The long read: Model progress
While it has often been referred to as “the future of PV” in recent years, discussions surrounding bifacial technology are now very much in the present. Modules are beginning to roll off production lines in significant numbers, and industry players are boasting of gigawatts of bifacial projects that are already installed or in the late stages of development. But it’s still early days for the technology, and there are questions to answer for it to achieve its full potential. pv magazine investigates the modeling and optimization of bifacial PV’s performance.
Net metering policy change could mean end of rooftop solar in Maharashtra
The recently proposed guidelines allow electricity cost reduction of only Rs 3.64/unit for commercial and industrial consumers, which is not even sufficient to recover the capital costs of setting up the solar infrastructure.
NTPC extends bidding for 1 GW solar project
December 3 is the new bidding deadline for the grid-connected solar project that is to be set up on develop-build-demonstrate-transfer basis anywhere in India. Techno-commercial bids will open on December 4.
DVC tenders 50 MW grid-connected solar in Jharkhand
Bids can be submitted till December 27 for the project which shall come up at the state-run power producer’s Panchet project in Dhanbad district. The project shall be awarded through tariff-based domestic bidding followed by reverse auction.
Uttarakhand retenders 40 MW grid-connected solar project
Developers have until December 3 to submit bids for the project which shall come up on dams at Haripura (27 MW) and Tumariya (13 MW) in district Udham Singh Nagar. The project will be awarded through tariff-based competitive bidding.
Transmission charges waiver for renewables extended for second time
Developers will be spared interstate transmission system charges if their projects are secured through public capacity auctions held to enable electricity distribution companies to achieve their renewable purchase obligations, and provided the facilities are commissioned before 2023.
pv magazine test: September 2019 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. The September 2019 results are presented below, plus analysis from George Touloupas, director of tech and quality at CEA.
Tamil Nadu: Solar developers get relief as APTEL quashes power regulator’s unviable tariff order
The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) observed that Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), in its Solar Tariff Order dated March 28, 2016, determined the tariff/capital cost without cogent or adequate reasoning while also being divergent from its own regulations.
Andhra Pradesh proposal casts doubt on India’s renewable sector: Rystad Energy
India may fall around 7 GW short of its ‘60 GW by 2022’ utility-scale solar target if the power purchase agreement revision proposal by the state government is implemented.
New metallization tech to reduce microcracks in solar cells
A U.S. research group has developed a metal-carbon-nanotube composite – MetZilla – which can be embedded in commercial, screen-printable silver pastes and is said to reduce the formation of hotspots in solar modules and to prolong panel lifespan. The composite metal contacts are also ‘self-healing’ as they are able to regain electrical continuity after cycles of complete electrical failure caused by extreme strain.
