Germany

Sonnen presented two new products in the usual hip ambiance of Berlin E-Werk. In addition to home storage and electricity, the company now offers electric cars and PV systems with battery storage on a subscription model in Germany.

Scientists from several German research institutes, as well as South China University of Technology, have set a new efficiency record for an organic PV module. The group demonstrated a 12 cell, 26cm² module with an efficiency of 12.6%. The results have been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Parent company FlixMobility plans to test hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Europe.

Amid high hopes for the European Commission presidency that is about to start, attendees at a recent event in Berlin tempered optimism by renewing calls for an industrial policy for the bloc.

Market intelligence company Navigant Research has developed a country forecast of the global market. Incentives and pricing will be the main driver of installations, though the market will continue to be concentrated in certain key regions for now.

Chinese thin film manufacturer Hanergy told pv magazine in August the manufacturing division of Solibro had ceased to be one of its subsidiaries in December 2015 but a company presentation issued six months later would appear to indicate otherwise. Hanergy has been approached for comment.

In an update to its International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics, German engineering association the VDMA notes standardization of wafer size is a topic of great interest to the country’s PV equipment manufacturers, and modifications to lines will be needed to process wafer pieces larger that 161mm.

Insolvency proceedings have been opened against the assets of the German thin-film solar manufacturer. A proposed reorganization failed because investors did not provide sufficient capital. Some 180 employees will lose their jobs.

In September, PV systems with a total generation capacity of 287 MW were registered in the country. The feed-in tariff has fallen again for this quarter as a result of the new capacity additions.

Economic thinktank Carbon Tracker used financial modeling to determine the profitability of every coal power plant in the EU. On average, 79% of the facilities run at a loss, with Germany, Spain and Czechia among the states particularly exposed to the consequences – for coal investors and the public.