Europe

Gas and CO2 prices continued their downward trend in the fourth week of May, which led to a general downward trend in prices in European electricity markets and several negative hourly prices were registered, which reached -€400/MWh in Netherlands. The notable exception of the Iberian market, which saw a rise in prices, came from the fall in renewable energy production. During the week, records of solar photovoltaic energy production were reached in Germany, France, and Italy.

New data from Afry Management Consulting suggests that Spain’s solar power producers could face prices below €20/MWh before 2030 if renewable penetration continues to increase. Such low prices would render power purchase agreements (PPAs) and merchant projects unprofitable.

Poland added around 4.7 GW of new PV capacity in 2022, according to new data from research institute IEO. It predicts that 2023 could be another record year, thanks to another 6 GW of new solar power.

The Italian authorities have allocated 368.2 MW of renewables capacity in the nation’s latest procurement exercise for clean energy. Developers have offered a maximum discount ranging between 2% and 2.8% from the auction ceiling price of €0.065 ($0.070)/kWh.

Norwegian startup Over Easy has validated the wind resistance of its vertical PV system for rooftops by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Wind tunnel tests conducted by I.F.I. Institut für Industrieaerodynamik GmbH confirm that the system can function without ballast or fastening to the rooftop.

The mayor of Bilbao, Spain, has attributed the recent collapse of a local sports center’s roof to heavy rains and the presence of numerous solar panels, according to local news outlets.

Portugal will auction off five projects with a combined capacity of 4.5 MW. They require a total investment of around €4.3 million ($4.6 million).

German investors have agreed to back a hydrogen project in Namibia, while Plug Power and Thyssenkrupp Nucera have announced separate hydrogen-related deals in Sweden.

The Allgäu company has expanded production at its headquarters in Wildpoldsried and can now produce around 120,000 systems a year. Sonnen’s move to accelerate expansion reflects the sharp rise in demand for PV home storage systems in Germany.

The compact bifacial glass-glass modules are to be delivered from the third quarter. They are available in two different variants with an efficiency of 22.02 and 21.76%.