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Gabon has inaugurated its first utility-scale solar project. The Ayémé PV plant is located in the Plaine-Ayeme area of northwestern Gabon, around 30 km from the country’s capital, Libreville.

Solen SA Gabon, a subsidiary of Solen Renewable Dubai, built and operates the project, with an initial capacity of 11 MW, according to local media outlet L'Union.

The company reportedly said it aims to expand the facility to 30 MW under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with state utility Société d'Energie et d'Eau du Gabon (SEEG). The project is expected to power 300,000 homes and create 150 direct jobs.

The plant, announced in 2021, faced delays and reductions in funding after construction began in August 2022. Initially planned as a 120 MW project split into two 60 MW phases, it was scaled back during development.

At the inauguration, President Brice Oligui Nguema highlighted the project as a symbol of the nation's commitment to sustainable development and climate action.

“It is indeed an important milestone in the production and distribution of clean, sustainable and modern electricity, thus illustrating our country's commitment to improving access to energy and the fight against climate change,” he said.

Gabon’s electricity mix currently relies on hydropower (47.7%), natural gas (35%), oil (16.9%), and biofuels (0.3%), according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The country reported just 1 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of 2022, unchanged since 2021, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

A 9.75 MW solar facility in Serbia is due to be completed in early 2025. The Petka PV project is being built on 11.6 hectares at the site of a former mining dump in Kostolac, northeastern Serbia.

It is utility company Elektroprivreda Srbije’s first solar project. The utility’s general director, Dušan Živković, said solar panels are currently being installed and on schedule for completion by mid-February 2025.

Elektroprivreda Srbije also recently closed a public tender to connect the solar plant to the electricity distribution network. It is expected to be connected to the grid within the first quarter of 2025.

Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović visited the Petka site earlier this week.

“There are no big or small projects, every megawatt is needed, because it means additional energy security and safety,” she said. “With this production capacity, which will be online in the first three months of 2025, as well as the first EPS wind farm, which will also be in operation next year, we are definitely changing the image of our electricity industry.”

Đedović Handanović reported a 50% increase in Serbia's energy investments this year compared to 2023. These deals include an agreement between the Serbian government, Elektroprivreda Srbije, and a consortium of Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables to build six new solar plants totaling 1 GW. The plants will feature up to 200 MW of connected battery storage.

Earlier this year, the Serbian government backed plans for a 1 GW solar panel factory and another 500 MW of solar.

Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that Serbia had cumulatively deployed 137 MW of solar by the end of 2023.

Barcelona City Council plans to test two solar prototypes capable of generating photovoltaic energy while creating seasonal shade based on savings or protection needs.

The prototypes will be installed in areas unsuitable for trees or plant-based infrastructure, referred to as “urban green” by the council.

The winning designs were selected through a competition for innovative photovoltaic solutions promoted by BIT Habitat, the council's urban innovation agency, with support from the local Energy Agency. The systems focus on energy generation, simplicity, durability, economic feasibility, and scalability.

One prototype, the Adaptable Modular Solar Shade (OSMA), is a modular system tailored to urban layouts, prioritizing electricity generation and shade during hot months. It can retract to allow sunlight in winter and uses glass-crystal monocrystalline PV panels that filter 90% of light. Built with recyclable materials, it resists wind and weather while maintaining aesthetic appeal.

The second system, Sombra Viva, is a multifunctional solar shelter offering shade, energy, and air filtering to enhance community well-being. Its adaptable modules employ mobile layers to adjust shade based on climate conditions, improving local comfort.

Both systems will be installed at UPC’s Campus Nord and Campus Besòs in summer 2025. They will undergo a year of testing to validate their functionality, with each team receiving €50,000 ($52,771) in funding to cover 80% of project costs.

Germany's BASt has assessed the potential for PV installations along the nation's highways in a study for the Federal Ministry of Transport.

It said that Germany's roughly 50,000 km of highways could host 24 GW to 48 GW of solar capacity. Noise barriers could add 3.2 GW to 4.2 GW, parking areas 1 GW to 1.2 GW, vertical barriers 0.5 GW to 0.6 GW, and rest-area buildings 0.13 GW to 0.15 GW.

BASt said that road surfaces were excluded from its assessment. The study analyzed nationwide potential without examining specific areas due to a lack of data on land ownership and conservation restrictions.

Federal Autobahn GmbH is developing a national registry to identify sites and facilities for solar deployment, with consideration for the economic feasibility of building and operating systems.

If the company doesn’t require facilities for its own use, it plans to grant third-party rights to municipalities, residents, or investors to develop solar installations. Federal Autobahn GmbH is also finalizing the necessary contractual frameworks for these arrangements.

State Secretary Susanne Henckel said the ministry will consistently evaluate opportunities to incorporate solar systems during the planning, construction, and expansion of highways to maximize potential.

“We already created the legal framework in 2023 with the Approval Acceleration Act, which accelerates and simplifies the expansion of photovoltaic systems on and along federal motorways,” said Henckel. “Now, together with Autobahn GmbH, we are quickly initiating the next steps necessary for practical application.

In 2023, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) and its Austrian partners installed a system above a highway rest area near Lake Constance to test the concept. Switzerland is also studying the feasibility of building a 14 MW solar plant over a motorway in the canton of Fribourg.

Terra Solar Philippines Inc. (TSPI), a subsidiary of SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC), has awarded Energy China an EPC contract to develop the Terra Solar project in central Luzon.

The PHP 185.28 billion ($3.25 billion) project, touted as the world’s largest contiguous solar and battery power plant under development, will feature 3.5 GW of solar panels and a 4.5 GWh battery energy storage system. It will span 3,500 hectares across the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

Energy China and its affiliates will oversee the project’s procurement, design, engineering, permitting, manufacturing, testing, logistics, and delivery. The company will also handle warranty coverage, address defects, implement operational and maintenance protocols, and develop specialized training for local teams.

The project's groundbreaking ceremony took place at the start of this year. Construction is progressing in two phases, with the first stage scheduled for commercial operation by February 2026 and the second by February 2027.

In August, the Board of Investments of the Philippines granted a green lane certificate to the project, allowing for easier processing of permits.

According to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Philippines had 1.7 GW of deployed solar at the end of 2023. Authorities have forecast that up to 2 GW of new solar could be added this year.

The Netherlands installed around 1.76 GW of PV capacity across 148,166 projects in the first six months of 2024, according to official statistics from CBS, the nation’s statistics agency.

If the growth trend continues in the second half of 2024, the Netherlands is on track to install less solar capacity than in 2023, when it added 4,82 GW. The country deployed 4.8 GW in 2022, 3.7 GW in 2021, and 3.9 GW in 2020.

By June 2024, the nation's cumulative solar capacity had reached 26.06 GW.

DNE Research said the Netherlands could hit 59 GW by 2030 and 98 GW by 2035, with estimates for total capacity ranging from 100 GW to 180 GW by 2050.

Netbeheer Nederland, the Dutch association of national and regional electricity and gas network operators, said in a recent report that the country could reach between 100 GW and 180 GW of total solar capacity by 2050.

The global floating solar market is set to reach 77 GW of installed capacity by 2033, according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie.

The consultancy’s “Floating Solar Landscape 2024” report projects that the APAC region to be home to nine of the top ten global floating solar markets, together accounting for 57 GW of floating solar capacity by 2033.

India, China and Indonesia will be the three largest markets, Wood Mackenzie says, installing a combined 31 GW by 2033.

Harshul Kanwar, research analyst at Wood Mackenzie, says around 1.7 GW of floating solar capacity is expected to come online this year, with the APAC region accounting for 90% of the addition

Kanwar added that the growth in floating solar systems will be driven by rising demand, lower capital expenditure, and supportive policies for lower-carbon energy.

Kanwar said that while the capital expenditure for floating solar systems is approximately $0.13/W to $0.15/W higher than for ground-mounted PV systems, the recent decline in the prices of passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules to below $0.10/W has significantly lowered the overall costs for floating solar installations.

Germany, France and the Netherlands are expected to be the three biggest markets in Europe, installing 2.2 GW, 1.2 GW and 1 GW by 2033, respectively. Wood Mackenzie says the growth of floating solar in Europe remains restricted due to coverage and distance limits.

Meanwhile, the United States is on track to install 0.7 GW of floating solar by 2033. Wood Mackenzie says the market remains small here due to limited land availability and high capex.

Wood Mackenzie says that hybrid floating solar-hydro projects are gaining popularity, with the peak installed capacity of these projects expected to come between 2026 and 2028 due to longer commercialization timelines. 

Last week, CHN Energy finished connecting the first phase of a 1 GW offshore solar project in eastern China, which will be the world’s largest open-sea solar array upon completion. The largest offshore floating array in the world is currently a 440 MW project off the coast of Taiwan.

From ESS News

Romania has launched a new subsidy scheme for behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems to the tune of €150 million ($158 million).

With the funding secured from the Modernization Fund, the Ministry of Energy launched the competitive bidding call on Tuesday. Bids will be accepted until January 17, 2025.

Under the scheme, grants will be available for battery storage systems built alongside existing renewable energy plants – wind, solar or hydro. The storage capacity should annually absorb at least 75% of the energy produced by the renewable energy facility to which it is directly connected.

Germany's Juwi Renewable Energies will build a 20 MW solar PV project in Senegal to supply 20% of the energy needs for Eramet's Grande Côte mineral sands mine. Juwi's South African office will oversee the project, which includes 11 MWh of battery storage.

“The project will reduce carbon emissions by 25,000 tons annually and create over 100 jobs during its construction and maintenance phases,” said Juwi. “The off-grid hybrid installation, among the largest in Senegal, will reduce the mine's reliance on heavy fuel oil, improve production stability, and align with Eramet's global decarbonization strategy.”

Juwi will secure ZAR 600 million ($33.2 million) for the project.

“By leveraging Juwi's expertise in off-grid solar and storage solutions, alongside their engineering capabilities for complex ground conditions, and Eramet's commitment to sustainability, the project sets a new benchmark for innovation in the mining sector,” said Paris-based Eramet.

The Grande Côte mine, located in Diogo, western Senegal, ranks as the world's fourth-largest producer of mineral sands, including ilmenite, leucoxene, zircon, and rutile. Operations began in 2014, employing 2,000 people. The site also runs a 36 MW heavy fuel oil power plant to support its activities.

The Electrical Machines and Drives Research Group (EM&D) at the National University of Colombia (UNAL) has developed a prototype system that integrates solar panels with hydroponic cultivation towers, allowing vegetables to grow using rainwater.

“In this way, each square meter can be used to produce food and generate energy at the same time,” the researchers said, noting that the system is still in the prototype phase. “The idea is to create a structure where vegetables such as lettuce, chard and spinach grow in water instead of soil.”

The tower has a modular design with 20 cm rings stacked to form structures up to 2.5 meters high, optimizing space to grow 80 plants per square meter, compared to 10 in traditional methods.

Its vertical layout reduces strain on farmers by easing access to plants and minimizing bending, which is common in conventional farming.

The system, which is designed to collect rainwater, maximizes resource use for agricultural production. While primarily intended for vegetables, it can adapt to other crops or applications.

“For example, in Ubaté, a dairy municipality par excellence, solar panels could be installed on the places where the cattle are and thus energy and milk would be produced at the same time,” explained the researchers.

UNAL researchers are tackling the challenge of solar panel shadows reducing crop productivity by testing semi-transparent panels that allow more light to reach plants, reducing the potential negative impact.

The next development phase will involve testing the system's resistance and durability to ensure the towers and solar panels can withstand Cundinamarca's heavy rains and strong winds.

Researchers at the Northwestern Polytechnical University in China have fabricated a four-terminal (4T) semi-transparent perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell based on a top perovskite cell integrating an indium oxide (In₂O₃) sputtering buffer layer (SBL) deposited through a low-cost approach for industrial applications.

SBLs are used in perovskite-silicon tandem devices to prevent bombardment damage during the indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrode deposition, protecting the underlying perovskite absorber and the electron transport layer (ETL).

“The In₂O₃ SBL was fabricated using the e-beam evaporation technique, a solvent-free process compatible with industrial production,” the research's lead author, Li Can, told pv magazine. “The optical and electrical properties of the In₂O₃ film exhibited a strong dependence on the deposition rate. Higher deposition rate resulted in In-rich In₂O₃ films with poor transmittance and increased parasitic absorption. Through optimization of the deposition rate, we achieved stoichiometric In₂O₃ films, featuring high transmittance and robust protective properties.”

The research team built the top perovskite device with a substrate made of glass and ITO, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) made of nickel(II) oxide (NiO), the perovskite absorber, an ETL relying on buckminsterfullerene (C60), a bathocuproine (BCP) buffer layer, the In₂O₃ SBL, and the ITO electrode.

This cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 20.20%, which the scientists said is close to that of its opaque counterpart, while also showing excellent electrical, optical, and protective properties of the In2O3 layer, with the energy bandgap being 1.68 eV.

“In₂O₃ films with a thickness of 20 nm effectively protected the underlying perovskite film and ETL from bombardment damage during ITO sputtering,” Can explained. “Various characterizations, including cross-sectional SEM, X-ray diffraction, and steady-state photoluminescence, confirmed this superior protection effect.”

The academics then integrated the top perovskite cell with a silicon bottom cell in a tandem device that achieved an efficiency of 30.04%. This cell was also able to retain around 80% of its initial efficiency after 423 h of continuous light. They claim the cell is one of the highest-performing 4T perovskite-Si tandem solar cells to date.

The description of the device is available in the study “Indium oxide buffer layer for perovskite/Si 4-terminal tandem solar cells with efficiency exceeding 30%,” published in the Journal of Energy Chemistry.

“Our work expands the limited selection of available SBL materials for p-i-n structured ST-PSCs and introduced a low-cost deposition approach for industrial applications,” Can concluded. “This work demonstrates significant potential for accelerating commercialization and widespread application of perovskite photovoltaics.”

ICRA, an Indian credit rating agency, said India’s renewable energy capacity could rise to 250 GW by March 2026, up from 201 GW in September 2024. This growth will be driven by an 80 GW project pipeline, following improved tendering in 2024.

Solar capacity will reach 132 GW by March 2026, with 91 GW installed by September 2024. ICRA said it expects annual solar additions of 22 GW in 2025 and 27.5 GW in 2026.

Senior VP Girishkumar Kadam noted that strong project pipelines and favorable solar module prices will boost renewable additions, especially as inter-state transmission waivers end in June 2025.

ICRA said it expects significant contributions from the rooftop and commercial & industrial (C&I) solar segments to India’s capacity additions, but delays in land acquisition and transmission connectivity remain execution challenges, which could hinder growth, said Kadam.

ICRA said India’s renewable energy capacity will likely increase over the next five years, boosting the share of renewable energy and large hydro in national electricity generation from 21% in 2024 to more than 35% by 2030.

To integrate this growing share, ICRA projects India will need 50 GW of energy storage by 2030, sourced from battery energy storage and pumped storage hydro projects.

“The significant decline seen in the tariffs for BESS projects over the past eight months, driven by the sharp decline in the battery prices, is expected to improve the adoption of the storage projects,” said Kadam.

Central nodal agencies are focusing on awarding renewable energy projects that provide round-the-clock and firm, dispatchable power to reduce the intermittency risk of renewable energy. These projects, often hybrid with energy storage, can help meet demand reliably.

Agencies, along with railways, have completed auctions for nearly 14 GW of such projects. The tariffs remain competitive, with bids ranging from INR 4.0/kWh to INR 5.0/kWh, compared to over INR 6.0/kWh for coal-based projects. ICRA noted these projects will face merchant market tariffs due to oversizing and expected surplus power generation.

The Superpower Institute, an Australian think tank, said the nation’s potential clean energy export revenue stands at AUD 700 billion based on current industry output, with projections reaching AUD 1 trillion by 2060.

Its report, “The New Energy Trade,” identifies significant clean energy shortfalls in China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Germany, with demand projected to exceed supply by 37% to 66% by mid-century.

Options to bridge the gap, like nuclear, remain uncompetitive; even tripling China’s nuclear build rates would meet only 7% of its 2060 electricity needs.

Australian exports of green materials like iron, aluminum, transport fuels and polysilicon could reduce 2021 global emissions by up to 9.6% and generate revenues six to eight times higher than fossil fuel exports.

Sunways has developed new three-phase inverters for residential and small-sized commercial rooftop PV projects.

The China-based inverter manufacturer said its new STT-15-30KTL-SE(-S) inverters support up to 110% AC overload. “Its 150% DC overload capacity offers users the advantage of installing additional PV modules, ensuring greater energy harvesting during off peak sunlight hours,” it said in a statement.

The line consists of five versions, with power outputs ranging from 15 kW to 30 kW. The inverters measure 550 mm x 410 mm x 199 mm and weigh 27.4 kg.

The transformerless inverters feature two maximum power point tracking (MPPT) points, with efficiency ratings of up to 98.6% and a European efficiency rating of up to 98.2%. The MPPT voltage range is 200 V to 950 and the maximum input voltage is 1,100 V.

The inverters have IP66-rated protection and operate within a temperature range of -30 C to 60 C. They come with integrated surge protection for both DC and AC.

“The STT-15-30KTL-SE(-S) inverter features an optional Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI), which helps detect and mitigate arc faults, enhancing system safety and reliability,” the manufacturer said. “The inverter's design supports string currents up to 20 A, accommodating higher-current solar panels that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the market.”

The new products also feature a real-time temperature monitoring and protection system for multiple internal power transistors

Malaysia’s Multimedia University researchers have designed and analyzed a novel hybrid system that integrates PV with thermoelectric generators (TEGs). While the PV panel produces power during the day, the TEG utilizes temperature differences around the cell to produce electricity at night.

TEGs can convert heat into electricity through the “Seebeck effect,” which occurs when a temperature difference between two different semiconductors produces a voltage difference between two substances. The devices are commonly used for industrial applications to convert excess heat into electricity. However, their high costs and limited performance have thus far limited their adoption on a broader scale.

“While previous studies have primarily focused on enhancing the daytime efficiency of PV-TEG systems, or study explores the impact of TEG surface area and series configurations specifically for nighttime applications,” the research's corresponding author, Chan Kah Yoong, told pv magazine. “The research aims to bridge the gap in the existing literature by demonstrating how larger TEG areas and optimized configurations can significantly enhance nighttime power output, offering a sustainable solution for continuous energy generation.”

In their testing, the team placed a heater under the heat sink to control and simulate different temperature differences. Three different TEG surface areas were tested: one system measuring 3 cm × 3 cm; another one with a size of 4 cm × 4 cm; and and two TEG connected in series measuring each 4 cm × 4 cm. The PV cell to which they were attached was a polycrystalline device with an operating voltage of 9 V and a working current range of 0–100 mA, capable of producing a peak power of 1 W.

“The 3 cm x 3 cm TEG can produce up to 0.9 mW of power when the temperature difference reaches 55 C, while the 4 cm x 4 cm TEG has a maximum power of 3.8 mW,” the academics said. “The two quantities of 4 cm × 4 cm TEG in series have double the output power compared to 4 cm × 4 cm TEG. The maximum power here reaches 7.7 mW.”

In all three TEG cases, the maximum power produced was just above zero when the temperature difference was minimal at 5 C. In the 3 cm x 3 cm TEG, the peak voltage was 114.9 V, and the peak current was 8.67 A. The peak voltage for the 4 cm × 4 cm TEG was 180.2 V, and the peak current was 21.5 A. In the case of two TEGs connected in series, the maximum voltage was 340.4 V, while the peak current was about 21.5 A.

“This research demonstrates how the system is useful and affordable,” the team concluded. It also noted that if a PV system with a double 4 cm × 4 cm TEG is placed on the average U.S. roof with a free area of 1,500 square feet, the TEGs alone would produce an additional 375 W of power.

“The system could be used for some household appliances such as desktops, laptops, phone chargers, LED TVs, and lighting,” Yoong said. “Its potential scalability suggests that, with adequate rooftop space, a significant amount of energy could be generated at night.”

The system was presented in the study “Solar-based nighttime electric power generator based on radiative cooling,” published in Energy Reports.

After considering a complaint by Trinasolar US, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to institute an investigation of Runergy and Adani for possible patent infringement.

Trinasolar, a China-based provider of solar panels, filed a complaint in September with the ITC, alleging that Runergy and Adani Green Energy improperly imported and sold projects that infringe on its patents for TOPCon solar cells.

Having considered Trina’s complaint, the U.S. government ordered an investigation of whether Runergy and Adani are in violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. In particular, the investigation will examine whether Runergy and Adani have infringed Trina’s tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology patents.

In the complaint, Trina Solar requested that the ITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease-and-desist orders against Runergy and Adani to bar the importation into the United States of certain solar cells, modules, panels, components thereof, and products containing the same that infringe Trina’s patents.

“Trina is pleased with the ITC’s decision to investigate the unauthorized use of our patented technology,” said Steven Zhu, president of Trinasolar US. “Trina’s commitment to protecting our intellectual property remains firm and we look forward to an expeditious investigation by the ITC.”

In addition to this action at the ITC, Trinasolar has separate patent infringement suits relating to TOPCon technology pending against Runergy in the District of Delaware and the Central District of California.

In October Runergy asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel two of Trina Solar’s patents, claiming that are not patentable, as they are not the result of Trina Solar’s own work.

“The patents were only purchased by Trina Solar from others in February 2024,” Runergy said in a statement. “As early as 2013, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy had already published and described the making of TOPCon solar cells, following teachings published even earlier in the 1980s … The two Trina Solar acquired patents were not filed until more than a year after the Fraunhofer Institute 2013 publication. They thus could not be patentable for attempting to cover TOPCon solar cell with only obvious variations already known in the prior art.”

Trina Solar is headquartered in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Trinasolar US is currently developing a 5 GW manufacturing base in Wilmer, Texas. Jiangsu Runergy New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Yancheng City, China and founded Runergy USA in 2023, which is building a solar manufacturing plant in Alabama. Adani is headquartered in Mundran, India and is building a manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

The European Commission, Austria, Lithuania, and Spain have announced new financial support for developing renewable hydrogen. The three member states will participate in the “auctions-as-a-service” scheme as part of the second European Hydrogen Bank auction, launched on Dec. 3. “In addition to the €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in EU funding from the Innovation Fund, the three EU member states will deploy over €700 million in national funds to support renewable hydrogen production projects located in their countries,” said the European executive body. “The total funding mobilized by the renewable hydrogen auction will therefore be around €2 billion.”

Uniper has selected Electric Hydrogen as its exclusive partner to design a 200 MW PEM electrolyzer plant for the Green Wilhelmshaven project in Northern Germany. Electric Hydrogen, which began preliminary front-end engineering design work for the project in October 2024, explained that the production plant will work together with the nearby hydrogen import terminal. “Electric Hydrogen’s low-cost 100 MW electrolyzer plants are available for deployment in the European Union in 2026,” said the US company.

Sunfire will deliver 50 MW of electrolyzer capacity to Ren-Gas's e-methane plant in Tampere, Finland. The German company said the equipment delivery will consist of five 10 MW pressurized alkaline electrolysis modules. Ren-Ga plans to start building in 2025 and expects commercial operation in 2027. 

Hystar, together with partners ABB, Equinor, Gassco, and Yara Clean Ammonia, has officially opened the HyPilot project, an in-field demonstration of 1 MW containerized PEM electrolyzer at the Kårstø Gas Processing Plant in Rogaland, Norway. Hystar recently secured a €26 million grant from the EU Innovation Fund so it can implement its automated GW factory, with an annual capacity of 1.5 GW when the factory goes into operation in 2027. The annual production capacity could scale to 4.5 GW by 2031, said the partners. 

Flexens has published a report with Lhyfe and Stockholm University on the “BOxHy” project, setting the stage for a six-year offshore oxygen injection pilot that is expected to launch in a few months. Lhyfe said in an emailed note that the “partners also welcome the growing interest of scientists, industry, and institutions in the important problem of ocean “suffocation” (deoxygenation) and the option of reoxygenation.”

Syensqo has launched a fluoro-ionomer produced with its proprietary new non-fluorosurfactant (NFS) technology. “The new grade is commercially available worldwide and is intended for use in select hydrogen-related applications,” said the Belgian materials producer. In 2022, it announced plans to manufacture nearly 100% of fluoropolymers without fluorosurfactants by 2026.

JA Solar said it has set up JA Hydrogen in Beijing under its subsidiary, JA Solar Investment (China) Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of CNY 100 million. The new company will operate as the group's unit in the hydrogen energy sector. Since 2019, several leading Chinese solar companies, including Sungrow, Longi Green Energy, and Trina Solar, have launched similar hydrogen-focused subsidiaries.

QC Solar said it aims to raise up to CNY 186.15 million through a simplified stock issuance plan for 2024. The funds will support a new bypass protection module project for PV junction boxes, which will have an annual capacity of 247.1 million panels once operational. It said it will use the additional capital to build a production line for PV storage connectors and harnesses, targeting an annual output of 5.91 million units. QC Solar, which is based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, specializes in PV electrical protection systems, connectors, cables, EV charging solutions, and industrial automation systems.

Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) said that its subsidiary, CSI PV Tech (Suzhou), has been added to China Huaneng Group’s approved inverter supplier list. Deliveries of CSI’s 320 kW inverters to Huaneng’s projects in Jiangsu province began in November. CSI PV Tech’s inverter range now ranges from 5 kW to 350 kW, with string energy storage inverters between 200 kW and 215 kW, for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications.

Kibing Group said it plans to invest MYR 7.2 billion ($1.62 billion) in a solar glass factory in Kimanis, Malaysia. The project includes two key agreements with state-linked enterprises. It has signed a sublease agreement between its subsidiary, SBH Kibing Solar New Energy (M) Sdn Bhd, and Fokasrama Sdn Bhd, which is part of the Sawit Kinabalu Group. It has also reached a heads of agreement with Sabah Energy Corp. Sdn Bhd to supply 45 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas. Upon completion, the plant is set to become one of the largest solar glass manufacturing facilities in Sabah, Malaysia.

The government of Benin has announced the start of construction on its 25 MW Forsun PV power plant.

It said in a statement that the new plant at the Illoulofin Solar Power Station will expand the site’s total capacity from 50 MW to 75 MW across three arrays.

“The Forsun project is the result of fruitful cooperation with the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union, which are contributing alongside the Beninese government for a total investment of nearly XOF 16 billion ($25.8 million),” the statement said. “This infrastructure, located in Illoulofin, commune of Pobè in the Plateau department, enriches Benin's energy mix with clean and renewable energy, in line with sustainable development goals.”

Defisol, which is Illoulofin’s first 25 MW project, was completed in 2022. Toyota Tsusho is currently building the second 25 MW plant, TTC. It is due to go online soon.

“Increasing the capacity of the Illoulofin site to 75 MWp will be enough to provide electricity to thousands of homes,” said the government. “With these projects and achievements, Benin continues to chart its path towards sustainable energy independence, combining innovation, economic development, and environmental preservation. The power plants at the Illoulofin site embody this ambition and promise to mark the country's energy history.”

Grenada has launched a tender for a 15.1 MW PV project in a bid to meet 40% of the island's 37.67 MW peak load, according to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

The selected developer will secure a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with state utility Grenlec as an IPP.

“The IPP will implement a utility-scale ground-mounted solar PV project at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA), Grenada,” the regulator said. “The project will consist of three separate solar PV plants with an aggregate plant capacity of approximately 15.1MWp. The solar PV plants will integrate into the Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (Grenlec) grid.”

Grenlec will build a new substation for the project and upgrade the grid to handle the interconnection of the PV plants, the filing shows. The selected IPP must fund and execute detailed engineering, supply all materials and equipment, install the PV systems, integrate them into the grid, and manage their operation and maintenance.