States stood at $0.36/W (DC), down 11% on a quarterly basis.
