Germany-based PV-storage provider sonnen has closed a new funding round from a group of investors led by Shell Ventures. Sonnen has already began to draw on the funds as it continues to expand market shares in the U.S. and in Australia. Shell Ventures is now a major sonnen investor and future cooperation agreement has been agreed to.

Several scientist have joined to rebut an Australian article that questions the feasibility of a global energy transition. For this purpose, they have gathered hundreds of studies on energy systems and conclude, that there are neither fundamental technical nor financial barriers to achieve 100% renewable energy supply.

Goldbeck Solar shares the unfortunate details of a botched module supply deal with China Sunergy. To date, Goldbeck Solar claims it is yet to receive a single module.

For the German PV-company the solar farm of 27 MW is its first in East-India. For the project IBC solar secured a tender for a PPA with a duration of 25 years.

The Swiss PV equipment manufacturer will sell the division to Patrik Hofer-Noser. Both sides agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. Nevertheless, Meyer Burger assumes that the sale will result in a loss in the low single-digit million range.

Interview: Saltwater technology is similar to that of lead battery storage, but only natural materials are used. Helmut Mayer, Managing Director of Blue Sky Energy, explains how this compares to lithium-ion, which currently dominates the residential PV sector.

In the first quarter, SMA saw its sales increase slightly, while EBITDA improved compared to the same period of the previous year. Net profit, however, was significantly below the level of the first quarter of 2017.

Sales were particularly strong in the solar segment. Despite the considerable improvement, the German PV equipment provider still remains in debt.

Interview: In recent years, customs authorities have repeatedly conducted searches and arrests for companies circumventing the existing PV antidumping and anti-subsidy measures in Germany. In a conversation with pv magazine, legal expert Alexander Rumpf draws on personal experience to explain the current legal situation.

The goal of the project, RE 8760 is to show how the storage of renewable energies can make them usable all year round. The generated solar power is stored and converted into hydrogen. It can also be conserved over long periods and used to recharge fuel cell vehicles during the dark winter months.