On May 18, 2020, at the global photovoltaic large-scale technology conference, CORIGY SOLAR Solar released the third-generation 525W + high-power module product Deep Blue3.0 for the first time to the world. This product realizes ultra-high power 525W, conventional version modules The efficiency can reach 21%. CORIGY SOLAR Solar's director and senior vice president Huang Xinming said in a speech at the conference that large-scale application depends on the rapid decline in the cost of photovoltaic power, and behind it is the huge investment and unremitting efforts of countless photovoltaic companies in technology research and development. The technological innovation of module products is the most effective way for photovoltaic module companies to achieve cost reduction and efficiency increase. Monocrystalline modules are basically increased by 10 watts per year, and the efficiency is increased by 0.59%. After 2018, the rate of component power increase began to accelerate. It is understood that the current JA SOLAR module has reached the mass production level of 450W +. At the meeting, Tang Kun, director of CORIGY SOLAR Solar Product Technology Department, introduced the company's latest ultra-efficient component Deep Blue3.0, which uses 180mm silicon wafers, based on percium high-efficiency battery technology, and uses PERCIUM + ultra-efficient single-crystal battery technology. Greatly improved battery efficiency. Tang Kun said that after applying 525W + high power components to the power station, the benefits will be obvious. Taking a 360MW power station in Dubai as an example, the project simulates the use of flat single-axis + double-sided components. The results show that the power station using 525W components brings about 7.34% reduction in the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour compared to 400W. According to reports, CORIGY SOLAR Deep Blue3.0 high-power modules will enter mass production in the third quarter of 2020, with a total capacity planning of 14GW by the end of 2021.

The German PV market may see a strong drop in newly installed solar power this year, after registering growth of around 4 GW last year. This is the conclusion of a new survey by EuPD Research involving German solar installers. However, the main reason given for the anticipated slowdown is not the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, but legislation in the German renewable energy market. Although the German PV market continued to grow at a sustained pace over the first three months of this year, the survey has shown that over the course of the months to come, a strong decline in commercial and industrial PV installations is expected. This is mainly due to fears that the 52 GW cap will not be removed for the feed-in tariff scheme for solar installations up to 750 kW in size. For the rest of this year, installers expect a further increase in demand for small systems up to 10 kW in size, but they also believe there will be a decrease of 31% for larger commercial systems and even a 53% drop for industrial projects. This will have a particularly drastic impact on the PV market in Germany. According to EuPD Research analysts, commercial PV accounted for 1.1 GW of newly deployed capacity last year, while industrial installations reached around 1.7 GW. Political standstill The results of the survey clearly show that concerns about the 52 GW cap, rather than the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, could have a much stronger influence on the commercial and industrial segments. “The political standstill in the abolition of the solar cap is a further step toward the end of the German energy transition,” said Markus Hoehner, CEO of EuPD Research. He said that climate protection, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, should be accepted and treated as global challenges. Representatives of solar companies also expect this. “The tactical negotiation game within the coalition, which has been going on for months, can no longer continue on the back of the solar sector,” said Alexander Schütt, managing director of BayWa re Solar Energy Systems, adding that the abolition of the 52 GW cap could give businesses a long-term perspective. Peter Thiele, president of Sharp Energy Solutions Europe and a German Solar Industry Association board member, argued that the removal of the cap will be important for both the industry and medium-sized companies, as well as society. “The PV cap is choking off a domestic industry that is one of the growth engines of German industry and provides wages and bread for more than 100,000 people. Despite corona, our order books are full – we do not need any bailout packages from the politicians. We just require that they also keep their promises,” added Detlef Neuhaus, managing director of German manufacturer Solarwatt. The three companies and storage provider E3/DC cooperated with EuPD Research on the survey.

Swiss start-up Freesuns has developed solar tiles for building-integrated PV it claims can be used on historic as well as new buildings. Freesuns chief executive John Morello said the tiles can be sized to completely replace conventional roof tiles in fiber-reinforced concrete, with all three models able to potentially cover 100% of a roof surface, including on complex roof layouts. Every tile hosts an electrical safety circuit to help prevent fire-risk, the company said, adding the product is ultra-resistant as it is manufactured with double tempered glass. Standard Standard solution the Solaris Classic is a 525mm by 460mm tile which reportedly delivers 154 W per square meter. It costs CHF292 (€276), excluding VAT and Morello told pv magazine, “This value is just an indicative value as the price can change depending on the complexity of the project.” The tile – glossy black with silver lines – is said to be ideal for new-build or renovated structures as it offers a modern architecture style. Freesuns tiles are manufactured with double tempered glass. Image: Freesuns The Solaris Classic has been deployed on a 211m2 residential roof in Colombier, Switzerland, amounting to 28 kW of solar generation capacity and added 32 kW on a 240m2 residential roof in the municipality of Pully. Freesuns said another, 160m2 residential roof in Genolier boasted capacity of 24 kW. Black The Premium Black model is a 420mm by 400mm product with a slightly lower output of 136 W per square meter at a price of around CHF304/m2. The model is recommended for modern architecture and for the replacement of cement tile roofs. Heritage The Heritage product is the most expensive, at around CHF308/m2 and reportedly offers power output of 128 W/m2 from the same dimensions as the Premium Black product, although Morello said all three versions are available in smaller formats to ensure complete roof coverage as an option. Solar tiles installed on the roof of the Grand Chalet. Image: Freesuns The matt gray Heritage tile has no visible lines and could be used to replace slate-style roofs on historic buildings, according to its developer. The tiles were installed on a small house located in the 18th century Grand Chalet of Rossinière, one of the oldest chalets in Switzerland. “For such an important heritage property it was critical to preserve the historical context in the appearance of the roof so it remained sympathetic to the site,” Freesuns said. “It was also a challenge to convince the local authorities charged with protecting the heritage of the Grand Chalet to allow solar on the roof of this building.” The roof of the small house of the historical building now hosts 8 kW of PV capacity across 54/m2. The Heritage tile is also being used on a 168 kW project under development on a 1,200m2 roofspace at another historic building in Switzerland. Freesuns said the tiles come with a warranty which guarantees they will maintain 90% of power output after 10 years and more than 80% after ...

From pv magazine Latam. Colombian state-owned oil company Ecopetrol has announced plans for a 50 MW solar park which will be owned by its Cenit hydrocarbon transportation and logistics subsidiary. The fossil fuel company said the facility will be in the Colombian municipality of Castilla La Nueva, in the department of Meta, and will generate clean electricity for the San Fernando and Apiay pumping stations as well as oil fields in Castilla, Chichimene and Apiay, in the Eastern Plains. Construction of the 46ha solar plant, which will feature more than 100,000 panels, will begin in the middle of the year with commercial operation slated for December. At that point, the facility will be the largest self-consumption power plant developed in the country, more than twice the size of the 20.4 MW Solar Castilla Park finalized by Ecopetrol in October. The oil business, formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos, announced plans to invest in solar energy in August 2018. pv magazine in May reported on the 700 MW Sebastopol PV project approved by the Colombian authorities. That facility, in the town of Cimitarra in the Santander department, is being developed by Sebastosol SAS ESP and is likely to supply power to the Sebastopol refinery in Cimitarra belonging to Ecopetrol.

The Turkish government has decided to cut the one-off administrative fee applied to rooftop PV systems, the country’s official journal has stated. The tariff, which includes an additional 18% VAT payment and is paid for securing approval from the authorities, will be almost halved from TRY529 ($87.37) to TRY278 for owners of such ‘unlicensed’ PV systems with generation capacities of 10-100 kW. For 100-300 kW systems the fee will fall 30.7%, from TRY1,528.50 to TRY1,058; 300-500 kW arrays will see the fee fall 3.1%, from TRY2,309.50 to TRY2,236.50; for 500-700 kW installations it will reduce 7.7%, from TRY4,089.5 to TRY3,773; and for 700 kW-1 MW facilities there will be a 1.1% saving, with the charge reducing from TRY5,202.50 to TRY5,147.50. Rooftop rules The changes to the admin fee come ahead of expected improvements in the country’s rooftop PV provisions, with an announcement expected in May. The Turkish solar market is expected to grow by at least 1 GW of generation capacity annually over the next decade. The nation hit 5,995 MW of installed capacity at the end of last year, most of it in the form of smaller, unlicensed installations. A Solar Energy Roadmap published by the Turkish PV association in October said the country could install 38 GW of solar by 2030. That conclusion came after a report published by Turkish renewables analysis company the Shura Energy Transition Center in May 2018, which predicted solar could pass 20 GW by 2026.

PowerGen has installed a new mini-grid in Nigeria and has signed a contract to develop nine more similar installations. Its investments in the country’s booming off-grid market are backed by the World Bank. On Dec. 7, the Kenya-headquartered off-grid systems developer connected a mini-grid system in the community of Rokota, Niger State. The project serves about 3,000 people with reliable clean energy, it said. PowerGen also recently signed an agreement to develop nine more mini-grids throughout the state, which is Nigeria’s largest. REA Nigeria said the projects are all supported by the World Bank’s $550 million program for off-grid energy development in Nigeria, which they jointly operate. pv magazine first reported about the program in October. Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme The World Bank’s Performance-based Grant Scheme is not the only initiative aimed at ramping up Nigeria’s mini-grid sector, as REA Nigeria recently ran a tender based on its so-called Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (MAS). The four developers that won the MAS tender will deploy their mini-grid projects with an “in-kind partial capital grant” in the form of procured distribution and metering equipment, as well as technical assistance.” A spokesperson for REA Nigeria said that the four winners will “build a total of 24 mini-grids to meet up with the required minimum connections of 3,500 [per lot] with each mini-grid not exceeding 1 MW.” They will build the PV-powered mini-grids in the states of Niger, Oyo, Anambra, Delta and Edo. The installations are expected to be operational by the end of July 2020. The association emphasized the importance of the public-private partnership approach used in the MAS tender. However, private developers will own all of the projects, similar to the World Bank’s scheme. The developers and the communities will negotiate the tariffs at which the electricity will be sold, in line with Nigeria’s Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO). The MYTO is a tariff model established by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) “that seeks to reward performance above certain benchmarks, reduce technical and non-technical commercial losses, and lead to cost recovery and improved performance standards from all industry operators in the Nigerian electricity supply industry,” said REA Nigeria. Specifically, MYTO “is used to set wholesale and retail prices for electricity in the industry by employing a unified way to determine total industry revenue requirement that is tied to measurable performance improvements and standards,” the REA Nigeria spokesperson added. The MAS is supported by the European Union and the German government in cooperation with the Nigerian Energy Support Program (NESP) and Germany’ GIZ development agency. The Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme REA Nigeria said that the MAS should not be confused with the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS). Both programs are funded by the same stakeholders via the Nigerian Ene...