Asia

Energy giant ACEN Corporation plans to develop a large-scale floating solar project that will add up to 1 GW of power capacity to its renewable energy portfolio after securing access to 800 hectares of water surface area on the Philippines’ Laguna Lake.

South Korean companies Posco and East-West Power are developing a new building-integrated solar photovoltaic solution. The new product uses special galvanized steel as the panel’s backside that Posco says lasts five to 10 times longer than standard steel.

Singapore-based developer Vena Energy has announced it will investigate opportunities to manufacture solar panel components and battery energy storage systems in Indonesia to support a hybrid megaproject featuring up to 2 GW of solar capacity and more than 8 GWh of energy storage.

Scientists in India have proposed using solar modules at the end of their lifecycle as a building material for low-cost small housing units. With solar module recycling currently not viable economically, the researchers said their approach makes conventional solar panels into BIPV products without any modifications.

China-based Halead is offering a reflective material for ground-mounted bifacial PV projects, which it claims can increase the annual power production of a solar plant by over 9%. Germany’s TÜV SÜD certified the performance of the solution.

Energy Vault has begun commissioning a 25 MW / 100 MWh energy storage tower adjacent to a wind power facility outside of Shanghai.

Chinese module manufacturer DAS Solar has launched an Australian subsidiary, an investment the company says reflects its confidence in the region’s solar market.

Brookfield’s bold ambitions for Australia have reached a new level with the global asset manager inking an agreement with India-headquartered multinational Reliance Industries to explore the production of solar panels, long-duration battery storage, and other renewable energy equipment in Australia.

A study by TÜV Nord in Malaysia shows that the latest generation of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules surpass their older rivals on energy yield. The researchers compared n-type TOPCon modules with older p-type PERC modules, both manufactured by JinkoSolar over a three-month period earlier this year. The newer product showed an energy yield 5.69% higher than its PERC counterpart.

Scientists in China have proposed to use an algorithm that simulates the behaviour of foraging bees to shape a new grid-forming inverter design. The approach is designed for both grid-connected and islanded inverters.