Author: solarenergy
Waaree Energies has started trial production at its 5.4 GW solar cell factory in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the largest solar cell manufacturing facility in India. January 7, 2025 Uma Gupta By pv magazine India Waaree Energies said it has started trial production at its 5.4 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Chikhli, Gujarat. With a capacity of 5.4 GW, the plant is the largest manufacturing plant for advanced solar cells in India. “By focusing on indigenous production of solar cells, Waaree continuously strives to reduce dependence on imports, stabilize costs amid fluctuations in the global supply…
Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), in partnership with participating Florida municipal electric utilities and Origis Energy, announced the completion of the Rice Creek Solar Energy Center, delivering nearly 75 MWAC of carbon-free electricity to twelve Florida cities. Rice Creek Solar is the third solar site in the Florida Municipal Solar Project, one of the largest municipally supported solar projects in the US. Located in Putnam County, near Palatka, it consists of 213,000 solar panels that generate enough power for about 14,000 homes. The 12 utilities that will receive power from the Rice Creek solar plant include Beaches Energy Services (Jacksonville…
The Indian solar panel supply chain map, recently updated by Hong Kong-based quality assurance company Sinovoltaics, identifies 111 manufacturing sites with a combined PV module manufacturing capacity of 58.4 GW. Another 60 GW will come online between 2027 and 2030, bringing the announced capacity additions to 119 GW. January 7, 2025 Valerie Thompson Hong Kong-based quality assurance company Sinovoltaics has published its India Solar Supply Chain Map for the fourth quarter of 2024, indicating 58.4 GW of module capacity, with another 60 GW to be added between 2027 and 2030, making a total of 119 GW possible. The analysts pointed…
Researchers from four Australian universities have published a new paper asking why solar microgrids are not the norm in remote central Australia. January 7, 2025 Emiliano Bellini By pv magazine Australia Researchers from four Australian universities have released a new paper asking why solar energy microgrids are not the norm in remote central Australia, while energy insecurity is prevalent in remote Aboriginal households. Together with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Desert Knowledge Research Institute, the Alice Springs researchers collaborated on local perceptions of solar energy and health. The article, published in the Magazine for cleaner productionconcluded that…
Scientists have quantified the impact of wildfires on the availability of direct normal irradiation and global horizontal irradiation at the state, regional, and national levels in the United States. They found that direct irradiation is more sensitive to smoke than the PV-relevant global horizontal irradiation. January 7, 2025 Lior Kahana A research team led by Colorado State University analyzed the impact of wildfire smoke on solar energy availability, namely direct normal irradiance (DNI) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI). Using satellite-based smoke, aerosol, and cloud observations, the team was able to measure impacts at the state, regional, and national levels in…
EDP Renewables North America today unveiled the Sandrini I & II solar farm (Sandrini I & II) in Kern County, California. The two-phase solar farm includes the 200 MW Sandrini I, which has a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy North America (SENA), and the 100 MW Sandrini II, which has a 15-year PPA. with Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). Both phases of the project were commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2024. Sandrini I generates enough energy to power the equivalent of more than 76,000 California homes annually and has paid out more than $510,000 in tax…
China Huadian Corp. has launched a tender procedure for 18 GW inverters, targeting string inverters of 300 kW and more, with an input voltage of 1,500 V DC and an overload capacity of 10%. Bidding begins on February 6, 2025. January 7, 2025 Vincent Shaw China Huadian Corp. Image: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons China Huadian has launched a tender procedure for string inverters of 300 kW and more, with an estimated purchasing volume of approximately 18 GW. The tender calls for three-phase, three-wire system inverters with a DC input voltage of 1,500 V and an overload capacity of 10%. The bidding…
Scientists in China have used ground heat exchangers based on volcanic tuffs to improve the storage capabilities and efficiency of photovoltaic-thermal systems. Their experiments showed that the proposed combination effectively improves the cooling and thermal efficiency of PV modules. January 7, 2025 Emiliano Bellini Researchers from China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University have attempted to combine photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) energy with thermal storage provided by ground heat exchangers (GHE) that use volcanic tuff as a heat storage material. “This approach takes advantage of the unique thermal properties of volcanic tuffs, such as their high porosity and thermal conductivity, to improve cooling, thermal regulation…
Chinese module manufacturer GCL SI has expanded into the production of back contact (BC) solar cells with its first 660W BC module, featuring TOPCon (tunnel oxide passivated contact) technology. January 7, 2025 Vincent Shaw Chinese module manufacturer GCL SI, a subsidiary of GCL Technology, has launched its first PV module based on BC solar cell technology. The 660W module, with dimensions of 2,382 mm x 1,134 mm x 30 mm, has a temperature coefficient of -0.25% per degree Celsius. Sheng This design reportedly improves light absorption, photoelectric conversion, recombination loss reduction, and current collection efficiency. The module design enables longer…
SolarEdge Technologies plans to lay off 400 employees worldwide, its fourth job cuts announcement in the past year. Recent safe harbor agreements and 45X credit sales could help the company on the road to recovery. January 7, 2025 Anne Fischer By pv magazine USA SolarEdge Technologies plans to lay off 400 employees worldwide, its fourth job cuts announcement in the past year. For example, last January the company announced a global workforce reduction plan that will impact approximately 900 employees, or about 16% of its total workforce. The company said the reduction is part of a restructuring plan “designed to…