Weekend Read: Cash pours in to rooftop solar
The growth of European rooftop solar continues this year, with innovative companies raising capital to develop the market. It’s an encouraging trend with the potential to accelerate rooftop solar adoption. pv magazine correspondent Valerie Thompson takes a closer look.
New app to calculate payback periods of rooftop PV systems
The Amortisator app, initially developed for the German market, is now available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Primarily targeting customer advisors, the app can be accessed for a monthly fee of €9.99 ($10.93).
Hithium closes $622 million funding round
Hithium, a Chinese manufacturer of lithium-ion stationary energy storage systems, has announced a Series C funding round consisting of more than CNY 4.5 billion ($622 million). It will primarily use the funds to expand production capacity, procure advanced equipment, and conduct R&D.
Technology brings universal access to clean energy within sight
The opportunities available from the aggregation and interpretation of mass data are huge and could help attract investors and ensure more efficient electricity networks as the world races to try and achieve the UN goal of access to reliable energy for all this decade.
Engie unit to build 60 minigrids in Zambia
MySol Grid Zambia, a subsidiary of Engie Energy Access (EEA), has secured $7.5 million of debt from the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI) to build 60 minigrids. The projects will provide electricity to more than 40,000 people in rural areas.
Engie, Meridiam buy BTE Renewables
Meridiam and Engie have agreed to acquire BTE Renewables, which operates 150 MW of onshore wind and 190 MW of solar in South Africa. The Johannesburg-based developer currently has a project portfolio exceeding 3 GW.
European solar startup funding hits $6 billion in first 5 months of 2023
Total investment in European solar startups surged by nearly 400% year on year in the January-May period. Companies secured $6 billion of new funds, from just $1.2 billion raised during the same period in 2022, according to data from Avent Abacus.
Known unknowns
Historic meteorological data is typically used to assess solar farm yield and secure project finance, but with climate change beginning to affect every aspect of society, past weather data may no longer be a reliable guide. Everoze Partner Nastasia Pacaut looks at how PV projects can be future-proofed in a changing climate.
What might UK solar expect from a change in government?
Chris Sparkes, lead technician at UK solar installer Solar Fast tells pv magazine simply throwing money at the PV industry will not suffice.
Weekend Read: Race to the top
A flurry of clean energy announcements in the European Union this year bodes well for the expansion of renewables but there will be a race against time to get key legislation adopted before next summer’s European elections.
