Traditional, centrist groupings the social democrats and conservatives lost ground in the weekend’s elections but while green parties gained seats, talk of a green wave washing over the continent appears to have been exaggerated.

The site is the first step in a planned 200 MW portfolio. Along with a few ground mount installations, the Palestinian authorities set out to achieve substantial parts of the portfolio by tapping public rooftops. The authorities have already secured rooftop spaces at 500 schools for the installation of 35 MW of capacity.

Scatec wants to expand in Southeast Asia and Vietnam is poised to become a hot market thanks to a generous feed-in tariff and a government that has set tight carbon emission targets.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has estimated the effect on the payback period of PV systems when adding EVs and storage in Germany and Britain. In both cases, system owners are likely to reduce their payback period by significant margins as increased self-consumption can offset the incremental phase out of government incentives.

Long awaited – and even longer debated – the 1000 pages of legislation have finally been adopted by all EU institutions. Over the coming 18 months, there will be changes, some big, some small, to the markets in Europe. Across the continent, the renewable energy industry is likely to benefit.

The government of Haiti and the World Bank have put in place a financial instrument to provide access to capital for companies active in clean off-grid energy solutions. The aim is to power 200,000 households over 10 years.

The off-grid solar system supplier has received the finance in Rwandan francs to mitigate currency risk and expand operations in its biggest market.

The solar plant operations business – spun out of the solar glass manufacturer – reportedly finalized its initial public offering this week. Final confirmation of the proceeds is expected on Monday.

After a power purchase agreement for a 125 MW solar project was announced in February, similar deals appear to be cropping up. Danish PV analysts, however, warn of the potential risks of such a model and say the green commitments of big electricity consumers may not be enough to spur growth in the segment.

Though PV will remain in the shadow of wind and hydropower in the north of Europe, an ambitious solar deployment scenario in Sweden could lift the market into the gigawatt club through to 2040.