Husk Power secures $20 million in debt financing from European Investment Bank
Husk Power will use the fund for the construction of community solar minigrids in Nigeria, installation of rooftop solar for commercial & industrial (C&I) customers, expansion of appliance sales to households and small businesses, and the scaling of value-added services such as agro-processing and e-mobility.
IRENA says global solar capacity rose by 345.5 GW in 2023
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says developers installed 345.5 GW of solar throughout the world in 2023. China mainly drove the surge, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all new renewable energy, but IRENA says more equitable growth will be needed to hit 2030 deployment targets.
Polish grid operator switches off gigawatts of PV
Polish grid operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) has announced its third disconnection of renewable energy capacity this year. This time it has initiated the reduction of 1,201 MW to 1,877 MW of PV in response to oversupply.
India added 20.8 GW of solar module, 3.2 GW of cell manufacturing capacity in 2023, says Mercom
India’s cumulative solar module manufacturing capacity reached 64.5 GW and solar cell capacity 5.8 GW as of December 31, 2023.
Luminous opens solar panel factory in Rudrapur
The fully automated solar panel plant with a production capacity of 250 MW is expandable up to 1 GW nameplate capacity.
JA Solar supplies n-type modules for PV project in Bangladesh
JA Solar has started shipping its DeepBlue 4.0 Pro n-type solar modules for a 48 MW PV project in Bangladesh.
Thornova launches 720 W TOPCon solar panel with 23.2% efficiency
US-based Thornova said its new panel features a power conversion efficiency spanning from 22.4% to 23.2% and a temperature coefficient of -0.29% per C. The company is a subsidiary of China-based manufacturer Sunova Solar and is currently planning a cell and module factory at an unspecified location in the United States.
Hydrogen batteries vs. lithium-ion batteries
Researchers in Australia have compared the technical and financial performances of a hydrogen battery storage system and a lithium-ion battery when coupled with rooftop PV. They evaluated two commercially available systems – LAVO and Tesla Powerwall 2 – and found that the lithium-ion battery provides better financial profits, whereas the hydrogen battery offers more battery lifespan for long duration of energy storage.
Meyer Burger announces 500 layoffs at German PV module factory
Meyer Burger says it plans to lay off 500 people at its PV module factory in Germany, but some employees might be relocated within the company. It says about 400 workers will lose their jobs.
India at the forefront of leading the APAC region towards net zero, says a new study
Global management consultancy Kearney surveyed nearly 1,000 business leaders across diverse industry sectors in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region to find how the region is faring in its sustainability efforts and explore the trajectory of sustainability. The study report indicates India’s relatively healthier pace of progress towards global net zero targets than other APAC countries surveyed.
