Germany

In the Infrastructure Outlook 2050 study, Gasunie and TenneT say ambitious EU climate targets can only be reached through deeper integration of the power and gas infrastructure, and with power-to-gas technologies supporting renewables. The most bullish scenario for solar states how storage and power-to-hydrogen capacity could be crucial to meet seasonality in supply and demand.

PI Berlin analysis has suggested the quality of modules is particularly high in Asian factories with a large throughput. However, just 2% of the 67 GW of production capacity audited for the study originated in Europe. The audits for the white paper were mostly carried out by Solarbuyer between 2012 and 2018.

The Energy Storage Europe conference is nearing and pv magazine is featuring the top ten developments in the field as our Energy Storage Highlights, selected by an independent jury of experts. Having kicked off with a hydrogen fuel cell based approach to self-sufficient living in Switzerland, we continue our ranking with DNV GL’s bid to map the vast battery storage landscape, helping buyers make decisions.

In May, oil giant Shell invested in German manufacturer Sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business, subject to Germany’s monopoly authorities. Sonnen said it hopes the deal will accelerate its growth by expanding its market reach and capacity.

The companies have entered a 15-year agreement for the plant, probably the first PPA for a project that size in Germany. Last week, EnBW said it was considering constructing a subsidy-free solar park in Brandenburg.

The €150 million project is entering the approval phase. Using the new facility, expected by 2023, the two companies will test how electricity from renewable energy can be converted into green hydrogen and green methane via electrolysis.

The manufacturer’s insolvency administrator has declared the investor search over. By March at the latest, all production equipment at the German module factory in Freiberg, as well as the buildings themselves, should come under the hammer.

EnBW is planning a big solar park in Weesow-Willmersdorf, in the northeastern region of Brandenburg. If built, the project would become Germany’s largest solar plant. The company says it has a pipeline of unsubsidized projects with a combined capacity of 800 MW.

Extraordinary PV tenders by the federal government will provide for more growth. Market research company EuPD Research expects newly installed capacity of 4 GW in 2021. After that, however, the market could see a sharp reduction, after the 52 GW cap for solar subsidies is reached.

The German researchers were able to improve the efficiency through a simplified production process.