France

Researchers led by Belgian institute imec claim to have achieved the result with a 1cm² perovskite tandem solar cell. The result tops the 24.6% efficiency the consortium announced in September 2018. The cell’s developers are now aiming for 30%.

By acquiring the specialist in plant management services, Voltalia aims to consolidate its position as an integrated player in renewable energies across the entire value chain.

Eligibility for fixed tariffs for excess energy fed into the grid – and exemption from the tendering process – has been widened from systems with a maximum generation capacity of 100 kW to 300 kW.

The fossil fuel companies plus electrical systems business Thales have launched a joint research laboratory in Paris-Saclay to develop AI technologies to meet the needs of critical systems such as energy production facilities.

Developer Photosol was selected as project developer through a tender launched by the Ministry of the Armed Forces in August. The solar park is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022 and the ministry, which has committed to making 2,000ha available for PV projects, plans a similar tender in February, and more every six months.

pv magazine has spoken to José Antonio Unanue, director of the battery energy storage system business at Ingeteam, the equipment integrator and manufacturer of the first grid-connected battery storage system in Spain, which electric utility Iberdrola launched in Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia, at the end of November.

With cumulative capacity reaching 9.43 GW at the end of December, France saw electricity generation from solar increase 7.8% last year.

The procurement round secured an average solar power price of €96.49/MWh from arrays with a generation capacity of 100-500 kW, a small fall from the €97.48 posted in the previous exercise. Only 150 MW of generation capacity was allocated in the 300 MW tender.

The airports of Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget will be provided with solar power by French solar company Urbasolar and energy provider GazelEnergie. The PV plants related to the contract are now in development and will begin delivering power in 2021.

The luxury car maker is betting on the timely development of market-ready solid-state batteries. Mercedes will work with the Canadian research institute to quickly integrate new technology into field applications to cut development cycle times.