Germany

After a strong start to the year, demand for PV systems has slowed because of FIT reductions. Solar subsidies will fall by a further 1.4% per month until November.

The Munich company hopes the PV market will pick up in the second half, driven by demand in China. Wacker Chemie also expects rising prices for polysilicon.

The analyst has published its latest Energy Storage Outlook report and says large scale deployment will provide the majority of the 1,095 GW/2,850 GWh of battery storage worldwide in 2040, with prices driven down further by grid services demand and EVs.

The cash injection will itself help provide affordable financing for solar and other renewables projects in the power hungry south Asian nation. The national railways operator is doing its bit for solar too.

Canadian fuel cell manufacturer Ballard announces order for a dozen units as part of the European Commission’s JIVE initiative for hydrogen-powered public transport across the EU.

In Germany, the Korean PV manufacturer increased output to 760 MW last year. Despite a highly competitive environment and persistently high pressure on margins, Hanwha says it is looking to the future with optimism. The company has further diversified away from solar module production in recent months.

Quasi-governmental body the CPIA has released first-half figures for the world’s biggest solar marketplace which show production volumes for export markets continuing to expand and the domestic picture set to rebound after public solar subsidy levels were published.

The London-based developer revealed blockbusting annual figures which show it is debt free, has almost £20 million in the bank, raked in more than half that figure in net profits in 2018-19 and expects twice as much in a year’s time.

Study claims that investment in a new 1GW nuclear power plant leads to average losses of approximately 4.8 billion euros. It further argues that the technology’s dangerous radioactivity emissions and proliferation risks do not qualify it as a ‘clean’ energy solution to be considered for addressing climate change. Yet still, governments are incorporating the technology into clean energy plans around the world.

In the fall of 2017, German customs had revealed a “fraud cartel” around the Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer Sunowe, which is said to have circumvented the applicable minimum import prices. Among the arrested suspects was a local politician, which drew significant attention to the case. This year, the trial started in the spring, but suspension came at the beginning of July when the customs office did not provide evidence in time. A restart of the trial is expected this winter.