The weekend read: A watershed year for Belgium
Belgium market update: Once among Europe’s leaders in solar PV deployment, with more than 1 GW of capacity added in its peak year of 2011, Belgium’s market lost momentum following the abrupt closure of generous subsidy programs. In recent years, driven by its residential PV segment, the country has experienced a solar comeback, which became particularly prominent in the year just passed.
BBOXX raises €1 million for off-grid solar through crowdfunding
U.K.-based off-grid developer, BBOXX and online renewable energy investment platform, Trine have raised €1 million from crowdfunded investments in less than one month. The financing will be disbursed at the beginning of April, to enable BBOXX to scale up its operations in Kenya.
Rooftop solar could provide half of Dutch electricity needs, Deloitte finds
Based on analysis of publicly available data, Deloitte estimates that solar panels installed on every suitable roof surface across the Netherlands could meet half of the current Dutch electricity demand, despite the country’s cloudy and rainy climate.
The US residential solar market fell 16% in 2017
GTM Research and SEIA’s final report on the U.S. solar market in 2017 shows both the struggle of the residential sector, as well as a larger than anticipated fall in utility-scale volumes, leading to a 30% contraction overall.
Ghana ups its solar ante with announcement of new programs
Ghana is planning to grow its solar industry, via utility-scale solar, off-grid projects and domestic manufacturing, the President said at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) founding ceremony.
Australia’s rooftop installations above 2017’s record-breaking year
February rooftop solar installations exceeded 115 MW, well above the less-than 80 MW installed in the same month 2017 – itself a record-breaking solar year in Australia. Green Energy Markets’ latest STC figures reveal the “extraordinary” installation rates.
Sweden allocates $60 million in solar rebates for 2018
The Swedish Energy Agency will initially allocate 200 million SEK (around US$24 million). Two further tranches of 200 million SEK and 100 million SEK, respectively, will be assigned in April and in the fall. The funds will be used to finance small rooftop PV projects under the country’s solar rebate scheme.
Sunrun claims US residential solar market leadership
The company deployed 85 MW of residential solar during Q4 2017, as the last of the big three residential solar installers sticking to the third-party solar model.
Australia: record 1.07 GW small-scale solar installed in 2017
It’s official: 2017 was a record year for rooftop PV in Australia. The Clean Energy Regulator announced today that over 1070 MW of small-scale solar was installed by Australian homeowners and businesses in 2017 – representing 41% growth over 2016.
2017 Polish residential PV grew by 81.3 MW
The residential segment saw an increase of 26% in new installations last year, with net metering continuing to drive the market.
