Four key solar takeaways from Spain’s Genera 2018
Genera 2018, held this June 13 to 15 in Madrid, Spain, set the scene for a market that is once again on track to become Europe’s solar leader. This year, reflecting this positive progress, the Spanish renewable energy fair saw the share of solar exhibitors increase over previous years. While this transition year is not expected to record strong solar growth, 2019 could realistically see the installation of 3 GW. Read on to discover the four key takeaways from this year’s event.
Russia’s RE auction concludes with surprisingly low bids
Hevel Solar and Fortum won the 148.5 MW worth of solar PV projects awarded in the auction. The Finnish utility, however, proposed a project CAPEX, which was almost half that of the Russian company’s.
GE commissions inverters for 96 MW in Japan
GE has finished installing 50 units of its 1.26 MW Brilliance inverters at a 96.2 MW (DC) solar project in southwestern Japan’s Miyazaki prefecture.
Fluence to deliver 60 MW battery capacity to UK Power Reserve
Citing the need for ancillary grid services, due to increasing amounts of variable renewable energy assets being installed in the U.K., the two comapnies are stressing the stability this project will bring to the country’s grid.
Indonesia inaugurates its first three solar plus storage mini-grids
Indonesia has reached a milestone, having inaugurated its first three solar+storage mini-grids, thus enabling three remote villages to enjoy uninterrupted, off-grid access to electricity for the entire day.
2018 global PV market to see negative growth following China backtrack
Global solar PV demand this year will be less than in 2017, on the back of China’s latest policy decision, says TrendForce. Overall, it sees new installs dropping 40% in China to 31.6 GW. The protectionist measures taken by the U.S. will also be weakened by the resulting falling module prices.
The EU agrees on 32% renewable target by 2030 after all-night negotiations
The EU Commission, Council and Parliament have been in trialogue negotiations to broker a deal on the revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII), the first version of which was adopted in 2009. By 3:30am this morning, a deal was finally brokered and legislative processes for official adoption are now just a formality
RCT Power announces battery plant in eastern China
Germany’s RCT Power will start manufacturing lithium-ion-phosphate battery storage modules in eastern China this week. The fully automated facility in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has an initial annual production capacity of 18,000 units.
Australia: Fully-commissioned utility-scale PV capacity to double by July
Australia is set to quadruple its utility-scale PV capacity with 2 GW pipeline. The effects are now beginning to show. So far just 0.1 MW are fully operational, but by July this is going to change.
Tesla to lay off 9% of workforce, quit Home Depot
The company will return to selling solar primarily through its stores and online.
