News of Year:
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Ireland surpasses 680 MW of installed PV capacity
2023-08-31Ireland could potentially reach 1 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity by the end of this year, according to new figures from the Irish Solar Energy Association.Ireland has deployed around 680 MW of solar power spread across 59,888 generators to da -
Portugal aims to install 20.4 GW of solar by 2030
2023-08-31The Portuguese government has raised its 2030 solar target by 11.4 GW. It now hopes to cover 85% of its electricity mix with renewables by the end of the decade.Portugal has announced revisions to the 2030 National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC) unde -
Italian state agency publishes agrivoltaic location map
2023-08-30The Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Enea) will soon release an online map to identify suitable sites for agrivoltaics. The map, based on landscape indicators, will provide qualitative and qua -
South African government sets requirements for solar rebates
2023-08-30South African individuals and homeowners can now claim rebates of up to 25% of their solar panel costs, up to a maximum of ZAR 15,000 ($800). Recent changes to the solar rebate scheme specify that the panels must have a minimum output of 275 W. They -
Germany’s power mix boasts more renewables, lower spot market prices – despite nuclear exit
2023-08-30Germany’s shutdown of nuclear power plants in April did not result in a ramp-up of lignite-fired power plants, despite concerns. Instead, there has been a significant increase in the share of renewables in the electricity mix, and the proportion of c -
Ground mounted agrivoltaics have minimal impact on grassland carbon-water cycling
2023-08-29A US-Spanish research team studied the ecological effect of a solar photovoltaic array located on a managed grassland plot using a hydraulic and soil hydrology model and field measurements. They found minimal effect on the plants’ carbon-water cyclin -
Dutch government mulling PV ban on agricultural sites
2023-08-29Dutch Economy Minister Micky Adriaansens said this week that she aims to make it impossible to install solar farms on agricultural land, with some unspecified exceptions. The plan has raised concerns at Holland Solar, with the trade group warning of -
PV developer reveals results of soybean agrivoltaic pilot project
2023-08-18French solar developer TSE, in association with Alliance BFC, has unveiled the initial results of a pilot study in France on how solar panels can affect soybean growth.TSE inaugurated its first agrivoltaic demonstrator on field crops in France last y -
Agrivoltaics based on light spectrum optimization
2023-08-18US scientists have discovered that using wavelength-selective, semi-transparent PV modules to absorb the blue light spectrum while transmitting red light onto crops can increase crop yield.Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have purp -
Africa closing in on gigawatt-level solar
2023-08-18Solar installations across Africa hit 949 MW in 2022, bringing cumulative capacity past the 10 GW mark, according to the African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA). While that may seem underwhelming for such a huge region, it shows that countries are