Kosovo must do more for renewables, EU says
The European Commission has said that Kosovo’s government needs to increase efforts to improve its energy system, and to provide more support for renewables, although it has recently revised its energy (and renewable energy) strategy up to 2020.
Tempress receives follow-on order for turnkey line
Tempress systems, a subsidiary of U.S. based Amtech, has received a follow-on order for a multi-phase 1 GW project. The turnkey order is for an n-type bifacial manufacturing line, and includes high throughput PECVD and diffusion platforms.
Poland to miss 2020 EU renewable energy target, Ecofys
Poland is set to miss its target of covering up to 15% of energy demand with renewables by 2020. Under the most favorable scenario provided by a report released by local consultancy Ecofys, new additions for solar may reach 695 GWh, while the country is expected to reach a target of only 13.8% by the end of the decade.
Greece’s first battery storage system under way in the Aegean Sea
The island of Tilos in Greece’s Aegean Sea is going to host the country’s first renewable energy plus battery storage system. pv magazine explores why this is so significant for Greece.
Global installed PV capacity exceeds 300 GW, IEA PVPS
The world’s cumulative PV capacity had surpassed 303 GW at the of 2016, according to a report from IEA PVPS. Globally, solar power is now able to cover approximately 1.8% of power demand.
French presidential election: what to expect for solar from the winners of the first round?
Both winners of the first round have said they want more solar during their electoral campaigns. While Macron promises to double installed PV capacity by 2022, Le Pen claims she will push for a massive deployment of solar and biomass (not wind), although under an “intelligent protectionism”.
Germany could miss 2020 renewable energy target, report says
According to German renewable energy association BEE, the country could fail to reach its 2020 EU target for renewables covering 18% of its total energy consumption. The association claims that if Germany aims to achieve this target, an additional 22 TWh of electricity from renewables per year must come from the power, heat and transport sectors.
OSCE helps Turkmenistan take advantage of its solar potential
The international organization has organized an event to help local government and institutions to develop a national strategy for solar energy.
Armenia exempts import of PV components from customs duties
The Armenian government has granted exemption from customs duties for the first time to local developer Investment Media Group. The measure is intended to support the implementation of the country’s $58 million solar program.
Getting ready for terawatts of solar (with charts)
Researchers from NREL, Fraunhofer ISE and Japan’s AIST have released a new paper which looks at the barriers to deploying multiple terawatts of solar PV and what can be done to overcome them.
