Greece awards 62 MW of small-scale PV, cancels tender for larger projects in the same day
Greece ran two separate tenders for PV on December 10. However, the Greek energy regulator has decided not to award the winners of the tender for large-scale farms, due to lack of adequate competition. The tender for the large projects will be repeated next year.
UK export payments won’t end – but they will get much smaller
The government has finally announced the results of its consultation on ending FIT export payments. With the vast majority of respondents against the proposal… it has responded by going ahead anyway.
Wacker Chemie reaches agreement with Yingli over poly supply deals
If the German polysilicon manufacturer is the ‘Supplier A’ referred to in the Chinese panel maker’s annual report, Wacker has negotiated a near $33 million settlement from arbitration. As part of the settlement, Wacker will continue to supply its counterpart with poly up to 2028.
Israel lauded for ditching coal – for gas
The Middle Eastern state has been praised for joining the global anti coal movement, but its plan to switch to natural gas is more a victory for pragmatism than the environmental or renewables cause.
US: New York officially ups its energy storage goal – 3 GW by 2030
With the passing of twin initiatives, New York has set an ambitious plan to raise its energy storage capacity to 1.5 GW by 2025 and 3 GW by 2030.
Efficiency record isn’t the biggest change for Alta Devices’ GaAS solar technology
Alta Devices’ gallium arsenide solar research cells have been certified with a 29.1% efficiency, setting a new single junction solar cell efficiency record. The most significant change, however, isn’t actually the efficiency; it is that the weight fell 30%, and from the words of Alta Devices, its process has lowered material costs to “essentially nothing”.
New energy regulation in Germany details 2019 changes for PV industry
As expected, Germany’s second chamber of parliament has passed a new package of laws. They will enter into force on January 1, 2019. Among the the changes are the extraordinary FIT cuts for rooftop systems between 40 and 750 kW in size for February, March and April, and new tenders for wind and solar totaling 4 GW.
More private PPAs signed in Italy
U.K. renewable investment firm Octopus has signed another private PPA in Italy, this time with EGO Group for 63 MW of unsubsidized solar PV projects. Meanwhile, Canadian Solar Inc. has signed a 10-year PPA with TrailStone GmbH for the energy generated from a 17 MW project in Sicily.
Solar not in COP24’s spotlight
As the dust settles on an imperfect, but still welcome, international agreement thrashed out at COP 24, the chairman of the European Energy Research Alliance has criticized the solar industry for its lack of representation in Katowice.
12 GW Indian solar plan shelved
Citing a recent dip in solar tariffs, the central government has withdrawn a plan to install 12 GW of PV capacity – out of total 15 GW envisaged – via the state-owned NTPC Ltd.
