Europe

An international research team has designed a floating PV system that can reportedly withstand wave heights above 10 meters. The system uses splitters to link one mooring tether to multiple floating modules. This reportedly ensures sufficient structural capacity, while avoiding the need for too many mooring lines.

French floating PV specialist Ciel & Terre says it now has more than 1.5 GW of floating PV projects in the design phase or under construction. It has already completed 280 floating solar projects in more than 30 countries, totaling 820 MW.

Indian manufacturer Gautam Solar released n-type TOPCon solar modules for the residential, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale PV markets at Intersolar Europe 2023. It is offering the modules in all black, silver frame, glass-to-glass bifacial, and lightweight bifacial variants.

Munich-based Wacker announced it intends to set up a new production line for semiconductor-grade polysilicon at its facility in Burghausen, Germany. The €300 million ($324.4 million) investment would expand the manufacturing capacity of the ultrapure polysilicon by over 50%.

BayWa r.e. and its Groenleven subsidiary are building an 8.7 MW agrivoltaics project to support raspberry cultivation, in one the largest projects of its kind in Europe. They expect to complete the project in the first quarter of 2024.

pv magazine is on the ground bringing you the latest developments from this year’s three-day European solar shindig in Munich.

South Korea is opening what it claims is the world’s first hydrogen power generation bidding market, while the International Energy Agency says that Omani hydrogen production could surpass current European consumption levels.

At this year’s Intersolar event, Mango Power is opening to wholesale orders from European customers for some of its most innovative product solutions, including its newly-launched hybrid battery inverter. The manufacturer is also presenting its commercial and industrial solutions for the first time in Europe.

Solar is not only helping to keep the lights on in Ukraine – it also has a vital role as part of Europe’s energy transition and clean energy economy.

Pexapark says power purchase agreement (PPA) prices are falling in Europe, with prices in Spain and Portugal down by 6.4% and 6.2% to €40.90 ($43.99)/MWh and €39.60/MWh, respectively.