Researchers in Saudi Arabia have reported the “the first ever” successful damp-heat test of perovskite solar cells, which they claim has moved the technology closer towards commercial viability after it withstood 1,000 hours of harsh conditions and maintained a 95% efficiency.
According to a 2019 IRENA report, less than a third of renewables sector jobs were filled by women, a figure which falls further in certain geographies and positions. Molly Lempriere profiles some of the industry initiatives to drive fair representation forward.
South African mining company Tharisa has signed an agreement with renewables developer Total Eren and African energy company Chariot to build a 40MW solar PV project to power its mining operations as more of the country’s heavy industries turn to solar.
Solar investor NextEnergy Capital (NEC) has raised US$896 million in its latest fundraising round that is targeting 2.5GW of final installed capacity in OECD countries, such as the US, Portugal, Spain, Chile and Poland.
With the sixth auction round of South Africa’s REIPPP on the horizon and new opportunities for distributed PV opening up, Alice Grundy explores the remaining barriers to solar deployment in the country.
Global investment in renewables rose to new heights in 2021 as solar and wind deployment surged, but total energy transition expenditure needs to triple in the coming years to get on track for net zero, according to new research from BloombergNEF.
As solar finds itself deployed in further and more far flung climes, it is also having to operate in increasingly harsher climates. In this article, VDE Renewables assesses how such climates affect PV performance and what must be taken into consideration when formulating O&M strategies.