Eastern Europe

Under the supervision of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Georgian authorities will identify a site for a 50 MW solar project. Tblisi is also seeking help to define an auction mechanism for renewables.

The superpower has always been seen as a fortress for oil and gas but positive signs are emerging from its renewable energy sector.

The Verbraucherzentrale NRW says advertising for the Solstråle solar system is misleading and has warned the furniture provider and its partner Solarcentury Microgen (Deutschland) GmbH it will begin legal action if the campaign is not changed.

The first mixed auction for renewable energy technologies will be held in September and will allocate around 300 GWh. The government will apportion €20 million for solar rebates up to 2023.

The international financial institution and the South Korea-based fund have agreed to jointly lend $16.7 million to Chinese developer Universal Energy to build a 30 MWp solar project in the eastern part of the Central Asian country.

The procurement scheme has a budget of €385 million and is open to all renewable energies. Auctions will be held by the country’s National Commission for Energy Control and Prices.

As Volodymyr Zelensky celebrates his victory in the Ukrainian presidential elections, stakeholders in the country remain uncertain about his intentions in the renewable energy space. With installation figures above 1 GW in the last 12 months, the market is hot — but for how much longer?

The German panel maker said the new factory, which will add to its 525 MW facility in China, will expand its production capacity to 1 GW. With plans in the pipeline to enter the PV project business, that figure could rise to 2 GW by the end of next year.

Only 36% of the 360 MW of capacity allocated in Poland’s first two solar auctions is grid connected, according to research institute the IEO. With the completion deadline for the first exercise having expired last year, there is also little time left for developers selected in the second auction to finalize projects. In three auctions held by the Polish government, a combined capacity of 870 MW has been allocated.

In the latest of our interviews about renewable energy and geopolitics, Indra Øverland – head of the Center for Energy Research – discusses the difficult relationship between Russia and renewable energy. Despite a belief the gas and oil superpower will have little interest in clean energy, Overland believes the world’s most extensive nation will use renewables to improve its domestic power supply, especially in remote regions. Russia has a highly continental climate, with lots of sunshine – more than most of Western Europe, Overland says. Whether it can take advantage of that potential, however, is unclear.