Europe

Greece’s energy regulator has postponed the date of the country’s next solar PV and wind power tender. It will now take place on December 10. The Greek regulator has also provided further details on the regulations governing the new tenders.

Despite its chemical business performing strongly, Wacker Chemie AG’s Q3 2018 financials took a tumble, with polysilicon sales and EBITDA sharply declining. The blame has been laid on China’s PV policy change in May.

The smart battery storage supplier has launched a 35 MWh cluster in Japan. This could grow to over 100 MWh within a year, says Moixa.

A much talked about concept, but the final step into market operationality has not been done – yet. Nissan, The Mobility House, and Enervie have joined forces to allow Nissan Leaf’s to provide frequency control to a distribution grid in Germany. The concept has received permission to pursue its plans, and for corporate customers it will be ready for adoption as of 2019.

Construction has begun on three solar plants in the Extremadura region, with a total capacity of 127 MW. The projects – expected to be in operation by the end of 2019 – were awarded to Enel in Spain’s third renewables auction, and involve a total investment of close to €100 million.

The Norwegian polysilicon producer posted an EBITDA loss of $6.1 million for the third quarter of 2018, as it continues to struggle with low demand and prices. Revenue for the company’s solar materials segment fell almost 70% on the previous quarter.

Swedish battery supplier Northvolt has announced plans for a manufacturing plant in Gdansk, Poland. The company says that the plant will have an initial capacity of 10,000 battery modules per year and will begin production in 2019.

Analysts have released a report which examines multiple carbon pricing scenarios, and their effect on UK power bills, renewables and the carbon budget. The UK’s Carbon Price Support could be lowered in the autumn budget next week, putting the nation further off course on its carbon budget. A high CPS would foster renewables, without driving electricity bills up.

As part of a strategic alliance, BASF and Norilsk Nickel aim to meet growing demand for battery materials for electric vehicles.

The European Commission has given the green light to €200 million in public support that will be provided by the French governmnet for approximately 490 MW of renewable energy capacity expected to be deployed under the self-consumption regime. The scheme will be based on technology-neutral tenders.