Enel plans to start solar cell production, announces developments for 34 MW in Zambia and 238 MW in Mexico
The Italian utility is laying the foundations for solar cell production at its PV panel manufacturing facility. The final goal of the project is 1 GW commercial cell production. Meanwhile, Enel Green Power has secured the PPA for a 34 MW PV facility in Zambia, and has broken ground on a 238 MW solar park in Mexico.
Fraunhofer ISE to investigate PV panels for commercial vehicles
German solar research institute Fraunhofer ISE is investigating the development of integrated PV panels for commercial vehicles. After conducting analyses using real life solar irradiance data, Fraunhofer sees great potential in this field.
Sweden tops 140 MW of installed PV capacity
The Scandinavian country added only 13 MW of new PV systems in 2016. Around 52% of the cumulative capacity is represented by PV systems up to 20 kW.
UK: Wirsol Energy connects 19 solar parks ahead of ROC deadline
The solar subsidiary of the German renewable energy developer Wircon GmbH has managed to connect 19 solar parks totaling 105.5 MWp of capacity at various sites across the U.K.
Sonnedix finalizes acquisition for 136 MW of Spanish solar capacity
The independent power producer is now the owner of the Vela Portfolio, which amounts to 136 MW of solar PV capacity across 43 Spanish sites, and has been sold by Centerbridge Partners.
Tempress & ECN develop process for IBC cell production
Equipment manufacturer Tempress has teamed up with Dutch research center ECN to develop a production process for n-type IBC solar cells with efficiency above 21%. A pilot of the new process was completed in just three months, illustrating its compatibility with mass production.
France releases renewable energy plan for French Guiana, solar FITs to be increased by 35%
The French Government this week unveiled a new renewable energy plan for French Guiana. The program includes development of distributed generation, self-consumption and storage solutions, and a 35% increase of FITs for grid-connected installations. Around 40 MW of additional PV capacity is expected to be installed in the region.
Solar and wind set new record in Germany in March
According to provisional statistics from German institute IRW, PV systems in Germany have provided approximately 3.3 billion kWh in March, up 35% from the same month a year earlier and 118% from February 2017.
Hungarian PV market sees robust growth
Hungary’s solar market could see its largest growth ever in 2017. Although the country’s FIT scheme was closed in mid-2016, 2 GW of projects approved under the program could still potentially be installed over the next two years.
Storage is becoming more attractive in German power market
Video interview: Dirk Uwe Sauer, Professor of storage system technologies at RWTH Aachen, speaks about the future of batteries at the Energy Storage Europe 2017
