Highlights

The cell, which looks externally like a device with a two-terminal architecture, was built with III-V semiconductor layers that were connected to the silicon sub-cell on the atomic level. The cell may be used in electrically powered aircraft and drones.

Module-level power electronics, most often in the form of power optimizers and microinverters, offer a range of value propositions, including advanced monitoring capabilities. But how much can the little box behind the module really see, and how much do operators actually need to know to keep a power plant running optimally?

Italian start-up Genius Watter has developed a solar desalination solution that is claimed to be particularly suitable for remote areas with no connection to grid electricity. The system is able to produce up to 1,000 cubic meters of potable water per day at an opex of €0.20 per cubic meter.

Bidders can compete for 50 MW-600 MW slices of the tendered grid-connected solar capacity. The deadline to lodge the interest is May 21. 

The company believes introducing its ATUM solar roof (PV panels integrated on cement boards) would be a gamechanger for South Africa. The product, which can directly be used as a roof, will enable distributed microgrids in the region to address the energy requirements of the unelectrified.

The integrated power producer will sell solar power from the Gujarat plant to its licensed distribution business unit at an INR 2.22/kWh tariff.

Solar installer Jake Warner has received surprising feedback from his customers after he chose to transition his company, Penrith Solar, exclusively to microinverters two months ago. “What I found is actually the opposite to what I expected,” Warner told pv magazine Australia.

Ola has announced it will set up a Hypercharger Network for its electric two-wheeler customers. The company claims the charging network would be the world’s largest and densest, spread over 400 cities with more than 100,000 charging points.

The Indian developer has followed up the commissioning of a 110 MW solar plant in Rajasthan earlier this month with a 105 MW PV farm in Gujarat. The Gujarat plant will supply electricity to state Discom Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) at a tariff of INR 2.68/kWh (US$0.036/kWh).

The Central Electricity Authority, CEEW’s Centre for Energy Finance, and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation have launched an online dashboard that captures daily generation data at the state, regional and national levels for the aggregate 93 GW of installed RE capacity in India. It also captures this data at a plant level for a subset of projects.