Europe

Statkraft buys 326 MW of solar projects in Ireland
The Norwegian power company acquired the projects for around $17.3 million. The transaction indicates interest in large scale solar is on the rise in Ireland and unsubsidized projects are viable.
Oct 25, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Ireland, Europe, Statkraft
Solar power met 45% of demand on Caribbean island of St Eustatius last year
The Netherlands-administered Caribbean island last year saw almost half its power demand provided by a 4.1 MW solar-plus-storage plant, commissioned in late 2017. The facility generated 6.5 million kWh of the 14.3 million kWh of electricity consumed in the territory in 2018.
Oct 25, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Europe, solar-plus-storage, Netherlands, Caribbean
Opposition party pledges to nearly treble UK solar capacity in 10 years
The UK’s opposition Labour Party has pledged to almost treble the country’s solar PV capacity, taking it to 35GW by 2030.
Oct 25, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Policy, UK, solar pv, Europe, solar-plus-storage
Enel leaps up solar developer global ranking after project spree
The Italian fossil fuel company is not hanging around when it comes to diversifying into PV, with almost 1.5 GW of generation capacity plugged in since the start of last year.
Oct 23, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, USA, Canada, Singyes Solar, Canadian Solar, Italy, China, Enel, First Solar, Latin america, Europe, Asia, SunEdison, North America, NextEra Energy, Wiki-Solar, Enerparc
Jinko launches Tiger module Down Under
The Chinese manufacturer has officially unveiled its high-efficiency product in Melbourne after celebrating a 13.6 MW panel order from the nascent Hungarian PV market.
Oct 23, 2019 // Manufacturing News, China, Australia, Hungary, Europe, JinkoSolar, Asia, Oceania, mono perc, Melbourne, photon energy, Tiger
Meyer Burger literally betting the house on HJT cell strategy
The Swiss equipment maker has announced a fresh, CHF18 million order from Oxford PV but the news may have been strategically timed ahead of today’s update that it has completed the sale of its headquarters building.
Oct 23, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Germany, UK, China, Europe, Asia, oxford pv, meyer burger
ROUND-UP: 1MW of PV at Gazprom oil plant in Russia, Hungarian milestones for Photon Energy
1MW plant fired up at Gazprom Neft oil refinery in Russia. Photon Energy turns on eight PV plants totalling 5.6MWp in Hungary. Jinko delivers 13.6MW of modules to Photon Energy plants in Hungary.
Oct 23, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Jinko Solar, Hungary, pv modules, Europe, Asia, Russia, gazprom, photon energy, Oleg Shutkin, Oleg Belyavsky, Georg Hotar
Ambibox reports efficiency world record for solar DC charging of electric off-road buggy
A German start-up achieved more than 99% efficiency when charging a vehicle developed by the Bochum University of Applied Sciences with electricity from solar cells. Ambibox’s DC charging technology was used in a research project in the Australian desert.
Oct 22, 2019 // Technology, Germany, UK, Australia, Europe, Oceania, Bochum University, Manfred Przybilla
Fate of green hydrogen depends on ever cheaper renewables – for now
Analyst WoodMac has spelled out the urgent need to decarbonize the global hydrogen production industry. While the fuel can offer a sustainable grid balancing act for intermittent renewables, in its current fossil-fuel driven form it is pumping out more than 800 tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
Oct 22, 2019 // Solar, Solar to Fuel, USA, Japan, Germany, Wood Mackenzie, Australia, Europe, Asia, hydrogen, Oceania, North America, green hydrogen, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
Highview Power to build UK’s first large scale ‘cryogenic’ energy storage facility
The long-duration energy storage provider plans to eventually build a portfolio of 50 MW/250 MWh liquid air systems throughout the United Kingdom.
Oct 22, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Solar to Fuel, UK, Europe, Javier Cavada, CRYOBattery, cryogenic energy storage, solar cryogenic storage
Completion of 390 MW Benban projects crowns impressive quarter for Scatec Solar
With power production up 133% year-on-year, revenues and EBITDA also rose significantly.
Oct 22, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Raymond Carlsen, Scatec Solar, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, Africa, Egypt, Mozambique
Q Cells to introduce Q.Home energy storage at All Energy
Q Cells will introduce its Q.Home hybrid inverter and battery system to the Australian market at the All-Energy event in Melbourne tomorrow. It is also introducing its new larger wafer module, which hits 355 Wp on a 60-cell format.
Oct 22, 2019 // Storage, Germany, Europe, Hanwha Q Cells, Q.Home, Charles Kim, hybrid inverter, Melbourne
Oxford PV transfers US$18.2 million to Meyer Burger for next phase of equipment purchases
Leading PV manufacturing equipment supplier Meyer Burger Technology has received a further CHF 18 million (US$18.2 million) from partner, Oxford PV for the purchase of key equipment for a 125MW integrated production line to fabricate high-efficiency perovskite HJT tandem solar cells.
Oct 22, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Germany, UK, Europe, c-si manufacturing, solar cell, oxford pv, heterojunction, meyer burger, a-si thin film, peroskite
German PV tender brings average solar price of €0.049/kWh
The average price in the October round of Germany’s solar capacity procurement program fell back below the five-cent mark, helped by expansion of the quota for solar on Bavarian agricultural land. Nineteen of the 27 projects allocated by the Federal Network Agency were such schemes.
Oct 21, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Tariffs, Germany, Europe, tenders
PV performance projections for the 21st century
A study has divided the world into 12 climate zones on the basis of the Köppen–Geiger classification map. The paper confirmed Chile’s Atacama region has the world’s highest solar radiation but also showed the region with the highest performance ratio for PV systems was near Moscow.
Oct 21, 2019 // Solar, Chile, South america, Europe, Slovenia, Moscow, University of Ljubljana