Legal

Ursula von der Leyen’s newly-appointed EU Commission is facing an early test of its credentials with the European Council caught in the crossfire over citizen data rights. The renewables industry voiced fears yesterday, at a digitalization conference in Berlin, that overstrict data protection rules could kill data-driven business models while the media is set to portray any perceived weakening of the legislation as evidence of EU lawmakers being in thrall to the Silicon Valley internet giants.

The U.S. business built and sold record-setting gallium-arsenide solar cells but its parent has seemingly run out of patience. Having failed to give its workers notice of the move, Hanergy is either in contravention of U.S. employment law, ‘faltering’ or subject to ‘unforeseen business circumstances’.

The court has deferred a hearing of the second case, with Huawei claiming that was due to insufficient evidence of patent infringement. The European Patent Office has revoked SolarEdge’s inverter multi-level topology patent and the Israeli company said it intends to challenge both decisions.

Publicly-owned power company Eneco has explored the possibility of an IPO since early 2017 and now appears set to pass into new ownership.

The German solar company issued a statement over the weekend claiming it had been the victim of fraud perpetrated by its module importers and stating its intent to sue the offenders if the modules in question are found to have had their documents of origin deliberately altered.

There was unanimous approval at a vote on the debt reorganization plan put before creditors in Hong Kong today and now it remains only for the scheme to be rubber-stamped in the territory – and in Bermuda – before the task of rebuilding the soon-to-be-state-owned business can begin.

Investigators have accused the Bad Staffelstein-based business of having purchased incorrectly-declared modules from China and evading around €23 million in import duties. The company’s head office and the private apartments of board members have been searched.

Complaints about sub-standard, cheap PV imports from China – and notably, India – have been heeded by Dhaka, which has issued a requirement for modules, inverters, charge controllers and batteries to attain IEC electrical standards.

The bickering around the British Capacity Market is not over yet. The European Commission has closed its formal investigation into the market mechanism’s alleged violation of EU State Aid rules, finding no violations of that kind. But footing the bill for the year-long suspension of the scheme might prove complicated.

With the Q Cells solar business warning it is preparing an instant appeal if a U.S. ITC judge rules against it Stateside, the chemical company parent announced its solar panel business saw a year-on-year, third quarter rise in revenue from KRW818 billion to KRW1,638 billion.