Policy

The Romanian government has allocated EUR 103.5 million ($108.6 million) to support investments in battery energy storage systems and deliver at least 240 MW/480 MWh by 2025.

The Spanish government say it will finance five hybrid battery energy storage projects, with a cumulative installed capacity of at least 600 MW. Each project can secure up to €15 million ($15.68 million) in funding.

Following a disappointing COP27 climate change summit in November, solar industry veteran Philip Wolfe reviews the contribution utility-scale PV is starting to make to emissions reduction.

Canada is set to install 500 MW of new solar in 2022, bringing its total capacity to about 5 GW, according to data from Canmet Energy. The country is expected to hit 35 GW of total solar capacity by 2050.

The Irish government wants to introduce an unspecified renewable energy quota for the heating sector by 2024. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) recently predicted that heat pumps could cover 20% of the country’s heating demand in 2030.

The Polish government will raise subsidy levels for rooftop PV and storage systems from December under its Mój Prąd scheme. The rebate for solar will increase from PLN 4,000 ($888) to PLN 6,000 and will more than double from PLN 7,500 to PLN 16,000 for storage.

Sweden’s annual PV capacity additions could grow by around 33% to 750 MW this year, from 500 MW in 2021, according to Becquerel Sweden. The large-scale solar market is set to contribute up to 150 MW, and the segment is expected to grow significantly beyond 2022.

The US Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 sets aside $369 billion to decarbonize the economy and respond to climate change. pv magazine USA’s Anne Fischer and Ryan Kennedy report on the boost the landmark legislation is expected to provide to solar and battery deployment and manufacturing.

A new Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) study shows there is a strong economic case for owning and operating heat pumps in Poland, which was Europe’s fastest-growing market in 2021. Air-to-water heat pumps cost about €8,000 ($8,210) in the country, with lifetime operating costs estimated at €12,500.

The European Commission wants to bridge the time until the revised Renewable Energy Directive RED IV has been passed and translated into national law, partly by improving conditions for PV systems up to 50 KW in size.