Ecosummit 2017: Eneco Group to invest in Next Kraftwerke
Dutch energy company Eneco Group announced its acquisition of a 34% stake in Next Kraftwerke, a German company operating one of Europe’s largest virtual power plant networks. The investment was announced at the Ecosummit cleantech event in Berlin today.
Manz sets up CIGS joint venture with Chinese partners
The German PV equipment provider will partner with Shanghai Electric Group and Shenhua Group to further develop the CIGS technology. NICE PV Research has already started R&D activities.
California grid operator gets ready for August eclipse (with graph)
With California getting a higher portion of its electricity from solar than any non-island nation, the stakes are high with this summer’s eclipse. Fortunately, Europe has already been down this road.
Eon and Google launches Sunroof platform in Germany
The Sunroof platform is already available in the United States, having launched there in 2015. Thanks to Eon, the platform used by homeowners to assess the solar potential of their roofs will also be online in Germany in the near future.
KIT researchers detect nanostripes on perovskites
KIT scientists have researched the underlying physical mechanisms of perovskites to understand the reason for their high efficiency potential. For the first time proof for nanostructures in the perovskite layers has been provided.
SolarWorld reports shipment growth in first quarter
The German module maker shipped 382 MW in the first three months of this year. The company’s plan to focus on monocrystalline PERC products is being implemented according to schedule.
Germany adds 111 MW of solar in March
The German government will reduce FITs by 0.25% for the next months, although new additions are significantly behind the 2.5 GW annual target for solar.
Germany: several Chinese PV manufacturers face legal action for circumventing duties
According to media reports, several Chinese solar module manufacturers will face legal actions for illegal trade of PV products in Germany. For one of these cases, approximately €110 million in tax frauds is reported. The court of Nürnberg-Fürth in southern Germany has already launched prosecutions related to the matter for four persons.
Wacker says market environment for polysilicon is difficult
The German chemical company has said in its preliminary results for the first quarter of this year that polysilicon prices dropped significantly over the past weeks. Overall, the company expects to see its profits grow in 2017.
German government approves draft regulation for tenants’ solar power supply
The new regulation will likely to come into force by the end of this year. The German solar association BSW has welcomed the government’s decision, although it has asked for improvements.
