Europe

Risen profits for HJT manufacturer
Ukraine’s favorite solar module manufacturer has posted another encouraging set of returns, after a difficult year in 2018. And Risen – which boasted 6.6 GW of annual production capacity at the end of last year, according to analysts at PV InfoLink – is committed to adding another 2.5 GW before 2022.
Oct 30, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Markets & Finance News, China, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, Risen
When are solar panels acceptable on historic buildings?
A study from Sweden seeks to consider how PV could be sympathetically installed on historic buildings. The researchers propose a target-based approach for assessing panel visibility.
Oct 30, 2019 // Plants, Residential, Sweden, Solar Panels, Europe
Iberdrola renewables investments creating a ‘virtuous circle of growth’ as profits climb
Iberdrola’s record investment into renewables and networks is outperforming expectations, freeing the utility to invest even more creating a “virtuous circle of growth”, the company’s chairman has said.
Oct 30, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Spain, Iberdrola, solar pv, Europe, portgual
Swedish Solar Expo touts solar and hydrogen community project
Where seasonal storage is paramount, hydrogen comes into play. Under-the-radar solar market Sweden has presented its hydrogen projects and technological solutions to overcome the country’s natural solar barriers.
Oct 30, 2019 // Technology, Markets & Finance News, Sweden, Europe, hydrogen, hydrogen projects, Joan Carlehed, Hans Olof Nilson, Susanné Wallner, Johanna Lakso
Green Arrow buys 320MW of European solar and wind assets from Quercus
Italian asset manager Green Arrow Capital (GAC) has agreed to acquire a 320MW portfolio of renewable energy projects from London-based Quercus Investment Partners for an undisclosed sum.
Oct 30, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, UK, Europe, Green Arrow Capital, Quercus Investment Partners, Eugenio de Blasio, Diego Biasi
Origis Energy chooses RES to construct Georgia’s Tanglewood Solar project
Origis Energy USA announced it has selected Renewable Energy Systems to construct the Origis Energy Tanglewood Solar project, a 57.5-MWAC solar farm in Mitchell County, Georgia. Origis Energy developed the solar site as one of the facilities under the Georgia Power Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI) serving the utility’s customers participating in the Commercial and Industrial REDI (C&I REDI) program. This contract represents the first construction partnership between Origis Energy and RES. Origis Energy will own and operate the facility.
Oct 29, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, USA, Georgia, First Solar, Europe, North America, res, Origis Energy, Johan Vanhee, Tim Jordan
Luminous Energy eyes 1.2GW pipeline as works start on ‘springboard’ Australia project
Luminous Energy has commenced connection works on its 162MWac solar farm in Australia, with the developer eyeing up 1.2GW of works across multiple markets.
Oct 29, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, UK, Australia, Europe, utility-scale, Oceania, PWC, luminous energy, grid connection, Paul Chivers
Political uncertainties and market speculation
After several years of stagnation, Spain has started to see a revival in its PV market, writes IHS Markit’s Maria Chea. The country’s newfound growth has been due to a combination of tender and private PPA projects, along with decreasing component costs.
Oct 29, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Opinions, Spain, Europe, auction, enel green power, x-elio, PV market, Maria Chea, ACS Cobra, Northleaf
EDF secures a slice of UK supermarket Tesco’s corporate solar plan
The French energy giant will provide supermarket Tesco with electricity from 17 rooftop PV installations and two wind farms for a renewables portfolio generation capacity of 59 MW. The groceries retailer has announced plans to install 187 solar rooftops.
Oct 29, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Rooftop PV, UK, EDF, Europe, rooftop PV, Cleantech Solar, Tesco, Jason Tarry
Four out of five fossil fuel giants dismiss findings of report into EU lobbying efforts
U.S. oil major Chevron did not respond to pv magazine’s questions. Exxon Mobil and BP did not produce figures for their clean energy investment activity and Total responded only with its ‘low carbon electricity’ spending. Shell stated it had invested €1.6 billion in clean energy from late 2016 up to June.
Oct 28, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, USA, Europe, North America, shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and BP
Statkraft enters Irish solar foray with 320MW deal
Nordic renewables giant Statkraft has confirmed its entry into Ireland’s nascent solar power market, acquiring nine solar projects in the country.
Oct 28, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Ireland, Europe, utility-scale, Statkraft, Kevin O’Donovan, JBM Solar
BayWa r.e. adds to European floating solar momentum with double project completion
BayWa r.e. has taken two utility-scale floating solar projects to the finish line in the Netherlands, bringing a sizeable installed capacity boost to the segment in Europe.
Oct 28, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Floating PV, Germany, solar pv, floating PV, Europe, Huawei, Netherlands, baywa r.e., GCL-SI, zimmermann pv stahlbau, Benedikt Ortmann
Meyer Burger raises another $14m by selling software subsidiary
The Swiss solar equipment maker has already sold its corporate headquarters this week as it aims to generate a fighting fund until the hoped-for returns of a European PV manufacturing renaissance materialize.
Oct 25, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Markets & Finance News, China, solar cells, Europe, Asia, meyer burger, Switzerland, AIS Automation Dresden GmbH
Enel kicks-off production at Italy’s heterojunction module factory
The manufacturing facility, idled a few years ago, will produce bifacial modules. The company claims panel efficiency exceeds 20.5% and the factory has an annual production capacity of around 200 MW.
Oct 25, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Italy, Enel, bifacial, Europe, Antonello Irace, HJT heterojunction technology
Portugal drafts new rules to boost rooftop solar
The regulations will come into effect on January 1 and will improve upon the regime introduced in 2014. The new provisions will for the first time provide a legislative framework for energy communities and storage deployment.
Oct 25, 2019 // Policy, Rooftop PV, Portugal, Europe, rooftop PV, Twitter, João Galamba