Europe

Solar power is at the forefront of a smarter energy sector, but to enable a new wave of PV installations in Europe, solar needs new regulatory frameworks that value flexibility, says the Smart Energy UK and Europe conference in London. 

The U.K. government has awarded £40 million to four British cities to support the spread of electrical and low-emission vehicles. Supported projects include car-charging street lighting and zones offering free parking and traffic priority to plug-in and low-emission cars. The initiative is seen as another step towards the smart energy revolution.

There is a lot of talk and action regarding energy storage in Europe and the sector is actively discussing which national market will emerge most strongly. A seldom discussed but very strong case can be made for Ireland.

The energy sector has undergone huge changes over the last years, mainly due to the decentralization of energy systems and the increasing role of renewables. While the sector’s defining characteristics continue to shift, a new trend has emerged: the digitization of energy. What it is, and who will benefit the most was discussed at this year’s Forum Solarpraxis.

Greece is set to begin accepting applications for net metering systems to connect to the medium voltage electricity grid. Will this new approach lead to an uptick in new PV installations?

A grassroots project in Cornwall, England, is examining ways to implement a special, so-called “sunshine tariff.” The project, although small in scale, could provide the template for the solar business models of the new era of zero subsidies.

With Greece forming a new government, will the country at last engage with the serious reforms it needs to keep it afloat? And will the energy sector embrace groundbreaking technological change?

After weeks of tremendous uncertainty, a Euro Summit on Sunday led to an agreement that allows Greece and its Eurozone creditors to start negotiations for a new loan. What does the deal mean for Greece’s energy system, and how will renewable energies be affected?

Greece’s electricity market operator LAGIE published this week the country’s latest renewable energy statistics concerning the first four months of 2015. According to LAGIE’s report, Greece installed 7 MW of new photovoltaics from January to April. Specifically, all new installations were added in January and February, while in March and April there was no installation activity at all.

Despite technically reaching grid parity, Greece installed a mere 13 MW of new solar PV in 2014, according to official statistics released last week.