Europe

The European Union has adopted new rules requiring member states to include non-price criteria such as sustainability, resilience, and project execution in renewable energy auctions.

France will shift its electricity spot market to 15-minute trading intervals starting this year, aligning with EU standards and adapting to increased renewable energy integration. The change will also affect producer compensation contracts.

France-based Xsun and H3 Dynamics announced a collaboration to develop a solar, hydrogen and battery powered autonomous aerial system with integrated power management and able to navigate at low altitudes.

Spain’s FRV has commissioned a 62 MW solar plant in Armenia under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Electrical Networks of Armenia CJSC. The project is the country’s biggest operational PV facility to date.

Italian energy giant Eni has sold a minority stake in its Plenitude subsidiary to US-based investment company Ares for €2 billion ($2.32 billion).

The new partnership will initially provide financing to help crowd in investment for photovoltaic systems and energy storage in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Analysis of hybrid plants suggests potential to accelerate PV deployment in Turkey through regulation change. Ember analyst Çağlar Çeliköz tells pv magazine changes to capacity limits, rules on where hybrid plants can be located and how they are assessed by the transmission system operator could speed up solar capacity additions.

Offshore PV technologies were tested for the first time under the severe wave loads generated by Delta Flume, a 300 m long man-made flume with a wave generator that is capable of producing waves as tall as five meters. The testing is intended to standardize testing and certification processes for offshore floating PV systems.

To predict the energy yield of residential solar PV fleets based on limited information, Dutch researchers developed a probability-based mathematical model that provides rapid sky view factor (SVF) calculations, protects PV plant owner privacy, and was shown to be effective for studying PV potential in urban areas.

A 160 kW / 250 kWh standalone battery system installed by Spanish manufacturer Zigor Corporación ensured uninterrupted power for the village of San Vicente del Monte during a major blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025. The system, connected to the low-voltage (400 V) grid, supplied electricity to the entire village for more than five hours.