European Commission opens antitrust probe into Greek state-owned utility
The EU executive will investigate whether power company PPC abused its dominant position in the member state’s wholesale electricity market to squeeze out competitors.
Holographic film to protect solar panels from overheating
Russian scientists have developed a holographic film based on prismatic concentrators that reduces the operating temperature of solar panels, including thermal-photovoltaic devices. They claim the patented, low-cost technique can even improve PV module efficiency in cloudy weather.
Wacker reports slight revenue growth for polysilicon business
The German polysilicon manufacturer reported higher sales volumes and a better product mix for its polysilicon segment.
Canadian Solar acquires German off-grid specialist
Berlin-based start-up Solarworx specializes in the supply of modular, off-grid, solar-plus-storage solutions.
Volkswagen, Iberdrola, Enel, BP to install EV recharging stations, battery plants in Europe
German car manufacturer Volkswagen plans to create a gigantic network of charging points for electric cars in Europe with Enel and BP. They aim to set up six gigafactories for EV batteries across Europe by the end of this decade, with a total production capacity of 240 GWh.
Retrofitting solar parks for agrivoltaics
Enel Green Power is combining existing PV arrays with agriculture at nine pilot sites in Europe. pv magazine recently spoke to Giovanni Tula, the company’s head of sustainability, about the business model and its replicability.
French self-consumption specialist launches virtual battery for PV system owners
The virtual battery records the surplus solar power injected into the grid on sunny days and returns it at night or in winter. If the production of the PV plant is not sufficient to cover all the electricity needs, MyLight Systems provides the household with green energy supplied by Swiss energy company Axpo.
Ugandan youth activist stuns Berlin energy transition event
Vanessa Nakate shocked organisers of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue by delivering a speech highlighting how she and a fellow youth activist had to submit their presentations for approval in advance of the event and were banned from criticising any of the politicians involved.
Polish coal power provider secures 15-year PPA for 75 MW solar plant
Poland’s second-largest coal power producer, ZE PAK, will sell solar power to Polish telecommunication group Polsat. The $45.5 million project is being financed by a group of Polish banks.
From minnow to colossus
When looking at European Union renewable energy statistics, the Netherlands was, and still is in many ways, the laughingstock of Europe. But in recent years the country has come to rank near the top in solar deployments. In 2021 this small nation may even surpass neighboring Germany with new installed capacity. Rolf Heynen, the CEO of Dutch New Energy Research, takes a look at what is going on.
