Small Solar Panels Test Field Completed by Fraunhofer

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has integrated 70 PV solar panels of its own development and production into the building façade of one of its laboratories.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has now completed its small solar panels test field installed on the outer façade of one of its lab buildings. The institute started to install the first panels on the façade in 2013. The PV solar power system consists of 70 solar panels relying on different technologies that were all developed by Fraunhofer ISE. The research institute said that the PV system shows how different solar technologies can interplay. The system also includes the module TPedge, a crystalline module recently developed by Fraunhofer ISE with an unnamed partner from the industry. According to the institute, this module, which uses back-contacted solar cells produced by Fraunhofer ISE researchers, was manufactured with a process that replaces the lamination step.

Colombia Approves Law to Introduce Fiscal Incentives for Solar Power And Renewables

The Colombian Cabinet has approved a new law (Decreto 2143 de 4 de Noviembre 2014) that will introduce fiscal incentives for renewable energy and solar power projects starting from Feb. 1, 2016.

Under the new law, developers of renewable energy projects will be granted four different types of fiscal credits: a 50% deduction over income tax; an accelerated depreciation of assets; the exclusion from the VAT regime; and the import duty exemption on imported raw materials and components for the development of the projects.

In May 2014, The Colombian government approved a law (Ley 1715 de 2014) that provided financial support for the deployment of off-grid renewable energy projects across Colombia. The law aims to reduce the use of diesel fuel in non-interconnected areas by replacing diesel generators with renewable energy installations. Deployment of these installations are being supported by a newly created fund, the Fondo de Energías No Convencionales y Gestión Eficiente de la Energía.

The new law also provided a legal framework for the development of renewable energy projects in Colombia.

Solar Photovoltaic Becomes the Cheapest Source of Power in Chile

Solar photovoltaic and wind power are currently the cheapest source of electricity in Chile, according to an analysis of the results of Chile's recent power auction conducted by experts of Deutsche Bank. 

Renewable energy projects, in fact, won 100% of the tendered contracts for the supply of 1,200 GWh. According to Deutsche Bank, three solar photovoltaic parks offered to sell power between $65 and $68 per MWh, two wind farms bid a price of $79 per MWh, while the price offered for coal power projects was of $97 per MWh. 

The company, however, believes that Chile will install only 500 MW of photovoltaic power in 2016 and 400 MW in 2017. This would be a considerable decrease from this year, when over 1 GW of PV capacity is expected to be installed in the country. Deutsche Bank experts said that, although Chile has approved several gigawatts of PV projects over the past years, many of these projects are unlikely to get built until the transmission lines get fixed.