Weekend read: Navigating hailstorms
Owners and insurers suffered record hail losses in 2022. John Sedgwick, president of engineering advisory VDE Americas, provides some pro tips for mitigating such risks.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Trina to supply 875 MW of trackers for Qatar solar plants
Trina Solar has signed an 875 MW tracker supply deal with Samsung C&T for Qatar’s new “IC Solar” project, while Chint said it aims to sell up to 8 GW of residential PV assets by the end of 2023.
Global solar capacity additions hit 268 GW in 2022, says BNEF
BloombergNEF Analyst Jenny Chase says the world installed 268 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, with annual installations expected to hit 315 GW in 2023. In a recent interview with pv magazine, Chase pointed to a large backlog of delivered PV modules in Europe that still have yet to be installed.
Nepal kicks off tender for 100 MW of solar
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is seeking bids for solar projects with minimum capacities of 1 MW, for a total of 100 MW across 16 sites. Members of the country’s solar association are demanding higher power purchase agreement prices in order to participate in the tender.
Danish renewables giant buys Australian megaproject
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has sharpened its focus on long-duration storage in Australia with the acquisition of the proposed Bowen Renewable Energy Hub project, which is expected to combine 1.4 GW of pumped hydro storage with huge solar and wind generation.
Poland allocates 486 MW of solar in latest renewables auction
Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office has awarded 486 MW of solar in its latest renewables auction, which was largely unsubscribed. It allocated 150 MW for installations smaller than 1 MW, with a lowest bid of PLN 0.24477 ($0.056)/kWh, and 336 MW for larger installations, with a lowest bid of PLN 0.23677/kWh.
Masdar switches on 5 MW solar plant in Seychelles
Masdar said it has started operating the 5 MW Ile de Romainville PV project in the Seychelles. The installation is backed by 3.3 MWh of storage capacity.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Estimated new solar additions may fall short in 2022
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) said the country installed just under 7.5 GW of new PV in November, bringing cumulative additions in 2022 to 65.7 GW, far short of the estimated 85 GW or more.
Ivory Coast set to commission first solar plant
Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité (CIE), a utility in the Ivory Coast, is set to inaugurate its first solar plant – a €40 million ($42.6 million), 37.5 MW installation, backed by a 10 MW storage system by Saft.
Europe added 41.4 GW of new solar in 2022
In another record year for solar, SolarPower Europe estimates PV in Europe grew by 47% in 2022, rising from 28.1 GW in 2021 to 41.4 GW this year. Germany installed the most with 7.9 GW, followed by Spain at 7.5 GW, and Poland at 4.9 GW. For the first time, the top 10 European solar markets all added at least 1 GW.
