PV module innovations to lower solar costs in coming decade
A new report by Wood Mackenzie suggests that rapid solar module technology innovations in the next decade will lead to significant increases in module power class, better performance and more versatile applications. Technology and lower capex will be key to sector growth, it adds.
Fall in off-grid solar sales deprives 5m people of access to clean power
The latest edition of the Global Off-grid Solar Market Report by the World Bank and GOGLA has called for regulatory and financial support to help off-grid distributors create jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump pulls tariff exemption for bifacial panels – again
The U.S. president issued a proclamation on Oct. 10 that cites the impact of imported bifacial panels on U.S. solar manufacturing, while also raising the scheduled fourth-year tariff rate from 15% to 18%.
Hero Future Energies plans first Indian investment in Bangladesh grid scale solar
The New Delhi-based developer is planning a 50 MW plant after the 100 MW facility originally proposed was stymied by the power evacuation equipment available at the Khulna site.
New equipment for solar cell metallization
The system can metallize the front and back sides of silicon solar cells with unprecedented precision and speed, Fraunhofer ISE said. The technology is also suitable for components such as printed circuit boards or chip cards.
Three signs that battery energy storage is mainstream today
With the inclusion of battery energy storage into new building codes and safety standards, it’s obvious just how mainstream storage is today.
A new device to detect PV panel failure
A Spanish start-up has developed a system which offers automated fault detection in solar panels at any scale.
Solar canopies can put PV panels in some new and interesting places
A major advantage of this design is the ability to string cables over a longer distance without the support needed in traditional racking approaches.
Mahindra Susten to install Bangladesh’s largest solar rooftop
The renewables business of the conglomerate will undertake its first project across the border by providing engineering, procurement and construction services on a Rs12.6 crore, 3.1 MW array for a German-Bangladeshi knitwear company which will buy the power generated for Rs5.71518/kWh.
The long read: Is fair lithium from Chile possible?
Batteries, and the raw materials that make them, are a frequent target of public criticism. The high water consumption required for lithium extraction is speeding up the desertification process around the salt lakes of Latin America’s so-called “lithium triangle”, for example. The mining debate highlights general problems with the extraction of raw materials, including copper, crude oil, and lithium, but international companies can still influence extraction methods – and there are plenty of different approaches.
