Sandra Enkhardt
China may raise 2020 solar target to more than 200 GW
The target of 105 GW of cumulative installed photovoltaic power, which was originally set for the end of the decade, has already been surpassed. PV Info Link says the 2020 solar target may now be revised upwards to 210-270 GW.
Germany plans 20% FIT cut for commercial and industrial solar
With the ruling coalition having agreed to extend additional tenders for PV and wind power, a related, draft bill by the Federal Ministry of Economics has been disclosed. The policy document includes a proposal for a 20% FIT reduction for solar installations ranging in size from 40 kW to 750 kW.
Germany added almost 200 MW of new PV capacity in September
The new capacity figure fell on the previous month, mainly because fewer ground-mounted systems went online. The monthly retreat of FIT payments will stay at 1% for the next three months. According to SolarPower Europe, Germany will be by far the largest market in Europe, with 3 GW of new capacity this year.
Schmid signs $430 milion LoI in Saudi Arabia
The German PV equipment manufacturer has signed two letters of intent (LoI) for joint ventures with companies from Saudi Arabia at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Forum. The company declined to comment on the current political situation.
Germany’s auction for large-scale solar concludes with average price of €0.0469/kWh
The final average price was slightly higher than that of the previous auction of the same kind. Successful bids were between €0.0386/kWh and €0.0515/kWh per kWh. Unlike the parallel wind energy tender, the tendered capacity was significantly oversubscribed, once again.
Prices for monocrystalline solar modules are picking up
Analysts at Taiwan-based EnergyTrend and China’s PV Infolink have reported a further increase in demand for monocrystalline solar cells and modules in recent days. Their respective analyses on multi-crystalline products, however, do not match.
100 MW power-to-gas project planned in Germany
The project, under development by Gasunie, Tennet and Thyssengas, will convert wind power into green hydrogen. The plant commissioning should take place gradually starting from 2022.
Digital Energy Solutions wins tender for 2.19 MWh of storage in Germany
The Munich-based company will receive up to €2 million for a large-scale storage facility in southern Germany. The system will consist of 52 lithium-ion car batteries –which are also used in the BMW i3 – and will be coupled with a wind farm.
Meyer Burger to lay off 100 workers and relocate most of PV business to Asia
There may be a much-vaunted ‘solar renaissance’ in the offing for Europe, but it hasn’t come quickly enough for the Swiss PV equipment supplier, which wants to handle most of its sales and services from China.
Germany’s EEG levy falls to €0.06405 in 2019
It is the second decline in a row. Germany’s TSOs base their calculations on the 6 GW expansion for solar and wind expected for the coming year. The surplus on the EEG account, which was included in the calculations, was €3.65 billion.
