Author: solarenergy

Enel has completed the installation of PV modules in a 486.7 MW solar farm in Colombia. Once fully operational, it will be the largest PV project in the country. September 12, 2024 Luis Ini By pv magazine LatAmEnel Colombia, part of Enel Green Power and part of the Enel Group, has installed the last solar panels for the 486.7 MW “Guayepo I & II” solar park. Once operational, it will be the largest PV project in Colombia.The company said the project is already supplying energy to the National Interconnected System as part of a testing phase.The solar park covers 69…

Polar stretching has announced an improvement to its single-axis SOL-X tracking system for better operation during hailstorms. The new hail protection function should reduce the risk of hail damage to PV panels. The hail protection feature is designed to automatically position solar trackers at an optimal angle in anticipation of hailstorms, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This automated system adds a crucial layer of protection to SOL-X, which is designed for undulating terrain, heavy wind, snow and frost. The system features a bi-directional high hail position angle (+/- 63°) to minimize risk during hail events. During a hail event,…

Chinese module manufacturer Aiko Solar says it has built a 150 kW off-grid solar carport at an altitude of 4,300 meters on Mount Everest, with 645 W double-sided double-glazed modules and 200 kWh of battery storage. September 12, 2024 Emiliano BelliniChinese back-contact PV module manufacturer Aiko Solar has switched on a 150 kW solar carport on Mount Everest, connected to a 200 kWh energy storage system. The installation is located 4,300 meters above sea level in Everest National Park.“The charging station is designed with a structure that can accommodate 20 parking spaces, with 3 main chargers and 4.6 kW superchargers,”…

The show is over — at least it is for the Solar Power World team. Without taking too many breaks, I was able to speak to more than 40 companies over two days at RE+. It’s an event that boasted 1,300 exhibitors, so, I managed to meet with about only 3% of them. Putting it into that perspective makes it feel like my efforts are insignificant in the scope of this show. From when we last visited Anaheim in 2022, RE+ had broken a record by attracting 27,000 attendees to the event, and this year at least 13,000 more people…

The new refrigerant, developed by a Chinese research group, is made from a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2) and a non-flammable hydrofluorolefin. It has a slightly higher cost compared to conventional compounds, but its makers claim that these costs can be significantly reduced with large-scale industrial production. September 12, 2024 Emiliano BelliniA group of scientists led by Zhejiang University in China have developed a new zeotropic refrigerant that can reportedly improve the performance of air source heat pumps (ASHPs), while also offering a number of safety and stability benefits.“The cost of this new refrigerant is only slightly higher than that…

The device developed by researchers at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg uses aluminum as an anode, graphite as a cathode and a polymer-based solid electrolyte. It is validated and further developed for industrial production. The goal is a storage capacity of 10 kWh. September 12, 2024 Petra Hannen The first prototype will consist of a 10-cell ‘stack’ and will be able to store approximately 1 Wh of electricityImage: Image: TU Bergakademie Freiberg/A. Hieke By ESS newsTU Bergakademie Freiberg University of Technology has reported significant progress in developing an aluminum battery, which is based on materials that are both readily available and…

Most Chinese PV manufacturers’ half-yearly margin reports are in the red, with losses of 30%-50%. Image: Jinko Solar. Finlay Colville, head of research at Solar Power Portal’s sister website PV Tech, has predicted that the current PV production downturn affecting the sector will continue into 2026. The pressing question for 2025, Colville writes in a blog post on PV Tech, will be when we see the first signs that the downturn is ending. Colville says the worst is yet to come before the improvements begin. As such, 2025 will be “humbling” for the sector, he said, with the current downturn…

The ratification of the Wormald Green BESS (photo) makes the HEIT portfolio 100% operational. Image: HEIT. Harmony Energy Income Trust (HEIT) today (September 12) announced that it has powered two major UK battery energy storage systems (BESS). Investment company BESS has successfully powered its Hawthorn Pit and Wormald Green projects, with both expected to become fully operational in the coming weeks. The 49.9MW/99.8MWh Hawthorn Pit project is located in County Durham, while the 33MW/66MWh Wormald Green project is in Yorkshire. Both projects use two-hour liquid-cooled energy storage systems supplied by Envision Energy, with this endorsement marking Envision Energy’s first working…

Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) says it has received 643 bids for a total of 1.7 GW in its first agrivoltaic tender. About 56% of proposals come from the sunny southern regions of the country. September 12, 2024 Massimiliano Tripodo By pv magazine ItalyItalian MASE has announced the results of its first agrivoltaic tender. The ministry received subsidy applications for 643 projects, totaling 1.7 GW.Subsidizing these projects would require a total investment of approximately €920 million ($1.01 billion). MASE said most proposals came from Italy’s sunny southern regions.The auction is open to projects of any size from…

The system is the first Eku Energy project to go live in the UK. Image: Eku Energy. Energy storage specialist Eku Energy has announced the successful commissioning of its Maldon battery energy storage system (BESS), the first UK project to become commercially operational. The Maldon BESS project, located in Essex, just outside London, has a capacity of 40 MW/40 MWh. The project was built by Trina Storage, which will service and maintain the project throughout its operational life. In addition, the project has successfully secured a long-term capacity market contract traded by EDF. “The Maldon battery energy storage system is…