Average sales prices of Chinese power cells at the end of 2023 were half of what they were at the start of the year, according to TrendForce. Despite the drop, the research firm says prices should stabilize in the second half of 2024.

The South African Government’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced French utility Électricité de France (EDF) will develop 257 MW of battery energy-storage systems across three projects, while South African renewable energy company Scatec Africa will develop one 103 MW project.

Kuala Lumpur-based utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has started accepting applications for the development of a 30 MW (AC) floating PV plant at a reservoir in eastern Malaysia.

Sri Lanka’s government-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is inviting applications for the development of 1 MW to 5 MW ground-mounted solar projects – totaling 70 MW – with 20-year power purchase agreements (PPA).

Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) has announced a request for qualification (RFQ) in relation to 3.7 GW of solar across four projects, as part of the fifth round of the Saudi Arabian government’s renewable energy tender program.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo inaugurated a 145 MW floating solar plant in Java this week, while module manufacturer Husaun Energy said it will supply 60 MW of heterojunction solar panels for Grow Energy’s Thailand floating PV projects.

Masdar, EDF Renewables and Nesma Company have signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Saudi Power Procurement Co. (SPPC) to develop the 1.1 GW Al Henakiyah Solar Project in Saudi Arabia.

The Sri Lankan government’s Ministry of Power and Energy is inviting applicants to submit proposals for the construction of two 100 MW floating solar plants at the hydroelectric Samanalawewa Reservoir. The aim is to complement and “leverage” the country’s third-largest hydroelectric scheme through PV.

The International Renewable Energy Agency said in a recent report that the scale of the energy transition needs ‘urgent’ acceleration to meet Paris Agreement climate emergency targets. Solar PV deployment, in particular, must ramp up and increase fourfold by the end of the decade.

JinkoSolar claims that its new 182 mm n-type monocrystalline silicon solar cell has reached a maximum solar conversion efficiency of 26.89%. It says the achievement has been independently verified by a third party.