Sandra Enkhardt
Switzerland launches tender to assign free-of-charge areas for PV along highways
The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) started yesterday the selection process to assign these areas free of charge to solar developers. Interested developers will have time until February 24 to express their interest in these surfaces.
The case for residential solar sharing
Technische Universität München researchers have run a series of tests to investigate the growing share of rooftop PV in Germany. They found that the sale and purchase of electricity between households could reduce consumption peaks and prevent grid bottlenecks.
Longi brings special 66-cell solar panels to Europe
Longi’s new modules are based on M10 wafers with 66 solar cells and a newly designed frame. The special module configuration enables installation in landscape format, as the panels can also be fixed to the short side of the frame.
Germany added 535 MW of PV in July
Germany deployed 4.3 GW of PV in the first seven months of the year, from 3.2 GW a year earlier.
German state supports balcony solar power generation via rebate program
The government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has allocated €10 million ($9.93 million) to support the deployment of balcony solar modules with a power output of up to 600 W.
Germany concludes fourth rooftop PV tender with average price of €0.0884/kWh
The German authorities reviewed bids with a total capacity of 767 MW and selected projects totaling 201 MW. The final prices ranged between €0.0820 ($0.0813)/kWh and €0.0891/kWh. The final average price was €0.084.
Long-term, heat-based energy storage in aluminum
Nine partners from seven European countries are involved in the €3.6 million ($3.7 million) “Reveal” research project, which says buildings could be heated in the future by storing energy from PV, wind and water in aluminum.
Meyer Burger secures silicon wafer supplies from Norway
Meyer Burger has announced that it has concluded a binding supply agreement with Norwegian Crystals for silicon wafers to use in heterojunction cell manufacturing. Hydro facilities primarily power the production of the wafers and their precursor materials in Norway. Combined with the shorter distance they’ll have to travel, this adds up to a low carbon footprint.
Supply chain difficulties translate into losses for SMA
SMA’s Home Solutions segment was particularly badly hit as the PV inverter manufacturer struggled to meet the demand due to the shortage of materials. The sales and results in the first half of 2022 were therefore significantly worse than in 2021. The company now wants to take “a series of measures to improve its long-term ability to deliver.”
German solar market hits high of €0.261/kWh in July
PV system operators in Germany recorded high revenues in July, as solar generation continued to break record after record.
