Markets & Policy

The European solar trade body expects 128 GW of new PV capacity in 2019, with China likely to bring around 43 GW online and Europe experiencing enough demand to deploy about 20.4 GW. In 2020, global solar demand is expected to reach 144 GW, while in the following three years new PV additions are forecast to total 158 GW, 169 GW and 180 GW, respectively.

Moixa has wrapped up an £8.6 million funding round led by Honda. The U.K. smart battery specialist will use the funds to finance the global expansion of its business managing residential battery systems, electric vehicles and smart charging facilities, as well as the aggregation of battery capacity for grid services.

In the run-up to pv magazine’s quality roundtable at Intersolar Europe, we look at a case where a production error resulted in cold solder joints in 5% of the solar modules across a 50 MW project portfolio. We consider how to come to an agreement with a manufacturer to replace modules in such a situation and how such a solution compares with a production audit before installation.

The Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has began the procurement process for 40 MW of PV capacity. The projects, which will be assigned by 2020, will also include 40 MW of biomass. The new capacity will make the kingdom less dependent on power imports from South African utility Eskom, which currently faces a financial and operational crisis.

A new $139 million partnership with Bank Australia will allow the Sustainable Melbourne Fund to help all commercial and agricultural enterprises in Australia to become more sustainable. And for many businesses, reducing electricity costs and emissions through PV is at the top of their wish lists.

Norwegian-headquartered developer Scatec Solar has announced the start of commercial operations for the Jasin Solar Plant, the second of three 65 MW projects the company is working on in Malaysia as part of a consortium led by engineering firm ITRAMAS.

The high efficiency PV maker may be hot on the tail of its golden goose, with demand outweighing supply for the company’s new A-Series and P-Series modules. And now that retooling is over, it’s time to sell.

Canada’s second-largest pension fund and U.K. developer Lightsource BP have announced a joint debt investment of £150 million to finance a solar portfolio across several countries.

The high efficiency PV maker may be hot on the tail of its golden goose, with demand outweighing supply for the company’s new A-Series and P-Series modules. And now that reetooling is over, it’s time to sell.