Author: solarenergy
New solar material promotes green hydrogen production Researchers in the field of nanoscale chemistry have made significant progress in advancing the sustainable and efficient production of hydrogen from water using solar energy. An international study led by Flinders University, with partners in South Australia, the US and Germany, has identified a new solar cell process that could play a crucial role in photocatalytic water splitting for the production of green hydrogen. The research introduces a new class of kinetically stable ‘core and shell Sn(II) perovskite’ oxide solar material. In combination with a catalyst developed by American researchers led by Professor…
In a new weekly update for pv magazineOPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a brief overview of the major price trends in the global PV industry. December 20, 2024 OPIS FOB China: The Chinese Module Marker (CMM), the OPIS benchmark rating for TOPCon modules from China, remained stable this week at $0.087/W Free-On-Board (FOB) China, with price indications between $0.083-0.095/W. The module market continues to stagnate as the industry digests the impact of the recently signed “self-regulation agreement” by more than 30 Chinese solar companies, which aims to stabilize prices by controlling supply. “Most module manufacturers are now likely to…
Researchers in Qatar have proposed a solar-powered freeze desalination and electrolysis system for producing freshwater and green hydrogen, while BP says it has made a final investment decision for its 100 MW Lingen Green Hydrogen project in Germany. December 20, 2024 Sergio Matalucci Hamad Bin Khalifa University Researchers have proposed a self-contained solar-powered freeze desalination and electrolysis system to produce fresh water and green hydrogen from brackish groundwater in remote desert areas. They used a 10,456 m² air-conditioned system for ice storage, metal hydride canisters for hydrogen storage and a fuel cell to deal with fluctuations in solar radiation. They…
The U.S. Department of Energy closed its $1.45 billion loan to support Qcells’ supply chain manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Georgia. The Loan Programs Office (LPO) first announced the loan in August. The LPO provides financing for large-scale, high-impact energy infrastructure projects in the United States. Qcells is the largest manufacturer of silicon solar panels in the Western Hemisphere and is currently building an all-inclusive solar panel manufacturing facility in Georgia. The site will produce silicon ingots, wafers, cells and finished panels. Qcells has committed to investing $2.8 billion in the facility. Including its other panel manufacturing facilities in Dalton, Georgia,…
Qair acquired a significant majority stake in UK developer Green Switch Capital in August, adding a pipeline of more than 15 GW. Image: Green Switching Capital. Qair, formerly Green Switch Capital, has been granted planning permission for a 49.9 MWp solar power plant in Buckinghamshire. The 49.9 MWp Straws Hadley Solar Farm will cover approximately 56 hectares and site management will include delivering net biodiversity gain, with an estimated minimum 65% habitat gain and 12% hedgerow gain post-development. Qair acquired a significant majority stake in UK developer Green Switch Capital in August, adding its pipeline of more than 15 GW…
An international research team has analyzed which factors contribute to fire accidents in PV facades and discovered that the distance between the wall and the photovoltaic modules plays a crucial role. The scientists also said property developers should carefully consider what combustible materials are embedded in the cavity wall. December 20, 2024 Emiliano Bellini A Danish-Norwegian research group has investigated how fire can spread in building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) facades and found that the gap distance between the panels and the wall, as well as the presence of flammable materials in the wall cavity, are crucial are factors. The research group…
The sale has reached the final stages and is expected to be completed in February. Image: HEIT. Harmony Energy Income Trust (HEIT) has announced that it has reached a new milestone in the sale of its UK portfolio. Yesterday (December 19), HEIT confirmed it was in the final stages of negotiations with an unnamed preferred bidder on an exclusive basis for the sale of the company’s entire portfolio of battery energy storage systems (BESS). This comes after the company’s second phase of negotiations, which began on October 18, 2024, and saw an “encouraging” number of potential bids. HEIT would like…
A scientist in Sweden has developed a new hybrid local feature-based method that uses thermographs to identify defective solar panels. December 20, 2024 Lior Kahana A researcher from Sweden’s Jönköping University has proposed a machine learning-based approach to health monitoring for PV systems using infrared thermography. The method is based on a hybrid local feature-based approach to monitor panels, designed to resist scaling, noise, rotation and blur. It achieved a training accuracy of 98% and a testing accuracy of 96.8%. “Existing image processing-based machine learning approaches for health and fault diagnosis are often limited to specific datasets and suffer from…
Norway’s Scatec ASA has achieved financial close of a 60 MW solar power plant in Botswana. The project will be developed as part of a wider 120 MW complex in the central part of the country. December 20, 2024 Patrick Jowett Image: Jadon Kelly, Unsplash Norwegian sustainable energy developer Scatec has reached financial close for the second 60 MW solar power plant of the 120 MW Mmadinare solar complex in Botswana. The estimated total capital expenditure for the 120 MW project is BWP 1.5 billion ($108 million). The solar power plants will be financed with 1 billion BWP of non-recourse…
Meadow Ridge, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Redding, Connecticut, recently powered a 763 kW solar project. It is the long-term vision of Meadow Ridge’s resident-led Solar Committee and broke ground in August with the support of Senior Care Development and Benchmark Senior Living, the community’s ownership and management company. “This is an exciting day on many levels,” said Meadow Ridge Chief Operating Officer Brett Mehlman. “We can all feel good about making this investment in the future of our community and our planet, while realizing immediate benefits. By 2025, we expect that more than 20% of the power…