Europe

Since 2012, Kazakhstan has shown increased interest in its energy transition and put in place supportive regulations. The country lies in the path of China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, which unlocks large-scale infrastructure investments.

An article published in the FT this week was right to point out that pricing new energy capacity involves more than just comparing strike prices, but if you are in the business of calculating real costs, do it properly. For nuclear in particular, that’s a case of ‘in for a penny, in for (several) pounds’.

The acquisition of an 85 MW, three-project solar portfolio by the Tages Helios fund illustrates the confidence investors have in Italian renewables, and fund managers are optimistic about the sector as they bid to expand into wind power as well as PV.

The European solar research organization, Solliance announced it has achieved a 21.5% efficiency for a flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) tandem solar cell based on perovskite.

According to a new report from Agora Energiewende and Sandbag, the EU solar market grew around 60%, or 10 GW, last year. The analysis also predicts that total solar demand across all EU PV markets will continue to grow due to lower module prices, and that it may reach an annual volume of 30 GW within four years. Meanwhile, solar has reportedly achieved a 4% share in the EU electricity mix.

Worldwide, “Suntrol” has around 27,500 registered users. The Germany-based start up will further develop the insolvent PV manufacturer’s portal from March onwards.

Dutch New Energy’s report reveals residential PV is no longer the largest growth driver – commercial and industrial and large-scale solar are now taking the lead. With newly installed PV capacity of 1.3 GW, the country saw its largest increase in new installations last year.

The voltage is key to improving efficiency, the scientists say. It indicates how much energy is lost within the cell through ‘recombination processes’.

The 2018 figures for the Guarantee of Origin (GO) certificate market show a marked growth in clean energy demand in Europe. Demand surpassed 500 TWh, while GO prices reached record levels. Solar GO, however, saw a slight fall.

Companies in the United States accounted for more than 60% of the clean energy deals signed by corporations worldwide last year, according to BloombergNEF. A proposed renewable portfolio standard for Chinese business, though, could turn the picture upside down in a year’s time.