• September 04, 2023

The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs of Germany has approved measures to simplify solar deployment, with the goal of reaching an installed capacity of 215 gigawatts by 2030. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck stated that the German government approved the draft "Solar Package Plan" bill this week to ensure the installation of 22 gigawatts per year by 2026. Sven Giegold, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said: "Companies, farmers, citizens, and municipal authorities will be more likely to invest in photovoltaic power generation The proposed legislative changes mainly simplify plug-in solar equipment, while covering all areas including roof and floor installation systems, as well as tenant electricity and community energy supply. Roof installation will be simplified, and the existing simplified grid connection program will be expanded to a maximum of 30 kW of photovoltaic systems. The direct marketing access for small photovoltaic systems will also be simplified, and the technical equipment requirements for systems below 25 kilowatts will also be relaxed. For medium-sized commercial power plants, a power plant certificate is only required when the power supply capacity is 270 kW or the installed capacity exceeds 500 kW. The new model in the draft also promotes solar energy supply within buildings and extends to residential tenants or commercial customers. The existing EEG subsidies for building photovoltaic systems will also cover outdoor areas.

• August 31, 2023

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea (MOTIE) decided to cooperate with Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO) and Jeonnam Development Corporation to build a data center complex in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province. The complex will primarily utilize photovoltaic power generation. Many local organizations and companies including Samsung C&T, LG CNS, NH Investment & Securities, Bosung Industrial, TGK, Korea DRD, and Deus Systems participated in the plan. The complex will house 25 data centers each with a capacity of 40 MW. The entire construction process will be carried out in phases, and at least five data centers are expected to be completed by 2027. A total of 10 trillion won ($7.53 billion) is required for the project. In addition, MOTIE did not disclose specific details of the solar aspects of the project, nor whether the project will receive public support.

• August 28, 2023

Indian renewable energy solutions developer Fourth Partner Energy Private Limited has secured a long-term loan of up to 1.2 billion rupees ($14.7 million) from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to build and operate a 25 MW solar photovoltaic power plant. Located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India, the facility is expected to generate approximately 50.7 GWh of electricity annually and will sell electricity directly to commercial and industrial users. India's progressive open renewable energy policy allows a group of consumers to purchase electricity directly from independent power producers (IPPs). Operation of the plant will avoid nearly 41,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year that would otherwise be generated by conventional fossil fuel plants. ADB has supported renewable energy development in India since 2007, when it financed the first set of wind power projects under the IPP model. It subsequently financed solar independent power plants by assisting projects under the National Solar Mission and various national policies. The fourth partner focuses on building and financing renewable energy projects for commercial and industrial consumers. It provides end-to-end capabilities including assessment, design, planning, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of critical solar, wind and battery storage infrastructure.

• August 24, 2023

German solar module maker Heckert Solar, photovoltaic products distributor Wattkraft and Europe's largest solar glass maker Interfloat are planning to invest around 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion) in three different manufacturing plants to produce the full range of products from polysilicon to solar modules . Thanks to the new investment, the capacity of Heckert Solar's existing plant in Langenweizendorf in Thuringia will increase from 400MW to 2.8GW. In addition, the consortium will build a 5GW facility to produce polysilicon and solar cells at Heckert Solar's plant in Frankfurt an der Oder in eastern Germany. Furthermore, Interfloat is planning to produce antimony-free low-iron textured solar glass for the combined value-added chain at one of its plants in Brandenburg. The consortium also said the new production facility will produce glass-to-glass assemblies with efficiencies of up to 24% and a carbon footprint of less than 18 g/kWh, which it says will meet the highest ESG sustainability standards.

• August 21, 2023

China's National Energy Administration (NEA) reported that in July alone, China installed new photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of 18.74 GW. In the first seven months of this year, my country's new photovoltaic power generation capacity was 97.16 GW. As of the end of July, its cumulative photovoltaic installed capacity reached 491 GW. Module makers LONGi, Tongwei, Das Solar, Risen Energy, Canadian Solar and Astronergy announced last week that they had agreed on a size standard for rectangular silicon wafers. The dimensions are 182.2 mm x 191.6 mm, and the diagonal length is 262.5 mm. Panel maker Trina Solar has started building a 50GW silicon wafer factory in Huai'an, Jiangsu province. Jiangsu-based Sunrev Energy Technology (Sunrev) has started production activities at its 10 GW TOPCon cell plant in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Xinte Energy reported unaudited revenue of 17.58 billion yuan ($2.46 billion) for the period ending June 30, 2023, an increase of 19.51% from the same period last year. The net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 4.76 billion yuan (652 million U.S. dollars), down 15.28% from the same period last year. The company pointed out that its polysilicon sales volume and production capacity increased in the first half, but polysilicon material prices fell 32%, weakening the profit of polysilicon division.

• August 17, 2023

Adani Green Energy said it has completed a 2.14 GW solar-wind hybrid project in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The site covers 11,500 acres and the installations use a total of 5.8 million 535 Wp solar modules and 353 wind turbines. Adani Green Energy's future plans include the development of a 15 GW solar-wind hybrid project in Khavda, Gujarat. The soon-to-be-built cluster will cover 70,500 acres. It will be equipped with 33.6 million photovoltaic modules, each measuring more than 570 Wp. The installation will include trackers with robotic cleaning technology and 375 wind turbines.

• August 14, 2023

Austria's Oesterreich Energy Association has developed a grid capacity map to serve as a guide for system operators. Franz strepfl, spokesman for the Electricity Industry Association, explained: "A key element in the construction of renewable energy power plants is whether the local grid capacity is sufficient and available." He pointed out that the map will help facilitate the planning and deployment of photovoltaic systems. He also said: "In this way, we have established a highly transparent system throughout Austria to understand the latest utilization of substations for better system planning. We are currently feeling the great vitality of the photovoltaic industry. " The Austrian government introduced ElWOG two years ago to create this map. These regulations have prompted the country's grid operators to clearly state their available grid connection capacity, among other relevant requirements. The Oesterreich Energy Association will update the map on a quarterly basis with reports from Austrian system operators. The association said the maps provide an advance overview of grid connection requests but do not directly replace them. PV systems must obtain a binding grid connection commitment from the grid operator.

• August 10, 2023

The size of rooftop solar installations continues to rise, according to the Australian Energy Council's (AEC) analysis of the Clean Energy Regulator's (CER) latest Carbon Market Quarterly Report, which shows that in the second quarter of 2023, the number of rooftop photovoltaic systems installed in Australia The average installed size of the system in the second quarter was 9.3 kW, compared with 8.7 kW in the first quarter of 2023, and the average installed size of the system in the second quarter was slightly higher than the accepted standard of 6.6 kW. Homes in the North had the largest installations of roof systems in the second quarter. It has the highest average installed system size of 14.1 kW between April 1 and June 30, 2023, followed by Queensland and South Australia respectively, which have installed average The system scale has reached 10.1 kW. The AEC said the increase in system size continued a trend of recent years, with Australian households and businesses keen to take advantage of technological advances and falling costs in the market, seeking greater energy independence. As of the end of the second quarter, the total installed rooftop solar capacity in Australia had reached 20.5 GW, with more than 61,000 new systems connected to the grid in three months, with a total installed capacity of 520 MW.

• August 07, 2023

In an effort to achieve a greener aviation industry, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Airports Council International (ACI) have signed a memorandum of cooperation to increase solar deployment at airports around the world. The collaboration aims to curb airport emissions, improve air quality and promote sustainable practices. Under the partnership, ISA will use its international expertise to provide support through policy options to accelerate solar development. ACI, on the other hand, will introduce best practices for adoption by airports around the world. ISA Director General Dr Ajay Mathur expressed his vision for the collaboration. He emphasized that collaboration will involve working with ISA member countries to create strong national and regional policies and frameworks. In addition, the joint efforts of both parties will result in the release of a comprehensive guidance document detailing best practices for airport tanning. Mr. Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of ACI World, emphasized the importance of the alliance to achieve the aviation industry's goal of net zero carbon by 2050. He emphasized that airports are suitable for solar infrastructure due to their large, flat and accessible surfaces, making them ideal candidates for a sustainable energy transition. The partnership program includes exchanging information on success stories and outcomes of existing projects, identifying pilot projects for solar installations, and exploring financing opportunities to support airport solar projects. In addition, the cooperation also needs to provide knowledge sharing and capacity building in the field of solar energy for airports in different regions. Both parties remain open to other mutually agreed activities, ensuring flexibility and adaptation to emerging opportunities and challenges. Through this integrated approach, ISA and ACI are working to advance the widespread adoption of solar energy and promote sustainable development and environmental stewardship in the aviation industry. This breakthrough collaboration represents an important step in the global effort to make airports more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. By embracing solar energy, airports can take the lead in transforming aviation into a greener and more responsible industry.