A solar photovoltaic (PV) system’s panel capacity is often reported in direct current (DC), while operating capacity in the United States is reported as it is delivered to the grid in alternating current (AC). For economic and engineering reasons, capacity values reported in DC typically are 10% to 30% higher than those reported in AC […]
Tag Archives: Solar
September 14, 2015 Source: International Energy Agency, Note: Values include wafer and thin-film modules. Values are presented in gigawatts direct current. Growth in solar photovoltaic (PV) module production has slowed in recent years to 4% annually from 2011 to 2013 after increasing by an average of 78% from 2006 to 2011. In addition, the gap […]
By Joshua Masinde Kenya will Saturday sign a Sh220 billion deal to develop a 1000MW solar power project over the next five years with the support of Canadian energy firm, SkyPower. The move is in a bid to increase the share of renewable energy onto the national grid. The landmark deal will be signed Sunday […]
By Maina Waruru Nairobi — Kenya’s renewable energy sector is set for a boost in September when a solar microgrid company plans to become the country’s first licensed private utility to sell power to the public, ending a half-century monopoly by the state electricity firm. Earlier this year, the government granted Powerhive East Africa, an […]
March 24, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Note: Data include generation from plants greater than 1 megawatt. California has become the first state with more than 5% of its annual utility-scale electricity generation from utility-scale solar power, according to EIA’s . California’s utility-scale (1 megawatt (MW) or larger) solar plants generated a record 9.9 […]
By Kizito Makoye Tura, Tanzania — As darkness falls, Dora Mjungu and her two brothers cram themselves around the faint flame of a kerosene lamp, struggling to finish their homework before their mother blows out the lamp to save the fuel cost. “I don’t dare to go to bed before getting it done. If I […]
January 27, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, is an independent electric cooperative. In December, (FPL). While FPL does not rely heavily on solar photovoltaics (PV) and other forms of renewable energy to serve its Florida customers, solar PV already plays a large role in Hawaii, and that role is expected to grow significantly over […]
By Malawi News Agency The Governments of Malawi and the Peoples Republic of China on Friday signed an agreement for the provision of mobile solar power systems worth about K5 billion (US$ 10 million) to be used in the health sector in the country. Speaking during the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance in […]
The new 96 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power project in South Africa’s Northern Cape province is now online and will help the country meet its critical electricity needs. The Jasper plant, near Kimberly, is the largest on the continent and can produce 180 000 megawatt-hours of energy a year for South African residents, enough to […]
November 19, 2014 Source: EIA, based on National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s , using default input values except as noted Note: Tilted systems are assumed to be mounted with a 20-degree tilt from horizontal. The assumed system size is one kilowatt of direct current, with output in watthours of alternating current. Financial incentives, renewable portfolio standards, […]
By Maina Waruru Nairobi — When he retired from his publishing job in Nairobi six years ago, Joseph Ojuang moved to a house he had built in Siaya, western Kenya. The home was more than 30 kilometres (18 miles) away from the nearest electrical grid, so Ojuang’s only choice for power was to have a […]
press release Abuja, Nigeria — With a commitment to boost electricity supply in Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Federal Government are on track to restore uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians and to complete ongoing independent power projects spread across the country. To boost this effort, the Nigerian Ministry of State for Power submitted […]
By Nick Long Kigali — The biggest solar power plant in East Africa has just opened in Rwanda. It is the first grid level solar plant in the region – a 21-hectare field covered with panels. Rwanda might not seem an obvious place to put it, as the country averages only about five hours of […]
New York Stock Exchange-listed Chinese company Jinko Solar, the fourth-largest solar PV manufacturer in the world, unveiled an R80-million solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing plant in Cape Town on Tuesday. The factory – the company’s first outside of China – will produce up to 1 300 solar panels a day, translating to 120 megawatts (MW) […]
The African Development Bank has approved a US$ 142-million loan to help fund the construction of a $ 908-million, 100-megawatt (MW) concentrating solar power plant in the Northern Cape – the bank’s first loan for a renewable energy project by an independent power producer in South Africa. A consortium led by Spanish company Abengoa was […]
