Germany

A team of researchers from Germany’s Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg has developed a new approach to perovskite cell production, which they say could result in better stability and longer lifetimes. The team also made detailed observation of the perovskite’s formation and decay, which could help to inform further research into high performance solar cells.

In the first nine months of 2018, the energy division of the Germany-based group recorded a loss of over €10 million. By the end of the year, earnings are expected to enter positive territory, however,

SMA Solar Technology AG saw its net income fall from €25 million in the first nine months of 2017 to €8 million in the same period this year. Despite the dip, it remains confident of its position in the industry going forward.

A day after signing a 300 MW production capacity deal with the building materials company, the German company has announced exactly the same order – with the same customer – for a facility elsewhere in China.

In addition to solar subsidy cutbacks of around 20%, planned for the start of 2019, the German Federal Ministry of Economics’ draft Energy Sources Act includes special tenders for PV and onshore wind. While many say the cuts cause great uncertainty for large-scale project developers, politician Peter Altmaier sees it differently: the energy transition is becoming safer and more affordable, he says. The decision to adopt or change the act now lies with the Federal Parliament.

The rise of batteries will attract that headline figure in investment up to 2040, say analysts, as exponential growth in EV ownership, falling stationery system costs and the needs of the world’s grid-poor regions combine to boost lithium-ion technology.

Predictions of the imminent demise of Chinese solar demand due to the reining in of subsidies have not stopped manufacturers ramping up production capacities. German equipment maker Singulus is among the suppliers to benefit from a renewed confidence in the Far East.

With the ruling coalition having agreed to extend additional tenders for PV and wind power, a related, draft bill by the Federal Ministry of Economics has been disclosed. The policy document includes a proposal for a 20% FIT reduction for solar installations ranging in size from 40 kW to 750 kW.

The new capacity figure fell on the previous month, mainly because fewer ground-mounted systems went online. The monthly retreat of FIT payments will stay at 1% for the next three months. According to SolarPower Europe, Germany will be by far the largest market in Europe, with 3 GW of new capacity this year.

German inverter maker SMA has joined forces with China’s BYD after losing US market share to Solaredge, which this year linked up with Kostal to optimize communication interfaces between inverters and storage applications.