Europe

Italy-based Glass to Power has raised €2.25 million via crowdfunding to advance its plans for the roll out of an industrial production line for its transparent solar PV windows. The product is expected to be marketed in 2019.

The EU alleges in its statement that the deal makes up for 28% of the global GDP and that the two blocks will focus on the development of clean energy innovations. This February, the EU Commission stated that future EU trade deals are contingent on Paris Agreement membership and have to include provisions regarding the fulfillment of the agreement.

The U.K. Government is proposing closing both generation and export tariffs for renewables on March 31, 2019. The country’s solar trade association calls for clarity on the policy framework going forward, for both industry and potential investors.

In a preview of its half year financial results, Swiss equipment supplier, Meyer Burger has announced it is expecting a return to profit in the first half of 2018, recovering from a lengthy period of losses, including a major restructuring and the closure of multiple production sites.

The proposed safeguard tariffs on imports from China and Malaysia are expected to generate a number of painful short-term impacts. Overall they are not expected to change much in the market, however, says TrendForce. What will have a bigger effect is the EU’s final MIP decision, due in September.

Norway headquartered polysilicon producer, REC Silicon posted a loss of US$9.6 million for the second quarter of 2018, amid reduced production and increasing inventory. The company’s Solar Materials segment was responsible for much of these losses, with decreased demand and ongoing trade wars cited as the cause.

At pv magazine’s 9th Quality Roundtable, held last month in Germany, a host of experts debated pressing quality issues, from LID in PERC modules, to hailstorm damage and faulty backsheets. In a video interview, Stephan Padlewski of DuPont goes into more detail about the quality debate, and how it has developed over the past years. He also discusses DuPont’s testing regime.

Eelpower Limited has acquired a 20 MW battery storage scheme from Anesco in the U.K. Overall, it plans to invest £500 million in delivering 1 GW of storage capacity by 2022.

Andreas Liebheit, President of Heraeus Photovoltaics, has stepped down for personal reasons. He has been temporarily replaced by Raymund Chua, Head of HPT in Singapore and Head of Heraeus’ Asia-Pacific Regional Center.

Labour politician Sadiq Khan has expanded his Solar Together group-buying scheme for rooftop installations in London after more than 1,000 households and small businesses signed up to discounts on residential systems under the initial phase.