Highlights

The new-look discussions dived into all things shaping the solar industry and renewable energy as a whole in 2020, including the global pandemic, extreme weather and natural disasters, the election and more, all presented in the light of rapidly-changing technologies and materials.

Nanotech Energy plans to release a non-flammable, environmentally friendly lithium battery that can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market.” And it aims to do it within the next year.

Iberdrola has agreed to supply electricity from a 590 MW solar project to nine facilities owned by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer.

A €62m Italo-French program will reduce risk for project developers and a €20m Spanish scheme will fund off-grid installations in sub-Saharan Africa.

The French National Commission of Public Debate validated, on November 3, the launch of a public consultation on the project initiated by the Norwegian group REC. The chosen location is Hambach, in the northeastern region of Moselle. The planned investment is €680 million.

The regulation needs updating to incorporate a raised emissions reduction ambition which will target a 38-40% fall in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Hong Kong-owned UK Power Networks is aiming to commission 250 MW of grid flexibility from energy storage assets with capacities as small as 10 kW, on contracts ranging in length from six months to seven years.

At a conference held in Shanghai last week, the three Tier-1 manufacturers explained that the entire Chinese PV industry will continue to adapt to the 182mm wafers over the next months.

The Asian Development Bank has added Kazakhstan to the list of nations where it is issuing bonds denominated in local currencies as an alternative for investors to having to use international lenders.

According to its creator, Swedish start-up Evolar, the new technology can be applied to existing production lines for crystalline silicon modules and increase a product’s efficiency by around 5%.