Europe

Solar developers will have a chance this spring to compete at a new renewable auction in Greece, the latest in a country aiming to take installed PV capacity near the 8GW mark by 2030.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second-largest utility, Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS), is planning the $75.7 million project. The region’s first solar park will be built near Trebinje, in Republika Srpska.

An R&D team from HZB has established a new record for tandem silicon/perovskite solar cells. The cell measured 1 sq cm has achieved 29.15 percent conversion efficiency. The researchers state that the new record of 30 percent is on the way. The achievement has been approved by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Italian manufacturer Sunerg has developed a solar module for BIPV applications which is said to offer a wide range of options to better match the architectural vision and the design of a building. The 275 kW monocrystalline PERC panel is available in mahogany brown, reddish brown, bottle green and black-grey.

A group of Hungarian scientists have compared thermal behaviour of various solar modules by means of thermography. Their research has shown that theoretical predictions are not as accurate as they were expected to be.

France’s power producer has obtained approval for development of a Dorset-based 40-megawatt solar-plus-storage park.

A Dutch company has modified an electric delivery van to feature a solar roof for the supply of cooling and freezing equipment in its load area.

Centrica and sonnen have completed a virtual power plant (VPP) project, which will allow customers to maximise the potential of their solar panels while providing flexibility to the grid.

Bluefield Solar Income Fund (BSIF) has made its first move of the year with the acquisition of three operational UK solar farms

Gresham House is targeting subsidy-free solar with the acquisition of the Bumpers solar farm from developer Anesco.

French water management agency Société du Canal de Provence (SCP) is planning an innovative floating project to test its combination with a solar tracking system. The 250 kW project was awarded a fixed tariff in a special tender for innovative PV projects held by The French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) in February 2018. The plant will be deployed on a water surface managed by SCP in Southern France.

Only one 5 MW solar project was selected in the 500 MW auction, while wind project developers secured the remaining 495 MW. Final price for the selected solar park was €50/MWh.

Norwegian firm EnergyNest is to deploy its thermal battery storage technology at a manufacturing plant in Austria.

Total Quadran has enlisted a French financier to pump new capital into an up-and-running renewable energy portfolio, split between 40-plus projects across the country.

European investor Foresight Group expects to “rapidly” deploy the proceeds of its latest fund raise, targeting renewables, flexible infrastructure and grids across Europe.