Switzerland installed 250 MW of new PV systems in 2016
According to estimates from national association Swissolar, about 250 MW of new PV installations were connected to Switzerland’s grid last year.
Net metering 2.0 slows down California’s residential solar market
Solar industry commentary is echoing state data, which shows that the implementation of net metering 2.0 and time-of-use rates is having a significant negative effect on California’s distributed solar market.
Tesvolt and Samsung unveil new high-voltage storage system
The German battery manufacturer and the Korean industrial conglomerate have unveiled a new high-voltage storage system. The device has an efficiency of 98% and functions just as well with a low voltage of 48 volts as with a high voltage of 1,000 volts.
Power to the people
Distributed storage costs: With the average payback cost of a home battery storage system sticking stubbornly at around ten years, skeptics remain unconvinced that mass-market adoption of distributed storage is on the cards any time soon. So what measures is the industry taking to expedite cost reductions, improve storage technology, and shift the conversation from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’?
Eon reports record €16 billion loss for 2016
The German energy company said its new strategy is fully reflected in its balance sheet. This was accompanied by the largest loss ever registered by the group. Eon is now planning workforce reductions, as well as further measures to reduce its net liabilities to €20 billion in the mid-term.
Solargiga anticipates 2016 loss
The Chinese PV manufacturer expects to record a “substantial loss” for the year to the end of December.
Czech solar market shows first signs of revival in residential segment
The Czech solar market collapsed in 2014 after the country’s FIT scheme was shut down. After two years of almost zero growth, the country’s PV market registered a slight increase in new installations in 2016. This growth was mainly due to the support program for sustainable buildings.
Tata Power Solar doubles domestic module capacity to 400 MW
The Indian solar producer has also increased its cell manufacturing capacity at its Bengaluru facility to 300 MW as it responds to the government’s Make in India program.
SPI Energy unit to sell 4.8 MW in Japan
SPI Solar Japan, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese PV group, has agreed to sell its entire interest in land and project development rights for 4.8 MW of PV capacity near Tokyo.
Moixa, Hitachi collaborate on GBP 10.8m Smart Islands EV, solar+storage project on Isles of Scilly
The British archipelago of islands to become global testbed for Smart Islands project that aims to provide model for use of electric vehicles and home batteries in a smart energy system.
