European Court of Justice: Solar manufacturers not liable for waste costs for panels shipped to EU before Aug. 2012
A preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice states panel makers should not be responsible for electrical waste management costs in a seven-year period as the rules in place before the EU’s WEEE directive entered force, in 2012, permitted member states to place the obligation on panel users instead. The resulting change in law, in some states, cannot be applied retroactively, under EU legal rules.
Frans Timmermans: ‘In some places in Africa gas will be part of the energy mix and that is also part of the transition’
A speech delivered by the European Commission’s executive VP for the European Green Deal reiterated the EU executive’s belief natural gas will play a part in the energy transition, 24 hours before a member of an advisory panel hit out at plans to deem gas and nuclear sustainable energy sources.
India’s solar module manufacturing capacity on track to soar 400% in four years
Ratings agency Crisil estimates India will have 38-43GW of annual solar module manufacturing capacity by the end of March 2025. Production capacity will be driven by strong domestic demand, favorable government policy, raised module conversion efficiency, and price competitiveness, according to the ratings agency.
European Commission advisory body slams plan to label gas and nuclear ‘sustainable’
The Platform on Sustainable Finance was unstinting in its criticism of a suggestion made by the EU executive on New Year’s Day, that the divisive energy sources be considered eligible for support in the bloc.
Shanghai Electric sounds death knell for CIGS manufacturing project backed by $197m of public money
With five public entities having committed RMB1.25 billion into a project to produce copper, indium, gallium, selenide solar modules five years ago, the joint venture has been abandoned at an estimated impairment cost of RMB1.42 billion.
Australia to make world’s-first liquefied hydrogen shipment to Japan
The Suiso Frontier cargo vessel docked at Victoria’s Port of Hastings on Friday to take on the world’s first shipment of liquid hydrogen. The ship’s arrival is a landmark for the Japanese-Australian Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain pilot project, which sees liquefied hydrogen generated from brown coal, and an engineering milestone in itself. But while the Australian government describes the product as “clean”, experts maintain that carbon capture and storage technology has proven only to be an expensive failure.
EU: ‘How can renewables permits be simplified?’
Brussels has asked interested parties how the permitting process for renewable energy sites can be simplified across the EU and how private PPAs can be made more attractive. Respondents can submit their thoughts until April 12.
Energy crisis drives up European clean power PPA prices
A worsening price shock, felt to different degrees across Europe, has now seen renewable power purchase agreement tariffs climb for three consecutive quarters. Despite that, however, developers and energy buyers are still signing contracts, with non-standard agreements on the rise, according to renewable transaction infrastructure provider LevelTen Energy.
Eni moves into Greek renewables via its gas and light business
The Italian energy major this morning announced it had acquired German-owned clean power developer Solar Konzept Greece.
Belgium has four years to replace nuclear fleet which generated 39% of its electricity in 2020
Figures released by Eurostat this week indicated the monumental task facing the renewables industry as Europe attempts to replace a power source which generated a quarter of the bloc’s electricity in 2020.
