Europe

The Energy Industries Council (EIC) says 41 hydrogen projects are set to begin development across Africa in the next five years, led by North African nations like Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco.

West Burton and Heckington Fen solar and storage projects secure development consent orders from UK government. The two plants are latest in a line of major solar projects approved since the Labour government took office in July 2024.

Poland’s Institute for Renewable Energy says the country’s combined solar capacity nearly reached 20.7 GW by the end of November 2024, putting it on track to hit 21 GW by year-end. The institute’s analysis indicates utility-scale projects are driving Poland’s solar expansion and will continue to do so.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Jeanette Pretorius, SVP Supply Chain at Norway’s Scatec ASA. Shey says that renewable energy companies must prioritize the need for more senior female leaders to promote greater equity. “Working for a company that leads in diversity and equity, I have not faced significant internal challenges. However, in external meetings, I often find myself the only woman at the table,” she states.

Scandinavia’s largest rooftop PV plant, a 14 MW array in Landskrona, Sweden, has gone online. The system, consisting of 24,000 JinkoSolar modules, was installed on a warehouse roof by Danish transport company DSV.

UK startup Wondrwall has developed a hybrid battery-inverter system for homes, offering up to 25.6 kWh of energy storage capacity.

Average weekly electricity prices surpassed €130 ($135.12)/MWh in most major European markets during the third week of January as electricity demand and gas prices rose and wind energy production fell, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting.

The procurement aims to improve the reliability of Moldova’s grid, facilitate energy trade with neighboring Romania and Ukraine, and support the integration of locally produced renewable energy.

A European team is developing technologies and processes to show how end of life PV panels and electric vehicle (EV) batteries can be used in three distributed energy market segments: agrivoltaics, plug-in PV for households, and low-budget solutions. It will also demonstrate efficient recycling processes for critical raw materials recovered from panels and batteries that cannot be reused.

UNEF, Spain’s PV association, says developers installed 674 MW of industrial PV in 2024, alongside 207 MW in the commercial sector and 275 MW of residential solar installations.