Marking a historic moment in the German renewable energy sector, no public incentive was paid in August for PV installations up to 10 MW and selected under the country’s tender mechanism. This was due to the fact that market prices were higher than the price including the feed-in premium tariff, awarded in the tender.

In the first eight months of 2018, newly installed PV capacity in Germany totaled almost 2 GW, and is already well above the previous year’s level. New residential and commercial PV systems, with a combined capacity of nearly 241 MW, have been reported to the Federal Network Agency. In October, solar incentives will drop by another 1%.

For the production of its heterojunction modules, the Russian manufacturer will cooperate with the German PV engineering provider for the supply of stringers and adhesive technology. To this end, Hevel has ordered new stringer systems and layup from Teamtechnik.

At the EU PVSEC in Brussels this week, prominent representatives of the solar industry joined an appeal to rebuild a major European PV production line along the entire value chain. They called on the EU Commission and member states to introduce eco-labels and recycling criteria for solar modules, to stimulate PV expansion and align research policy with the revival of the solar industry.

Starting from October, the Swedish furniture provider will start a test phase at five of its branches in Germany. A nationwide online sale of the “Solstrale” offer is planned to begin next February.

The Munich-based chemical group believes that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce may make a decision at the end of October. Wacker’s U.S. plant is still in the start-up phase following a temporary shutdown due to an explosion.

The solar company has launched a five-year research project with the British scientists, which has been funded with £2.5 million from the U.K. Government. The goal is to develop a thin film multi-junction perovskite solar cell with a 37% efficiency and long-term stability.

The European Solar Manufacturing Council has been launched at EU PVSEC in Brussels. Participating research institutes, mechanical engineers, material and PV manufacturers stress the importance of having big solar manufacturers in Europe.

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.