• May 05, 2022

Ademe, the French environment and energy control agency, has issued a new set of guidelines that clearly defines "agricultural photovoltaics". Ademe defines agri-PV as follows: “Agri-PV installation is a photovoltaic system in which photovoltaic modules are placed on the same surface as agricultural production and bring to the latter climate change adaptation, extreme weather disaster preparedness, improved animal welfare, and specific cultural agronomic services without causing significant reductions in agricultural yields in terms of quality and quantity and reducing the income generated by agricultural activities.” Agricultural photovoltaic power generation projects always mean the existence of farmers. Such devices must be reversible, adapted to the environment without harming the environment, and should also be able to adapt to new situations. Ademe said: “A more precise definition of agricultural photovoltaics has been proposed, which is based on the concept of synergy between agricultural production and photovoltaic power generation on the same plot. Photovoltaic installations must provide services to address agricultural problems. For example, A PV system can include PV modules located above plant products to protect plants from excessive sunlight, exert shading effects to limit water stress, or reduce risks associated with climatic conditions such as hail or frost. While generating energy, it can also provide beneficial services for agricultural production on-site with certain configurations." In June 2021, French solar companies Sun'Agri, REM Tec, Kilowattsol and Altergie Développement et Râcines announced the establishment of the world's first agricultural photovoltaics Trade agency France Agrivoltaisme.

• April 26, 2022

According to Disneyland Paris, one-third of its 17MW solar carport parking lots project has been put into use and will generate 10 GWh per year. Built by French developer Urbasolar, construction will begin in autumn 2020, with full final completion scheduled for 2023. When completed, it is expected to produce 31 GWh of electricity annually and cover 20 hectares of car park visitors with 11,200 parking spaces. Technically, the solar panel PV project could produce enough renewable energy to supply approximately 17% of Disneyland Paris' current electricity consumption, or the annual solar energy consumption of a city of 17,400 inhabitants. Some of the installations will light up at night, with the shape of Mickey Mouse's head visible from above.

• April 22, 2022

Nextracker has been selected to provide smart solar trackers and TrueCapture™ technology for the first phase of the 450 MW Sudair solar PV plant, the largest solar plant currently under construction in Saudi Arabia. When complete, it will provide solar energy to meet the needs of 185,000 homes and reduce the country's carbon emissions by 2.9 tons per year. The solar power plant was developed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) through its subsidiaries Badeel/WEHC, Saudi Aramco and ACWA Power. The consortium partners have entrusted the engineering, procurement and construction contract to the renewable energy division of global construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Nextracker is the global market leader in yield-enhancing photovoltaic system technology and solar trackers, recognized for maximum energy production and efficiency, and recognized by independent engineers and independent certification companies. The company's bifacial optimized tracker solution and TrueCapture technology will help increase the power output of the Sudair solar PV plant. Prior to this project, Nextracker already had strong ties to the Saudi Arabian economy. The company works with local Saudi steel manufacturing partners to install domestic solar projects as well as steel exports to support the development of global solar projects. In 2021, Nextracker exported more than 20,000 tons of Saudi steel worth more than $30 million to help support the company's installation of solar trackers in many countries. Nextracker is also using a local Saudi steelmaker to supply all the steel to support the installation of Nextracker solar trackers and technology at the 405 MW Sakaka solar power plant in Al Jouf, which requires 14,000 tonnes of steel. The Sudair solar PV plant is being developed under Saudi Arabia's National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), with a target of 58.7GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Installation of the Nextracker solar tracker and technology is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022.

• April 19, 2022

The Council of the European Union has adopted a new directive that allows member states to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on certain products and services that comply with EU environmental and health policies. This Directive 2022/542 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 5 April. According to the new regulations, member states will be free to choose a value-added tax rate of 0%-5%. Household solar panels system, as well as pharmaceuticals, contraceptive and hygiene protection products, medical protection products, transportation and passenger services, books, newspapers and print publications and digital media will benefit from this tax relief.

• April 12, 2022

South Africa’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has launched the sixth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) to purchase 1 GW of PV and 1.6 GW of wind capacity. In the sixth round of REIPPPP, the authorities want to allocate 1 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.6 GW of wind to developers. Interested companies have until April 12 to download the relevant documents to participate in the auction. The procurement campaign is part of a tender programme for nearly 12 GW of capacity and follows South Africa's latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The IRP aims to achieve up to 6 GW of new large-scale solar generation, and up to 6 GW of distributed photovoltaic capacity by 2030. Chris Ahlfeldt of Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services told pv magazine that as South Africa continues to grapple with load shedding, a post-COVID-19 economic recovery and a just transition to coal to meet climate reduction targets, it needs to quickly complete the procurement and procurement of these projects. Grid work. “Transmission capacity constraints in the Northern Cape in Round 5 make it difficult for some developers to do so, so most developers will likely target other provinces in Round 6, potentially extending local socio-economic impacts across the country other areas." South African authorities launched the fifth round of the REIPPPP scheme in March 2021, with a total of 2.6 GW of renewable energy generation allocated across 25 projects ranging in size from 75 MW to 140 MW. In this round, the lowest bid price for a 124 MW wind power facility to be built in Hantan, Northern Cape, was ZAR 0.34425 (US$ 0.02338). For solar power, the lowest bid for six 75 MW solar parks expected to be built in the Tokologo district in the Lejweleputswa region of the Free State province is ZAR 0.37479.

• April 07, 2022

Japanese natural gas company Saibu Gas Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9536) recently announced that its renewable energy arm, Eneseed Co Ltd, started commercial operations at a 1.6 MW solar power plant in Iwate Prefecture. The photovoltaic (PV) park, called Eneseed Hirokawa Solar Power Plant, has been acquired from local company Clean Venture 21 Corp and will begin operations on April 2, 2022. With the commencement of commercial operation of Hirokawa Solar, Saibu Gas' total renewable energy operating capacity has reached 47.5 MW. The company is targeting 75 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by fiscal 2024 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050.

• March 21, 2022

The U.S. Department of Energy has released an action plan for the safe and responsible disposal of solar photovoltaic end-of-life (EOL) materials. Activities outlined in the plan will reduce the environmental impact of solar energy. Although 95% of PV modules are recyclable, the current economics of EOL processing are not conducive to recycling. The cost of recycling PV modules is significantly higher than landfill fees. Establishing safe, responsible and economical EOL practices will support greater deployment of solar energy. According to a recent U.S. Department of Energy assessment of the solar PV supply chain, recycling should become standard practice to facilitate domestic material supply. Actions taken now will improve the possibility of developing enabling technologies to handle PV EOL volumes safely, responsibly and economically, leading to greater deployment and safe and socially responsible supply chains. Under the strategy developed today, the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) plans to address PV EOL through stakeholder outreach, data collection, research, and analysis. SETO aims to better understand the status of EOL by developing a database that tracks the material, quantity, age, location, cause of EOL and EOL treatment of modules. This is determined through a five-year plan. In addition, SETO will support hardware research to reduce the environmental impact of EOL and more than halve module recycling costs by 2030.

• March 16, 2022

The Italian government has announced a new package of measures, the DL Energia decree, to reduce the energy bills of Italian households and businesses. The new regulations include simplifying the installation approval process for commercial rooftop solar PV systems with an installed capacity between 50kW and 200kW as much as possible. In Italy, these systems can be applied to the national net metering scheme called "Scambio sul posto". From May, businesses will be allowed to start deploying rooftop solar arrays using only one application form. This so-called "Modello Unico Semplificato" form is often used for common building maintenance projects. Previously this process was only available to owners of PV systems with an installed capacity of up to 50kW. The Italian government has also decided to allocate 267 million euros ($294 million) to help small and medium-sized enterprises deploy photovoltaic systems for their own use. The funds will be used in tax rebates to help businesses pay for part of the cost of buying and installing solar arrays. Businesses operating in southern Italy's regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia, Sardinia and Sicily will also enjoy financial incentives. These incentives will be offered to companies that decide to reduce their energy bills by investing in solar energy or energy efficiency.

• March 01, 2022

The Derry, New Hampshire City Council has finalized the contract for a new 2.2-megawatt solar array developed by Encore Renewable Energy that will be one of the largest in the state. Encore will finance, design, build, install, operate and maintain a 2.2 MW ground-mounted solar project called Derry Solar LLC, located in a closed and enclosed municipal solid waste landfill owned by the town of Derry. Once completed, the solar project will help the town achieve approximately $3.5 million in energy savings over the project's 25-year contract and help meet the city council's goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy in the town of Derry, two years ahead of its original goal. Year to achieve 2025. “This project is the culmination of six years of planning and engineering work by Net Zero Task Force volunteers,” said chair Jeff Moulton. “Prior to this project, the task force benchmarked energy use in all 40 towns and school buildings, implemented multiple energy initiatives that currently save the town over $900,000 annually, and installed an 86-kilowatt kWh in 2018. The town’s transit station for solar projects is currently performing better than expected.” A working group of professional engineers, business people, energy experts and representatives from key town groups including schools, public works, planning boards, code enforcement, conservation boards, economic development and the public and the public began work on the project more than two years ago . The group has collaborated in communicating information and advocacy to the community and supporting required state legislative action and with the support of Governor Chris Sununu. Encore Renewable Energy was selected from seven companies through a competitive tender process called for by the Town of Derry in September 2021. In addition to saving energy for the town, the solar project will be constructed with no upfront cost to the community. The site also offers potential opportunities to expand the project in the future. "The opportunity to develop sustainable energy from undervalued assets such as landfills is part of our company DNA," said Chad Farrell, CEO and founder of Encore Renewable Energy. Leveraging deep expertise in bringing to Delhi as a hosting location for community-scale solar panels to help support the community’s transition to a clean energy economy.”