Germany

Germany’s latest auction for utility-scale solar concluded with prices ranging from €0.0539 ($0.0588)/kWh to €0.0665/kWh. The procurement exercise was significantly oversubscribed.

Bosch is currently selling the new heat pumps in the DACH markets and is planning to expand sales in other European markets in September. The new products use propane as the refrigerant and integrated sound diffusers. The manufacturer is also offering a power meter/sensor enabling the heat pumps to work with any existing PV system and battery storage solution at home.

Germany deployed 1.2 GW of new solar capacity in July, contributing to a 7.69 GW expansion in total new PV capacity for the first seven months of 2023. By the end of July, the nation’s cumulative installed solar capacity had surged to 75.17 GW.

Heckert Solar, Wattkraft and Interfloat are planning to invest around €2 billion ($2.18 billion) in three different manufacturing facilities that will produce everything from polysilicon to solar modules.

A lack of clear policy support, raw material dependency, and higher production costs are inhibiting the localization of European solar manufacturing, despite strong demand.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has approved measures to streamline solar deployment, with a target of 215 GW of installed capacity by 2030.

A Dutch-German research team has used a unique method to detect silver shortages in the PV industry. By mapping the silver supply chain from 1995 to 2021, they have identified distinct supply patterns and associated risks.

Siemens says it plans to set up an 800 MW utility-scale inverter factory in the US state of Wisconsin. The facility will focus on the production of string inverters.

GreenAkku says that its 24 kg exposed concrete base for solar arrays enables the installation of PV systems on flat rooftops and in gardens, without the need for additional substructures or drilling.

ITM Power says it has restructured its business to shift its focus from hydrogen refueling to PEM electrolysis tech, while Stahlwerk Thüringen and gas network operator Ferngas have agreed to connect the Unterwellenborn steel mill in Germany to a hydrogen network by 2027.