Installations

RECC survey respondents say they will face major job cuts if solar tariffs are phased out in April, as proposed by the UK government. Reportedly more than 75% of jobs in the UK’s solar sector could be lost. A previous cut in tariffs prompted the loss of 9,000 jobs. Last week the industry sent an open letter to the energy minister opposing the policy.

The company’s Dutch unit, Nuon, has agreed to acquire three solar projects totaling 27.5 MW of capacity from Powerfield. The projects will be developed under the Netherlands’ SDE+ program, for large scale renewables.

The first round of Ireland’s newly introduced Enduring Connection Policy – 1 (ECP-1), introduced at the beginning of the year, has resulted in considerable success for solar PV and battery storage, with the technologies clearly outcompeting various forms of gas-fired generation, biomass, and wind energy.

Via the tender, selected developers will be awarded 25-year PPAs for the sale of power to local utility, ZESCO.

The solar park is set to be built across three phases, and will be located in Tunisia’s southernmost region of Remana, in the Sahara Desert. The project was conceived by the Tunisian Goverment to support organic farming and improve security at the border with Libya.

With the U.K. government apparently preparing to deal another blow to solar by abolishing export payments for small-scale generators, the contribution of the country’s agricultural sector to the industry could be more important than ever.

While installations up to 750 kW continue to grow, compared to June, overall capacity slightly decreased. This is due to the fact less utility-scale projects were commissioned in July, compared to the preceding month. Solar subsidies will decrease by another percentage point in September.

While the Greek Government is in the midst of rolling out a successful series of solar tenders, pv magazine examines the country’s net metering scheme, which was introduced in 2014.

Speaking the language of manufacturing, employment, and economic opportunity, five prominent corporations have backed a 2.2 gigawatt solar goal for Ohio by 2030.

To ensure their continued viability, nearly 8 GW of solar PV projects have been granted an extension by the Ministry of New and renewable Energy (MNRE).