Germany considers closing coal-fired power plants by 2038
German states with coal mining regions would receive a total of €40 billion from the federal government over 20 years for structural change under the terms of the Coal Commission’s proposal, while operators of coal-fired plants would receive compensation.
BePositive 2019 trade show – just a few weeks away – taking PV center stage
The show is expected to grow by 40% compared to last year. And the organizers say solar PV will have a higher profile than ever.
Dutch utility Liander expects 6 GW of solar on its turf by 2023
The Netherlands’ largest power provider said that capacity would be six times more than is currently connected to its grid. To accommodate such vertiginous growth, the company is planning to increase redundancy in critical areas with high levels of solar deployment. Parent company Alliander has announced an €844 million plan to improve the power network.
Wallonia’s controversial residential PV fee may only apply to new systems
The energy regulator of Belgium’s French-speaking region has announced the fee for residential PV will come into force next year and may apply only to installations grid-connected after July 1 this year, as proposed by the regional government.
African commercial and industrial PV market grows on the back of outages and high tariffs
According to a new report from BloombergNEF, cheap solar energy could benefit many businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. However, regulatory and financial obstacles are causing concern.
Sungrow on the MENA market: “Of course, the bigger, the better”
Having equipped a three-digit MW volume of large scale and distributed generation projects throughout the region, Sungrow is ready for a rapid regional expansion. EMEA general manager Derek Huang told pv magazine at the World Future Energy Summit about his expectations across all market segments.
Brazilian energy regulator recommends keeping incentives for distributed solar
Although power companies have urged the new administration of Jair Bolsonaro to reduce incentives for net metered solar distributed generation, ANEEL has proposed maintaining them until PV reaches a certain proportion of the electricity sector.
UK council to deploy solar-plus-storage on landfill to generate income
With budgets continuing to be slashed, one authority is eyeing solar-plus-storage to boost revenue. It is not the first time a U.K. council has decided to turn a landfill site into an income generating asset.
EU heeds call for priority dispatch for small-scale generators
Homeowners and businesses with small-scale solar arrays have fought off a threat to priority treatment for excess energy they want fed back into national grids. The EU has refused to heed a call to treat such generators on the same terms as giant utilities.
Renewables, an antidote against volatile electricity prices for the EU
The European Commission says renewables are playing a central role in lowering spot prices and stopping rises in network charges and fees. In the EU energy market, however, coal and gas still dominate, ensuring power prices are unpredictable.
