Eastern Europe

Polish research institute IEO released a new analysis showing increasing power prices in the Eastern European country, due to the current energy policy, which still strongly relies on coal power. Replacing coal with solar power, it argues, would likely result in decreasing power prices.

The eastern European nation is being assisted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with the creation of tender documentation for renewable energy auctions.

The nation’s oil and gas provider is building its first small-sized PV projects at facilities operated by Ukrtransgaz, the Ukrainian gas transport system.

The Chinese module manufacturer will supply its panels for a huge solar project under development in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in southeastern Ukraine.

Indian solar EPC Sterling and Wilson says it wants to construct 200 MW of PV in Kazakhstan in the next two years, and is eager to get a slice of the Uzbek market too.

French oil group Total has reached agreement with national utility Uzbekenergo to build a large-scale PV plant in Samarkand province. However, construction on a 100 MW project by China’s Syngyes has been suspended.

A Canadian investor is planning to build a 150 MW solar plant in the northern part of Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast, which is under the control of the country’s authorities. The project is expected to be located in Rubizhne, a town that was re-conquered by the Ukrainian military forces in July 2014.

While a large floating solar power plant is being planned in Ukraine, within a huge renewable energy complex at the water reservoir Kakhovka, the Asian Development Bank has targeted Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and the Kyrgyz Republic as three countries possessing strong potential for this emerging technology.

The Portuguese utility expands its renewable energy business – traditionally dominated by wind – with a new storage station in Romania and the acquisition of a start-up, which offers off-grid home solar solutions in Bangladesh.

For the production of its heterojunction modules, the Russian manufacturer will cooperate with the German PV engineering provider for the supply of stringers and adhesive technology. To this end, Hevel has ordered new stringer systems and layup from Teamtechnik.