• December 28, 2023

While total global solar capacity will continue to grow rapidly over the next decade, the pace of installation growth will begin to slow in 2024 compared to the growth rate of recent years. The head of Wood Mackenzie's global solar sector said that if the 2023 forecast is realized, the average annual growth in photovoltaic installed capacity from 2019 to this year will be 28%, with 2023 increasing by 56% compared with 2022. However, on average, the current pace will remain unchanged, with no annual growth from 2024 to 2028, which will include some contraction years. Wood Mackenzie forecasts 270 GW of new solar capacity will be installed globally this year, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts 349 GW of new solar capacity in 2023. The growth of the global solar market follows a classic S-curve. Growth in the steepest part of the curve has been rapid in recent years. Starting in 2024, the industry will pass an inflection point, characterized by a slower growth model. The global solar market is still many times larger than it was just a few years ago, but as the industry matures, it's natural to follow this growth path.

• December 21, 2023

French company Colas and Dutch construction contractor BAM Royal Group have built two bicycle lanes equipped with photovoltaic modules in the Netherlands. The two bicycle paths are located in the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Noord-Holland, each covering an area of 1,000 square meters. Photovoltaic module technology provides 21% power generation efficiency per square meter. The solar cells are protected by multiple layers of resin, and the electrical structure is designed to reduce the amount of wiring. The two cycle paths will generate 160 MWh of renewable energy throughout the first year. The two projects are part of an initiative launched in 2018 by the National Water Authority, part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. Solar roads are not a new concept in the Netherlands. In 2016, solar panels were installed on a bicycle path near Amsterdam, and in 2020 another solar-powered bicycle path was built in Utrecht. However, the feasibility and economic feasibility of solar roads remain controversial.

• December 18, 2023

In recent years, the United States has made substantial progress in embracing the renewable energy revolution, positioning itself on the path to a more sustainable future. This shift is driven by a variety of factors including environmental concerns, economic opportunities and technological advances. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL), the United States is accelerating its move toward clean energy solutions. In 2022, the share of renewable energy sources (RES), including hydropower, in the country's electricity generation has reached approximately 22%; furthermore, the share of RES in total electricity generation has increased to approximately 30%. It is worth noting that in the transportation sector, consumers are also becoming more aware and increasingly choosing zero-emission fuels such as electric vehicles. EUPD Research estimates that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will account for 5.6% of new car registrations in 2022, with this share having surged to 7.1% in the first half of 2023. The United States has ambitious goals, including achieving 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and striving to achieve economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050. The targets are expected to provide a major boost to the clean energy industry in the country, further strengthening its commitment to a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.

• December 14, 2023

Vietnam's Ministry of Transport said last week it was receiving feedback on a new draft decree to encourage rooftop solar power. According to the draft, rooftop solar energy will be integrated into the national grid for self-use, but cannot be sold to other organizations or individuals or fed back to the grid. While this has a negligible impact on independent power producers managing commercial and industrial projects, it sends another rather negative signal for solar development in the country. According to local media reports, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology first proposed in August that it would propose an amendment to rooftop solar power, aiming to promote the development of self-consumption of rooftop solar power. In May, the Vietnamese government announced it would invest $135 billion in an energy strategy aimed at equipping half of the country's residential rooftops with photovoltaic power generation projects under a net metering scheme and making Vietnam a net exporter by the end of the decade, a key key to the strategy. pillar. According to the latest data provided by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Vietnam's installed solar capacity at the end of last year was 18 GW.

• December 11, 2023

A 950 MW solar complex has been inaugurated in Dubai, host of the COP28 climate change conference. The hybrid facility consists of the most powerful concentrated solar power (CSP) system and photovoltaic installations on Earth. This is the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is vying for the title of the largest solar park in the world. Phase 4 includes the world's largest concentrated solar power facility with a total installed capacity of 700 MW and 250 MW of photovoltaic power generation capacity. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is expected to generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Currently, even without CSP, its total installed capacity reaches 2.6 GW, making it one of the few largest installed capacities on the planet. The entire system will include heat and green hydrogen. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) said the concentrated solar power segment features a record-high number of solar towers and the largest thermal energy storage capacity. The utility controls 51% of the Noor Energy 1 joint venture, which is building the fourth phase of the project. Co-owners are Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power (25%) and China Silk Road Fund (24%). The fourth phase of the project is worth US$4.3 billion. According to DEWA, the CSP facility has a 600 MW parabolic basin complex and a 100 MW 263-meter-tall solar tower. Additionally, it cited Guinness World Records as saying that it has the largest thermal energy storage capacity at 5.9 GWh. The fifth phase of the project has been put into use this year.

• December 07, 2023

A consortium consisting of German installation system supplier K2 Systems and Swiss EPC contractor Solarmotion has deployed a vertical photovoltaic system on a detour road in the city of Toifen in the canton of Apenzell, Switzerland. The array is installed on a retaining wall with a slope of 75 degrees and an installed capacity of 325kW. This array uses 756 dual glass all black solar modules provided by an undisclosed supplier. K2 Systems states that the installation solution for this device uses "K2 BasicRail" mounting rails and HUS screw anchors. Hilti, located in Liechtenstein, provided mechanical pins for the project. In the system configuration, adhesive technology is used to fix the components of the photovoltaic system and the K2 building protection pad as the substrate onto the masonry. In order not to affect the statics of the retaining wall, the company must consider that the anchoring depth must not exceed 90mm. The engineering office of the Swiss Road Supervision Agency inspected all static calculation results during the planning phase. The company has completed this project within two months. Due to its proximity to asphalt, the K2 installation system still needs to meet special corrosion requirements, and its components are covered with anodized aluminum oxide for protection. The components of the fastening system are made of aluminum alloy and A2 stainless steel materials. The photovoltaic system is scheduled to be officially put into use in December. It is expected that the vertical array will achieve good output, especially in winter. Overall, it is expected that the annual solar power generation will be around 230000 kWh.

• December 04, 2023

Latest statistics from Italian energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) show that Italy added about 3.5 GW of new photovoltaic capacity through about 280,000 systems in the first nine months of this year. As of the end of September 2023, the country's cumulative installed photovoltaic power generation capacity reached 28.57 GW. Of this, approximately 8.44 GW is rooftop installed capacity, while the remaining 16.61 GW comes from ground-mounted PV arrays. About 46% of new power generation capacity in the first nine months of this year was residential solar power generation, and recent additions have mainly come from commercial and industrial (C&I) and utility-scale projects above 1 MW.

• December 01, 2023

The Irish government announced last week that from today around 1,600 schools in Ireland can apply to install 16 solar panels on their roofs, equivalent to 6kW of solar power. The Department for Education, which is leading the programme, said the programme, called the Solar for Schools programme, aims to enable Ireland to meet its climate targets and help schools reduce their energy bills. The Irish government said the panels at the school will be connected to the grid and can share energy with neighbors during closures such as school holidays. The school expects to save approximately €1,200 to €1,600 ($1,311 to $1,748) per year through the program, with the first phase of the project due to be completed by the end of May.

• November 28, 2023

State Grid Corporation of China, China's largest state-owned grid operator and power company, has commissioned the Fukang pumped storage power station in northwest China's Xinjiang region. The plant is equipped with three 300 MW turbines for a total capacity of 1.2 GW, the company said in a press release, noting that the plant is the first of its kind in northwest China. It is said that these turbines will be put into operation in early 2024. Construction work started in October 2020. “The Fukang pumped storage power station can significantly improve Xinjiang’s power grid regulation capabilities and energy supply,” State Grid said. "It can ensure the stable transmission of large-scale new energy and can add 2.6 billion kilowatt-hours of new energy power generation every year." In January 2022, China’s largest pumped storage project, the 3.6 GW pumped storage power station in Fengning, Hebei Province, was put into operation. The US$1.87 billion project was started by China Gezhouba Engineering Company in 2014 and will be implemented in two phases with a total installed capacity of 1.8 GW. According to the National Energy Administration, China aims to have 62 GW of pumped hydro storage facilities operational by 2025 and 120 GW by 2030.