News

Supermarket rooftop brings commercial solar – and silicon carbide inverters – to Norway
The sizeable rooftop array will feature latest-generation inverters. The project planners claim using 1500 V technology on a commercial rooftop allowed them to drive down costs 10-15%.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Inverters, Rooftop PV, Europe, rooftop PV, Kaco, Siemens, Norway, Trine Kopstad Berenten
Do lead batteries have a role in the clean energy transition?
The Consortium for Battery Innovation has outlined research goals for advanced lead-based battery concepts, claiming the potential of the technology is “nowhere near fully exploited”. The group, comprised of lead-battery industry stakeholders, says such devices can play an important role alongside lithium-ion and other storage technologies in electric vehicles, renewable energy storage and other applications.
Oct 9, 2019 // Technology, Storage, storage, Consortium for Battery Innovation, Alistair Davidson
Repsol sets up renewables unit
After turning to clean energy last year, the Spanish oil company plans to deploy 4.5 GW of renewables generation capacity by 2024.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Spain, Europe, Repsol Renovables, Joao Paulo Costeira
Several buyers keen on REC Silicon’s Butte facility, CTO tells PV Tech
Norwegian polysilicon manufacturer REC Silicon announced last Thursday it is considering selling its silane gas facility in Butte, in the US state of Montana.
Oct 9, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, USA, Washington, polysilicon, Montana, North America, REC Silicon, trade war, silane gas, James May
UN fund gets behind plan to unlock finance for South African renewables
UN money will help South African PV players underpin project revenues without the need to resort to the government, after a year when Eskom’s woes have cast doubts on the state-offtaker route.
Oct 9, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Africa, eskom, green climate fund, embedded pv, un, dbsa, Yannick Glemarec
Prices drop in eighth round of France’s rooftop PV auction
The winners of the eighth round of France’s rooftop PV tender series have drawn lower average prices than peers awarded just four months ago, new results show.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Rooftop PV, France, Wood Mackenzie, auctions, Europe, rooftop PV, tenders, frassenheim, ministry for the ecological and solidarity transition
Strong Q3 2019 puts solar finance on track to beat 2018 charts
The rising solar appetites of global investors so far in 2019 have put the industry on course to reach full-year financing volumes unseen since 2017, according to Mercom.
Oct 9, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, USA, China, Asia, North America, ReNew Power, mercom, Goldman Sachs
Merkel Flip-Flops on Solar, Wind Targets in Climate-Action Plan
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition is wavering on whether to focus on wind or solar power over the next decade to help Germany cut carbon emissions.
Oct 9, 2019 // Solar, Germany, UK, Europe, Angela Merkel, Christoph Zipf, Bruno Burger
Major solar farm plan to power Angus pharmaceutical plant
Ambitious proposals have emerged to power a major Angus pharmaceutical plant with electricity from a giant solar farm on land a few miles away.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, UK, Europe, Angus, GSK, Proposal of Application Notice, Kate Cowey
MRC Allied says solar rooftop power to save consumers 30% in electricity bill
MRC Allied Inc., through its wholly-owned unit Menlo Renewable Energy Corp. (MREN), said Wednesday it its solar rooftop installation stands to save up to 30% in electricity bill.
Oct 9, 2019 // Rooftop PV, MRC Allied Inc., Menlo Renewable Energy Corp., Johnston Brusola, Augusto Cosio
US cautions against lure of cheap Chinese solar imports
US assistant secretary of state for energy Francis Fannon says Indian solar developers should put quality, service and diplomacy above one-time expenditure.
Oct 9, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, USA, China, Asia, North America, Francis Fannon, Indian solar, Iran
Solar panel installer banned in Victoria following dodgy installations
Hundreds of Victorians have been warned solar panels installed on their homes as part of a $1.3 billion rebate scheme are the work of a dodgy company using unlicensed electricians.
Oct 9, 2019 // Solar, Victoria, Community Energy Group Pty Ltd, Space Solar, Labor, Lily D'Ambrosio, Michael O'Brien
Shalom plans solar farm and new teaching block
Shalom College is planning to expand its campus with the introduction of a collaborative learning building and the largest school solar farm in Queensland.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, queensland, Shalom College, Dan McMahon
Emerging markets help new faces into list of world’s top EPC providers
Although the Wiki-solar website ranking only gives a snapshot of PV project engineering, procurement and construction contracts outside China, it is nevertheless a useful indicator of the changing shape of the global solar market.
Oct 9, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Spain, SunPower, China, First Solar, Europe, Asia, Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Hanwha Q-Cells, Belectric, juwi, Enerparc
Italy’s historic ’Tuscia’ region deluged by 1.35 GW of large scale solar
The central Italian province of Viterbo has 1,359 MW of solar generation capacity in the development and approvals process. The mass of projects has raised opposition from some locals and developers are in talks with government officials to discuss how concerns can be addressed.
Oct 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Italy, Europe