The development process for ground-mounted utility scale solar projects in Vietnam is laborious, time-consuming, expensive and still largely difficult to navigate for foreign developers without entering a strategic partnership, in whatever form, with a local Vietnamese counterpart.

Vietnam has now effectively overtaken Thailand as the largest solar market in Southeast Asia in terms of installed solar operational capacity, with more than 6,314 MW installed up to September 2020. Many hundreds of MWs of solar projects are also still under construction or development. However, its solar (and other renewable energy) M&A activity has developed very slowly to date. There are many reasons to expect that this is about to change, but before we examine them, let us review the main factors behind this sluggish tempo.

Focusing on the big picture is always challenging, particularly in light of the current all-consuming coronavirus pandemic. However, there are some key issues related to the U.K. solar sector, which will feature significantly on the domestic agenda in the months ahead.

The Vietnamese renewables industry has been flourishing lately. Taking the example of the solar sector, the installed capacity increased from barely 134 MW in 2018 up to 6,000 MW in 2020. Vietnam has definitely emerged as one of the most active countries in South-East Asia and with the merit of diversifying its energy mix. They added capacity not only in solar – utility scale, commercial & industrial (C&I) rooftop – but also onshore/nearshore wind, hydro and to some extent biomass energy projects. Vietnam has shown levels of dynamism which has attracted initial investor interest.

The pandemic and accidents at polysilicon labs in China’s Xinjiang region put PV manufacturers under pressure to maintain production this year, while slowing cell and module R&D. After half-cut and multi-busbar becomes commonplace, manufacturers will continue to explore the high-density assembly methods that emerged last year, as well as n-type cells. But the market is also shifting to large formats, and the share of bifacial products is growing this year. As sizing up modules can bring immediate returns, PV InfoLink’s Amy Fang expects the PV industry to prioritize the development of large formats and bifacial products next year.

European utilities with large exposure to renewable energy have performed well this year, despite a downturn in both energy demand and prices on the back of Covid-19.

Italy is in line for €11.4 billion if member states sign off an emergency funding package which will distribute funds based on the GDP and unemployment figures of their economies in June, July and August.

Solarpower Europe has called on member states to put solar and battery storage front and center when it comes to drawing up the Recovery and Resilience plans needed to secure a slice of the bloc’s proposed €672.5 billion post-Covid stimulus package.

The parliament and EU member states will now mull the proposed budget for 2021-27 which includes a €750 billion Covid recovery package and a Strategic Investment Facility it is hoped will unlock €150 billion for renewables and energy storage to 2027.

With the International Energy Agency publishing its latest five-year clean energy forecast today, pv magazine takes a look at the solar content of the 162-page document.

BYD more than doubled November vehicle sales but posted a drop in January-to-November business. Xinyi Glass is looking to grow its assets, while GCL-Poly is raising capital.

By the end of October, about 2 million PV systems were operational throughout Germany, according to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).

The two PV companies have outlined how competitive value creation in Germany and Europe can succeed. This would also be important in order to preserve technologies and innovations in this country. Meyer Burger and SMA make four specific proposals in which they have an eye on both the generation of solar power and the manufacture of the photovoltaic products required for this.

Business analysts at McKinsey & Company have worked the numbers and found that investments into new infrastructure and technologies necessary to achieve the net-zero target will likely be offset by savings in other sectors. Europe’s PV sector could grow to about three times its current size over the next decade.

The two newly introduced green contracts, daily and weekly, are in addition to already operational intra-day and day-ahead contingency contracts in the green market.

The New South Wales state government’s push toward renewable energy continues to gather momentum, as the Independent Planning Commission has approved a multimillion-dollar, 500 MW solar project.

The former company has laid off its remaining employees and locked up its offices, leaving dozens of customers and sub-contractors asking what comes next.

The scheme, which has now been halted, was expected to award a FIT of €0.0855/kWh to PV systems not exceeding 3 MW in size.

A 6 MW solar park is being developed by Slovenian power provider HESS. The facility will be linked to a hydropower plant and will also rely on pumped hydro storage.

Researchers have modeled the effects of various PV module arrangements on a greenhouse used for rose growing in Iran’s Shiraz region. The team determined a ‘sweet spot’ where modules produced the most energy and provided optimal growth conditions for the crop.

Scientists in the United States have conceived a new process to apply a low-cost organic pigment to perovskite solar cells. The new technique is claimed to increase the efficiency of the devices by around 1.2% and also to improve the cells’ stability.

Looking to answer one of the year’s big questions concerning solar technology, energy consultancy DNV GL was invited by Trina Solar to compare the performance of its modules based on the 210mm wafer with the 166mm and 182mm dimensions also introduced recently. The analysis revealed an advantage for modules incorporating the largest wafer, based on simulation of bifacial systems at two locations in Spain and the United States.

Scientists in Germany evaluated multiple silicon cell concepts based on both cost and efficiency in serving as the bottom layer in a perovskite-silicon tandem cell. The study, based on both simulation and experimental work, outlines advantages to various approaches with the silicon cell and concludes that in almost every case, perovskite-silicon tandem cells have the potential to bring solar costs down below what could be achieved with silicon alone.

Scientists in the UK looked into the effects of exposure to ambient atmosphere could have on nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. While many cathode designs are moisture sensitive, the group found that the nickel-rich cathodes currently gaining market share are especially vulnerable, and can suffer irreversible power loss upon exposure to moisture in the air.

A new GOGLA report notes a growing focus on hybrid power solutions that integrate DC solar with AC grid power, and appliances that integrate both AC and DC power. Sales of hybrid solar inverters are growing by 25% per year in India, outpacing demand for conventional inverters.

The PV industry can’t claim to be a clean energy source if it leaves a trail of hazardous waste.

Few doubt that aluminum frames will be a part of the solar module for some time to come. And with PV manufacturing continuing to scale, the carbon footprint of this versatile metal may prove a sustainability challenge.

Solar photovoltaic mounting firm, Premium Mounting Technologies (PMT), was founded by industry veteran Peter Grass in 2012. The company is now shifting gears – in leadership and technologies. Sitting down with the company’s installation partner Solartechnik Dresden’s CEO, Steffen Hesch, the two discussed new business models and changes in solar.

German standards body TÜV Rheinland is introducing a new testing and certification program for pv modules. The program incorporates component specific tests and ongoing, random testing of running production lines. Hanwha Q Cells assisted in the development of the program, and this week announced it is the first manufacturer to receive the new Quality Control PV Certification.

The Chinese giant, which had a $40 billion stock price yesterday, has announced it shipped 20 GW of solar panels by Monday.

RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich evaluated the data. It shows a growing demand for photovoltaic storage systems in 2019 and continued positive market sentiment lasting well into 2020.

The government has drafted an industrial policy to try and attract electric vehicle production lines, and even solar-powered car producers, to the country.

Scientists in South Korea developed a new electrode structure for a solid-state battery which they say could lead to both higher energy densities and simplified manufacturing processes for this promising energy storage technology.

Engie has published the findings of its long-awaited feasibility study with Yara on the development of renewable hydrogen and ammonia. They plan to build new large-scale facilities in Western Australia, starting with a 10 MW solar farm and electrolyzer.

According to a research team from Oxford University, solar and wind may be applied in power-to-methanol projects only if the methanol industry will switch from conventional chemical processes, that require a constant energy supply, to more flexible processes that need demand-side management.