Hevel partners with Kyrgyz monocrystalline wafer manufacturer Astra
The agreement includes the possibility of establishing an industrial cluster for solar module manufacturing, as well as industrial and financial cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union.
North Macedonia issues tender for first large-scale PV plant
North Macedonia’s state-owned electric utility, ELEM, is tendering a 10 MW project which is being partly financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The facility will be adjacent to Macedonia’s second thermal power plant, which produces around 10% of the country’s electricity.
EBRD spearheads effort to auction off renewables in Azerbaijan
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has issued an open call to hire a consulting firm to help the government of Azerbaijan to design and launch auctions for renewable energy.
Perovskites: A solar scientist’s bread and butter
University of Groningen in the Netherlands is adding its name to the growing list of research institutes that have developed an “industrially scalable” technique for the production of perovskite solar cells. In a separate publication, Russian scientists have reviewed the suitability of one group of perovskite materials for use in space.
Uzbekistan’s 100 MW PV tender attracts bids from 23 companies
Through the procurement exercise, utility Uzbekenergo aims to deploy 100 MW of solar at an unspecified location in the Navoiy region in southwestern Uzbekistan.
CISOLAR-2019 Kyiv to host solar academy
The opening day of CISOLAR 2019 in Kiev is quickly approaching, with plans to offer workshops for installers and entrepreneurs in a market with massive untapped potential.
EU call for energy infrastructure proposals backed by €750m of funding
Under its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the bloc has opened another call for applications to build cross-border energy infrastructure projects. It has already agreed to provide a grant of €323 million to synchronize the regional grid in the Baltic States.
Volkswagen, Northvolt to set up battery research consortium
Automaker Volkswagen and Swedish lithium-ion battery producer Northvolt have announced plans to jointly form and lead a new organization, the European Battery Union (EBU), to conduct research on batteries used in transport and stationary energy storage applications.
Poland’s PV capacity reaches 486.5 MW
With more than 200 MW of newly installed PV, 2018 was a record year for Polish solar. Of the nation’s total PV capacity, 339.5 MW comes from 50 kW or smaller arrays.
EU wants to know more about Eon’s bid to acquire Innogy
According to the Brussels authorities, the transaction could affect competition in the electricity and gas sectors. EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager wants to ensure there are no price increases as a result of the proposed takeover.
