Policy

A rebranded Singyes Solar was able to stave off a debt default meltdown last year thanks to a $200 million cash injection from the state but the turnaround appears to have come at a hefty cost in longer-term borrowings and employees.

The Nordic nation is now the third European country to have waved goodbye to coal for power generation. Another 11 European states have made plans to follow suit over the next decade.

EuPD Research estimates around 65,000 energy storage systems linked to rooftop PV were installed last year thanks to increasingly popular solar arrays and electric vehicles as well as rising electricity prices.

Despite Covid-19 hampering development, construction and financing Polish energy giant Tauron will start constructing a 5 MW solar project on a former coal-fired power station site.

While the volume of combined imports and exports slumped from almost 2 GW in December to 1.49 GW in January and 1.36 GW in February, the price per kilowatt rose dramatically in the second month of the year.

Solar project owners responded to an appeal to donate a portion of their solar incentive payments to the public health authorities as another multinational body emphasized the importance of coronavirus fiscal stimulus packages having environmentally-friendly conditions attached.

The government wants to see off a potential slump in the PV market as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase means CHF376 million worth of rebates will be available for solar systems.

The state-owned electric company, which has finally pivoted towards green energy, is developing a subsidy-free approach.

Negative energy prices for more than six hours mean the Dutch government will pay no renewables incentives under its SDE+ program for March 29. The plunging electricity price was caused by slumping demand for energy as restrictions were put in place to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

pv magazine rounds up the latest Covid-19-related stories likely to affect the world of solar and energy storage.