Photovoltaic manufacturers across the world are currently investing mainly in thin-film production plants. The German PV equipment providers benefit greatly from this new trend.

Around 40 billion kWh of clean electricity will be generated by PV systems in Germany during the first nine months of the year. According to calculations by the German Solar Industry Association, the total generation figure from last year will soon be reached.

The German module manufacturer is planning a further expansion of capacity in Europe. In France and Armenia, new production lines for solar cells and modules are planned to start this year.

The EU-funded research project has presented its first results. Its goal is to examine different regulatory frameworks for prosumers with photovoltaic systems in eight European countries.

Bids can be submitted to the German grid authority, Bundesnetzagentur until November 2, 2018. Solar accounted for all winning bids in the first round.

According to the company’s insolvency administrator it is unlikely negotiations with potential investors will generate concrete results this month. Module production has been suspended at Freiberg with employees relocated to a transfer company.

During the past three years, Philipp Schröder has built up and consolitaded the Sonnen brand. Now the self-proclaimed “Sonnen Warrior” is going his own way, although he will remain an advisor to the German storage provider. Managing Director, Christoph Ostermann regrets the departure, but emphasizes that with the strong management team that has been established, he will continue to promote the company’s growth.

The sunny, dry summer has seen solar break several records and PV kept the lights on when a lack of coolant – caused by rising river water temperatures – led to the temporary shuttering of conventional power plants in France and Germany.

While installations up to 750 kW continue to grow, compared to June, overall capacity slightly decreased. This is due to the fact less utility-scale projects were commissioned in July, compared to the preceding month. Solar subsidies will decrease by another percentage point in September.

In a bombshell announcement at the start of the week, the PV company said it would construct a gigawatt solar module fab in Austria. Now, Rene Battistutti, CEO at Energetica Group tells pv magazine why he believes the company’s modules are competitive with Asian products.