Pilar Sánchez Molina
Portugal cuts environmental approvals for utility-scale solar projects
Portugal’s new environmental rules will apply to PV projects built on sites spanning less than 100 hectares, but they will not apply to installations in protected areas.
Germany slashes VAT for residential PV to 0%
The German parliament has approved a new package of tax breaks for rooftop PV, including a value-added tax exemption for PV systems up to 30 kW in size.
Spain provides financial support for 600 MW of utility-scale storage
The Spanish government say it will finance five hybrid battery energy storage projects, with a cumulative installed capacity of at least 600 MW. Each project can secure up to €15 million ($15.68 million) in funding.
Colbun switches on battery-linked 230 MW solar plant in Chile
Colbun has completed the Diego de Almagro Sur solar plant in Chile’s Atacama region. It is connected to 8 MW/32 MWh of battery storage.
Zero solar allocated in unsuccessful 3.3 GW renewables auction in Spain
Originally intended to allocate 1.8 GW of solar power and 1.5 GW of wind power, the Spanish auction concluded with only 45 MW of assigned wind capacity, with the war in Ukraine blamed.
Floating PV to reduce ammonia emissions
Intergia will install a floating PV system for self-consumption in the slurry pond of a pig farm in Spain. The project is aimed at studying both an expected reduction of ammonia emissions, and the long-term degradation of the PV components in the environment.
Floating PV for water pumping, desalination
An irrigation community has built a 786 kW floating solar array on a small water reservoir in Murcia, Spain. The facility will provide power for a solar water pumping system, a desalination unit, and the community itself.
BayWa, Velux sign Europe’s first agrivoltaics-linked PPA
Germany’s BayWa r.e. and Denmark’s Velux have announced the first agrivoltaic corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) in Europe. BayWa will build two solar parks in Spain to power Velux’s operations, with capacities of 60 MWp and 56 MWp. One of them will partly be an agricultural PV project.
Novel production process for solar-grade silicon
The SisAl Pilot project produces solar-grade silicon from Spanish quartz without using coal and with zero CO2 emissions. The company behind the project claims that the process is cheaper and more sustainable.
Spain, Portugal to lead renewables in Europe, says Rystad
Norwegian consulting firm Rystad Energy has described the Iberian Peninsula as “a new European energy powerhouse.” It expects Spain and Portugal to reach 79% renewables in their combined electricity mix by 2030.
