Europe

The regulation needs updating to incorporate a raised emissions reduction ambition which will target a 38-40% fall in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Hong Kong-owned UK Power Networks is aiming to commission 250 MW of grid flexibility from energy storage assets with capacities as small as 10 kW, on contracts ranging in length from six months to seven years.

The German research institute wants to develop an efficient and reliable methodology, which could contribute to considerable cost reductions in photovoltaic generation – both for manufacturers and operators.

The government has commissioned a study into the feasibility of generating solar power in space and beaming the energy down to earth now that commercial space launches have changed the rules of the game.

The Asian Development Bank has added Kazakhstan to the list of nations where it is issuing bonds denominated in local currencies as an alternative for investors to having to use international lenders.

According to its creator, Swedish start-up Evolar, the new technology can be applied to existing production lines for crystalline silicon modules and increase a product’s efficiency by around 5%.

CEA-INES, the French National Institute for Solar Energy, is gearing up to host the fourth edition of its ECO-PV workshop. Originally scheduled to be held this spring, Covid-19 has seen it pushed back to March 2021. Experts in the field of solar sustainability will present on, and discuss, “Photovoltaics: towards a sustainable industry”, with topics ranging from recycling, lifecycle assessment and European policy to manufacturing and the circular economy. In an interview, the institute speaks to pv magazine about the current state of solar sustainability and its goals for future work.

French cooperative Céléwatt and engineering company Mécojit are building a new, 250 kW solar park in southwestern France. The solar panels are installed on a raw wood structure, sourced from the surrounding forests, to promote local employment and a regional natural resource.

Solarpower Europe has called on member states to put solar and battery storage front and center when it comes to drawing up the Recovery and Resilience plans needed to secure a slice of the bloc’s proposed €672.5 billion post-Covid stimulus package.

Spanish company Isigenere has deployed a 739 kW floating array on a quarry lake near Dettelbach, in the Bavaria region. The plant is relying on 1,896 panels with a power output of 395 W each.