The state of California has submitted a bill that would mandate the installation of solar power on all new buildings. Current law only mandates new buildings to be “solar ready” meaning, that there has to be at least 15 % of the roof’s area free of shades. However, at the moment the bill is in the early stage and a lot is still to be figured out.
The India Government has approved a plan to double the nation capacity of the Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects from 20,000 to 40,000 MW.
The investment and advisory firm Kobus Partners, specialised in renewable energy and energy infrastructure, has bought a PV portfolio with a total capacity of 12.5 MW. The eight plants are located in the regions of Catalonia, Castile and Leon the Valencian Community, and Andalusia.
In all the commotion about falling module prices, the subject of cell efficiency is sometimes overlooked. Fraunhofer ISE, which is based in Freiburg, has put the topic back in the spotlight by announcing a new world record for efficiency with multicrystalline cells: 21.9 %.
In Malindi one of Kenya’s largest solar hybrid systems has started operation. The SMA Fuel Save Controller smartly integrates the PV system including 34 Sunny Tripower inverters to the public grid and the diesel generators. With an annual output of 1.6 MWh the system is expected to reduce the electricity costs of Krystalline Salt Ltd by 25 %.
The substation for the Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park has been successfully energized. ABB was responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the gas-infused switchgear substation. The project is an essential element of the vision to reach a renewable share of 7 % of Dubai’s energy consumption.
Johannes Bernreuter from the market research company Bernreuter Research has published a new study. Like previous studies, it examines the polysilicon market, this time providing an overview through the year 2020. The data that was used for the study – and there is quite a lot of it – is from November 2016. This means the data is very current. It is unlikely that anyone has a more up-to-date study. A more thorough market study probably does not exist either.
Photovoltaic Feed