Assessing floating PV costs across Europe
Researchers have analyzed the viability of floating PV in terms of net present value, internal rate of return, and LCOE. They included 25 European countries in their work, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy.
QatarEnergy to build 2 GW solar plant
QatarEnergy has unveiled plans for a 2 GW solar project in western Qatar, which will more than double the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity.
Deep learning tech detects snow coverage on PV systems, calculates energy loss
Conceived by researchers in Canada, the novel method combines image processing and deep learning techniques to locate the areas of the solar panels covered with snow. It reportedly performed better than three other popular image processing-based segmentation methods.
New approach to measure PV inverter degradation in semi-arid climates
New research from Morocco has found that the Sandia PV Array Performance Model is the most suitable for measuring AC power in PV systems located in arid-climate conditions. The scientists conducted a series of tests a three different PV systems located at a testing facility in Ben Guerir, in central Morocco.
Germany awards 2.15 GW in PV tender with lowest bid of €0.0450/kWh
The German authorities have awarded 2.15 GW of utility-scale solar in a new tender, with bids ranging from €0.0450 ($0.05)/kWh to €0.0524/kWh. The tender was oversubscribed to 4.2 GW.
Fiji launches tender for ground-mounted solar
Energy Fiji Ltd. has started accepting bids for the development, operation and maintenance of three ground-mounted solar plants in Fiji with a combined capacity of 21.93 MW. The deadline for applications is Oct. 30.
Fraunhofer CSP developing new patent infringement investigation methods for PV technologies
The German research institute is working on developing advanced, high-resolution material and thin film characterization methods that may become a set of simplified and rapid measurement procedures for routine use in intellectual property investigations.
MET Group completes 23.4 MW of solar in Hungary
Switzerland-based energy producer MET Group has finished building a 23.4 MW solar project in eastern Hungary. It will generate enough energy to supply around 13,000 local homes and has a life expectancy of 30 years.
Alpine PV has LCOE ranging from €0.097/kWh to 0.162/kWh
New research from Switzerland shows that capex costs for Alpine PV projects in Switzerland currently range between €2,231/kW and €4,182/KW for ground-mounted projects and up to €3,802/kW and €7,108/kW for wall-mounted and floating projects, respectively.
Gstar commits to 2 GW solar module factory in UAE
The Singapore-based company is entering the Middle Eastern market after signing a memorandum of understanding for a 2 GW solar module manufacturing project.
