Policy

As part of its Paris Agreement obligations, the EU Commission has presented a carbon-neutral vision for 2050, which encompasses GDP growth through smart investments and public health savings.

Power market regulator favors a flat rate fee for electricity consumers to fund the cost of making the U.K. grid fit for the energy transition. Solar lobbyists say that will unfairly penalize households and businesses who have invested in on-site generation.

PI Berlin plans to open a headquarters in Spain next year. pv magazine has spoken with Senior Consultant Asier Ukar about market expectations, the most recurrent quality failures in Spain, risks, certification and protectionism. “After 10 years, we return to Spain with much enthusiasm,” he told us.

The coalition government has reached agreement on the FIT reduction for rooftop PV not exceeding 750 kW in size. According to a draft bill, seen by pv magazine, the FIT will be reduced to €0.0987/kWh from February, with further cuts in March and April, which would take it down to €0.0890/kWh.

Through the program, the French government is supporting projects ranging in size from 100 kW to 5 MW. Tenders, to award 20-year FIT contracts for projects, will be held by the end of 2019.

Polish power company ZE PAK SA has an 8.5% share of the country’s electricity market. Total investment in the solar project is estimated at approximately PLN200 million ($52.5 million).

In a new report, BloombergNEF notes a significant uptake in renewable energy in developing countries, which are clearly outperforming OECD countries. The trend is due to reductions in equipment costs and new business models that enable access to capital. Still, many emerging markets are also the biggest installers of new coal capacity. India and China alone, are said to account for 81% of newly added coal-fired power stations.

Jordan has taken great strides to green its energy mix. In addition to the successful implementation of many large-scale projects, small PV systems – mainly under the net metering scheme – are booming in the country.

The news came with Canada’s Fall Economic Statement. Through the new policy, the business case and access to finance will be improved to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy resources. This February, Canada proposed phasing out coal generation by 2030.

On Saturday, voters in Taiwan approved a referendum to stop the phase-out of nuclear power. Some fear the decision could slow down the development of the renewable energy industry on the island.