Enel invests in Italian start-up Aton Storage
Aton is offering batteries to be integrated with photovoltaic systems for residential customers. Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo also invested in the company.
France makes room for solar, Total announces 10 GW plan
The announcement was given by the French energy company during the #PlaceAuSoleil initiative, a new plan of France’s government to speed up PV development, and to make surfaces for large-scale solar plants available. The new package of measures includes doubling the volume of tenders for PV projects on agricultural land and increasing by 50% the volume of tenders for rooftop PV.
Acciona secures short-term PPA in Portugal
The Spanish renewable energy company will sell power to a local glass container producer for a year and a half. The electricity will be provided by its 45 MW solar park in southern Portugal, as well as by other wind power facilities.
Researchers discover new method to control excitons
A team of scientists led by Russia’ National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) has made a discovery that allows them to better control excitons in a multi-layered semiconductor. In time, the discovery could lead to the development of unique new solar cell materials.
SMA delivering equipment to grid storage facility in the UK
The German-based company delivered 26 battery inverters for lithium-ion storage with a capacity of over 50MWh. The facility is one of the largest of its kind and will provide reserve capacity to compensate for deviations in the power supply.
Europe’s first GW-sized solar park may be built in France
The huge 1.2 GW PV facility is currently being planned in the Lot-et-Garonne Department, southern France. The project’s required investment is expected to reach around €1 billion. Five big solar players are currently interested in developing the plant.
Wärtsilä, Hyundai ink agreement on second-life EV batteries for grid storage – comment
Finnish-based energy-solution provider, Wärtsilä has signed an agreement with automobile producer, Hyundai Motor Group to establish a commercial partnership for the use of second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries in storage solutions.
8 key takeaways from The Smarter E 2018
This year, The Smarter E made its debut this June 20 to 22 in Munich, Germany, bringing together existing exhibitions, Intersolar Europe and ees Europe, with two new events, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power. This change reflects both the strong shift towards storage, and the rapidly changing face of the overall energy industry. pv magazine hit the floors, attended the conferences and held two roundtables to discover the latest trends. Read on to discover our eight key takeaways (and one new buzzword).
Gas Natural Fenosa rebrands into Naturgy
Another big energy group transitioning to clean sources has chosen to change its name to reflect the new strategy. The Spanish gas and power provider started investing in solar last spring.
Spain prepares to resume renewable energy auctions
Although it is still unknown when exactly the new auctions will be held, the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition is now defining new bidding rules, in order to adapt them to international standards.
