France

Swiss startup Sun-Ways is testing removable solar panels installed on an operational railway line through a pilot project with French railway operator SNCF in Switzerland.

Analysis by energy advisory service Montel finds Germany, France and the Netherlands all saw record levels of renewables curtailment last year, with the build out of solar in each market contributing to midday generation peaks and consequential price cannibalization.

French researchers have developed a high-resolution computational framework to model microclimate effects of large floating solar PV systems, enabling accurate predictions of heat transfer, ambient temperatures, and water evaporation based on panel configuration and wind conditions. The model can inform thermal performance, environmental impacts, and optimize designs for utility-scale floating PV, as well as ground-mounted and agrivoltaic installations.

The largest single-unit rooftop solar power plant in Europe, developed by French independent power producer Urbasolar, is under construction on the Delta 3 multimodal logistics platform in Dourges, in France’s Hauts-de-France region.

The country’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached 31.1 GW at the end of December.

The European Commission is advancing market matching for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by inviting European offtakers to signal supply interest under the Hydrogen Mechanism, while Germany’s electrolysis rollout continues to lag official targets despite new EU-backed funding schemes.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Melodie de l’Epine, Senior Project Manager/ Head of Research & Innovation at France’s Becquerel Institute. She says that ncouraging men to shift from strict hierarchy to informal exchanges fosters more equitable rapport. Women can benefit from noticing how men address each other and consciously joining in, since subtle forms of address strongly shape power perceptions.

Scientists from French research institute CEA-Liten have identified hydrogen migration in doped selective layers as the primary driver of UV-induced degradation in silicon heterojunction solar cells. They have also found that combined light and thermal light-soaking treatments can partially restore performance and improve long-term UV stability.

France-based IT services provider Cyllene has developed the RC-DC4/5G “Cyllene Box,” a network device for PV power plants that manages multiple internet connections, encrypts data, and supports compliance with the European Union Network and Information Security Directive (NIS 2).

The consortium expects to reach Final Investment Decision (FID) on the full-scale project in the Ain Sokhna Industrial Zone in the coming months, while Brazil’s Federal Court provisionally ordered the suspension of construction activities of Solatio’s project in the State of Piauí.