Sustainability Outlook Headlines

New Solar CPV Module Conversion Efficiency Benchmark Achieved By Fraunhofer ISE

A new solar conversion efficiency world record for concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar modules has been achieved by researchers at Fraunhofer ISE, 2014 Zayed Future Energy Prize winner in the nonprofit category.

The new the world record conversion efficiency for a CPV module of 43.3% was achieved through a "mini-module" composed of 4-junction solar cells.

... Read more..

Pakistan Parliament becomes first in world to run on solar power

Pakistan Parliament today became the first in the world to completely run on solar power, a venture supported by China with USD 55 million funding.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a simple ceremony switched on solar-powered building of the Parliament in capital Islamabad.

First announced in 2014, the venture... Read more..

SunEdison plans to offload equity in 500 MW Andhra Pradesh project

SunEdison, the world's biggest renewable energy company, plans to offload equity in a 500 megawatt project that it won in India by making a bid that rivals said was too low to make commercial sense.

The US company has approached potential buyers for the sale of equity and has consulted investment bankers to value the project it won in November with a bid of Rs 4.63 per unit in an auction conducted by NTPC... Read more..

Boeing, Aeromexico, Mexican Government Collaborate on Sustainable Aviation Biofuel Research and Development

Aeromexico and Mexico's Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA) will collaborate with a biojet program supported by Mexico's Sector Fund for Energy Sustainability (SENER-CONACYT) to advance research and development of sustainable aviation biofuel in Mexico.

The initiative, announced today and coordinated through the Mexican Bioenergy Innovation Center, will support Mexico's aviation sector as well as its... Read more..

Very Low ($48/MWh) Solar PV Project Contracts Awarded In Peru

Peru recently awarded 185 megawatts (MW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) contracts in a renewable energy solicitation, at record-low prices for a nation not offering any tax breaks for such development.

Of the 185 MW of new project capacity, 144 MW relates to a bid from Enel Green Power at $47.98/MWh (megawatt-hours); and 40 MW relates to a bid from Enersur at $48.50/MWh.

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Chandigarh plans to make rooftop solar mandatory

The Indian city of Chandigarh is planning on becoming the second municipality in India to make rooftop solar mandatory on all buildings.

Santosh Kumar, director of ‘Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society’ (CREST) told PV Tech that Chandigarh is planning to issue a notification, which makes solar PV installation mandatory on all buildings based on plot size. However the... Read more..

Maharashtra, UP get stiff solar energy targets for 2022

Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have been set the stiffest solar energy targets by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. By 2022, Maharashtra, which has an installed solar capacity of 378.7 MW, will have to increase it more than 30 times to 11,926 MW. UP, with a solar capacity of 140 MW, will have to raise it more than 75 times to 10,697 MW.

With the stipulation that 8% of the power consumed by a state... Read more..

90% polluting units are under 24X7 watch

About 2,800 or nearly 90 per cent of critically polluting industrial units have installed 24X7 monitoring devices to check pollution after the government took a firm stand that factories can only function if they adhere to green norms, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.

"There are 17 critically polluting industries. We asked them to install 24X7 monitoring devices at points where their... Read more..

First Solar Sets Another World Efficiency Record

A new conversion efficiency world record for cadmium-telluride solar photovoltaic cells has been achieved by First Solar, according to a press release. The new world record conversion efficiency of 22.1% was certified at the Newport Corporation's Technology and Applications Center PV Lab.

The achievement of the new record means that First Solar, a 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist (Panasonic was the... Read more..

NREL Confirms New Record, SunPower Launches X22 Solar Panel With Conversion Efficiency Of 23%

SunPower recently launched the new X22 solar photovoltaic (PV) panel in the US market, giving consumers the option of purchasing a top-of-the-line panel with a 22.8% conversion efficiency.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently verified during testing that a SunPower X-Series, the product series that the X22 is a part of, solar panel achieved a conversion efficiency of 22.8%, thus marking the official achievement of a new world record for its class.

... Read more..

SunEdison Commissions 146 MW Solar Power Capacity In India

SunEdison, the US-based renewable energy developer, recently reported an expansion of its installed capacity base in India.

SunEdison reported, earlier this month, that it commissioned 146 MW of solar power capacity across three states in India. The company did not report if these projects were commissioned under any state solar power policy. The projects are located in the southern Indian states of... Read more..

A committee formed in Nashik to revive Godavari

During a brainstorming session on the rejuvenation of river Godavari by city-based activists and experts, Deepak Naik chairman of Maharashtra State Economic Development Council and Rekha Somalia, director Naik Environmental Research Institute Ltd, a committee was formed to work towards reviving the river.

Naik is an expert in river issues who rejuvenated dead rivers and assured that 78 percent of the river... Read more..