Germany

Northern European states mark clean policy milestones
Northern Europe’s clean energy scene has witnessed a flurry of policy moves in the space of a week, with at least four countries making announcements on various auctions and subsidy schemes.
Oct 2, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, Germany, Europe, auction, Switzerland, Netherlands, subsidies, Denmark, tenders
Danish researchers bring some color to rooftop PV
Scientists led by the Technical University of Denmark have begun a project to design solar cells that can be produced in different colors with minimal effect on performance, making them suitable for building-integrated and other applications with aesthetic considerations.
Oct 1, 2019 // Technology, Rooftop PV, bipv, Germany, Europe, Fraunhofer ISE, rooftop PV, Denmark, Building-integrated photovoltaics, DTU, colored PV modules, Peter Poulsen, Danish Solar Energy Ltd
Germany added 2.72 GW of PV in eight months
In August alone, around 327 MW of new solar generation capacity was registered in the country. This month the FIT for solar systems up to 750 kW in size will fall another 1.4%.
Oct 1, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, FiT, Germany, Europe
First Utility-Scale Floating Solar Power Plant For Germany
Ciel & Terre recently announced the launching of a new utility-scale 750 kWp floating solar array in Renchen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Utilizing more than 2,300 solar panels, it is predicted the solar power plant will generate 736 MWh per year.
Sep 30, 2019 // Floating PV, Germany, floating PV, Europe, Ciel & Terre, Neige BREANT, Vincent Pinchou, Ossola GmbH, Erdgas Südwest
Longi unveils results of bifacial module test
The exercise, conducted on Longi PERC bifacial modules by Germany’s TÜV SÜD at a test field in China, showed surprisingly higher gains in panels getting light reflection from painted-surface and grassland albedo. It also showed, Longi claimed, bifacial panels operate at lower temperatures than single-sided alternatives.
Sep 30, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Germany, China, Europe, Asia, LONGi, TÜV SÜD, PERC bifacial modules
The slow, inexorable rise of green hydrogen
The International Renewable Energy Association says the integration of hydrogen into the energy transition will not happen overnight and electrolysis costs will not be halved until the 2040s. That hydrogen and related products could revolutionize the world energy landscape, however, is not in doubt.
Sep 27, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Storage, Solar to Fuel, USA, Japan, Canada, Germany, UK, China, Australia, Europe, Asia, IRENA, hydrogen, Oceania, North America, Austria, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
Germany ditches solar subsidy cap to hasten clean energy shift
The German government has acted to remove a key hurdle to solar growth, in a deal hammered out as pressure for bold climate policies builds in the country’s streets and legislative chambers.
Sep 23, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Policy, Germany, Europe, subsidy, Angela Merkel, Carsten Körnig, Malu Dreyer, Simone Peter
Climate strike!
As of 11.30 CEST, the global pv magazine team in Berlin will down tools to attend the global climate strike at Brandenburger Tor.
Sep 20, 2019 // Solar, Germany, Europe, SMA, Jenny Chase, Berlin, global climate, strike, Intersolar Europe, Michael Braungart
SMA: We can’t be credible if we’re not sustainable
Credibility comes not just from offering products that generate clean electricity, but also from the way in which those products are manufactured, says SMA Solar Technology CEO Jürgen Reinert. Here, transparency and sustainability are key. That’s why one of the world’s largest PV inverter producers has partnered with pv magazine’s UP sustainability initiative. In the following Q&A, Reinert lays out what SMA is doing to step UP its green game.
Sep 16, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Inverters, Opinions, Germany, Europe, SMA
Dutch government seeks to privatize Tennet
Tennet needs more than €4.75 billion to invest in cross-border grid infrastructure between Germany and the Netherlands, as rising volumes of solar and wind are complicating network operations, said Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra in a recent letter to the Dutch parliament, adding that the government may need to privatize the state-owned transmission system operator or sell off a stake in it.
Sep 16, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Germany, Europe, Netherlands, Tennet, Wopke Hoekstra
Study: Germany needs clean energy surge to replace coal, nuclear
Germany must embrace renewables and energy storage at an unprecedented scale if it hopes to offset the void left behind by coal and nuclear phase-outs, a new study has said.
Sep 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, storage, ENERGY STORAGE, Germany, Europe, subsidies, bsw, zero-subsidy pv, Carsten Körnig
Germany will need 160 GW of solar by 2030 to prevent power shortages
EuPD Research has calculated what needs to be done to replace the nuclear and coal generation to be phased out in Germany. Accelerated expansion of PV appears the best short-term option. However, storage capacity will need to increase 30-fold by 2040 so solar can become the main pillar of the country’s energy system.
Sep 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Rooftop PV, Solar to Fuel, Germany, Europe, EuPD Research, BSW-Solar, Solar to Fuel, Solar to Hydrogen, Producing Hydrogen, Hydrogen from renewable, Renewable fuels
Wacker enters battery business with acquisition of 25% stake in Nexeon
The Munich-based chemical company has taken a substantial minority share in the British materials specialist to expand its silicon-based high-performance battery activity. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
Sep 13, 2019 // Storage, Germany, UK, Europe, Wacker Chemie AG, Nexeon, Christian Hartel, Scott Brown
Essent takes over Belgian solar installer Aralt
The Essent business of German utility RWE wants to widen its clean energy offer for Belgian clients. Last year Aralt achieved a €5 million turnover.
Sep 12, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Markets & Finance News, Germany, Europe, Belgium, Aralt, Essent, Benelux
HZB hits 23.26% efficiency with CIGS-perovskite tandem cell
Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin research institute this morning presented a new world record efficiency for a tandem cell combining CIGS and perovskite technology at the EU PVSEC conference in Marseille. The development of an organic coating layer between the two semiconductors was key.
Sep 11, 2019 // Technology, Germany, Europe, eu pvsec, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Amran Al-Ashouri