Central & South America

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that there was increased sunshine across the South American tropics last month, with solar assets accruing up to 120% of irradiance gains for September.

Gebrüder Weiss is testing electric trucks with two electric motors and 7.4 kWp of PV output. The modules are installed on the top of the trucks and as mobile extensions.

With utility scale solar installations accelerating, Philip Wolfe, founder of PV data consultancy Wiki-Solar, drills into the data to highlight some interesting variations in relative progress around the world.

Chile is now on track to become the second-largest battery market in the Americas, following the United States. As of this year, the Latin American nation has switched on 12 storage projects, with a total capacity of 1.3 GW. It currently has 85 energy storage projects, totaling 6.4 GW, in various stages of development.

Atlas Renewable Energy has commissioned 600 MW of solar capacity in Brazil, following the completion of the Lar do Sol and Casablanca plants in the state of Minas Gerais. The facilities will provide energy to Unipar and Anglo American via power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Brazil’s Fortlev Solar has created a new polyethylene mounting structure to significantly cut installation times. It weighs 15 kg and uses the weight of natural and manmade materials for anchoring, rather than relying solely on fixed supports.

An international research group has analyzed a vertical bifacial agrivoltaics system in a drought-stricken part of Chile. They say that the solar array can improve water efficiency for crop irrigation, while the vertical system configuration optimizes PV power generation throughout the day, minimizing curtailment.

A Brazilian research group has developed a new method that uses the unique properties of supercritical water to recycle end-of-life solar panels. The scientists claim the novel approach is able to achieve a 99.6% organic degradation, without using toxic or hazardous chemicals.

The World Bank is accepting expressions of interest to provide consultancy and feasibility study services for floating solar facilities at two hydropower reservoirs operated by Mexico’s National Electricity Commission (CFE).

The Jamaican government is seeking 100 MW of renewables to diversify its energy grid, with independent power producers to generate this capacity through wind, solar, and hydro projects recommended under power purchase agreements (PPAs), according to tender documents.