Policy

With concerns over the mountains of PV system waste that will one day pile up around the world, Bangladesh is no exception – the nation currently has no solar panel recycling policy.

From scorching Seville to rainy Rostock, investors claim that power purchase agreements (PPAs) have made European solar farms bankable without government subsidies. By providing lower risk for cheaper capital, they are powering a renaissance in established PV markets and lowering the cost of solar electricity in Europe.

The Netherlands’ Organisation for Applied Scientific Research says renewables would not only contribute to a cheaper energy system but would also create more opportunities for new business, exports and jobs – as well as a cleaner environment.

Coming hot on the heels of major reports and a heated public debate about electric vehicles, a poll commissioned by the Climate Council has confirmed Australians believe electric cars are the future. Another poll, by The Australia Institute, has 50% of Australian voters supporting all car sales being electric by 2025.

Stanford professor Mark Z Jacobson has said new nuclear plants may cost up to 7.4 times more than wind and solar facilities, with construction times longer by up to 15 years. Such a delay, he said, may see an huge amount of extra carbon emissions from fossil fuel power sources. His verdict comes as China this month set new guaranteed tariffs for nuclear power.

Just 5.2 GW of new PV generation capacity was installed in the world’s biggest solar marketplace in the first three months of this year. And virtually all of that was made up of small systems as developers wait to see what emerges from solar policy discussions in Beijing.

The storage supplier will set up a mixed-asset virtual power plant that will initially aggregate up to 2 MW of capacity as the first phase of a planned smart local energy system in southern England. Moixa aims to eventually scale the VPP up to 17 MW.

Senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren has announced plans for a targeted expansion of renewable energy development on public lands along with a moratorium on new fossil fuel leases.

Mobility company Shuttl will also set up more than 50 EV charging points in prime locations and state-run power distributor BSES Rajdhani Power Limited will invest in testing facilities to support stabilizing the grid for EV charging, as well as pilot schemes on effectively integrating renewable electricity into its network.

Turkey’s unlicensed solar market has been the powerhouse of new PV capacity. Given the unlicensed segment is coming to an end, investors are questioning the prospects of the licensed alternative. pv magazine has tracked the progress and future potential of Turkey’s licensed PV market.