Germany

The increase in new installations was mainly due to a 40% drop in prices over the past three years. German solar association Bundesverbands Solarwirtschaft expects their number will double to 100,000 in 2018.

The German EPC contractor is currently installing the largest battery storage system in Saxony, eastern Germany. The battery is expected to come online in the second quarter of this year.

Large orders for the solar segment are expected to enable the company to return to profit in 2016. Last year, Manz was able to slightly increase its revenue, although it is still struggling with losses.

At the facility, the German scientists will test devices for power electronics and grid technologies in the multi-megawatt range.

German technology group Heraeus and U.S. company Materion Advanced Materials have announced the completion of the latter’s acquisition of the target materials business belonging to Heraeus.

The German firm signs framework agreement with DNE Solar for the delivery of 300 MW of string inverters to be installed across South Korea.

Singulus technologies has announced the signing of a contract worth more than €20 million to supply systems to a Chinese module manufacturer, the subsidiary of a major public energy company.

Germany has registered 117 MW of new PV installations in January. The country’s cumulative PV capacity has reached approximately 41.34 GW.

German engineering and systems integrator Wattkraft agrees framework agreement with the Chinese inverter specialists for the supply of 500 MW of inverters to be shipped within Germany and beyond.

Along with initiative partners Huawei, sonnen, Suntech, S.A.G, innogy and First Solar, pv magazine will be exhibiting as part of the Integrated Energy Plaza at the 2017 Hannover Messe. The Solar Premium exhibition space will herald solar PV’s arrival as a major energy player at the iconic industrial trade show.