Switzerland

State-owned power company China Three Gorges is reportedly ready to offer up to €600 million for 13 solar assets owned by X-Elio in Spain while Germany’s ib vogt is up for sale, according to Reuters.

Plus, solar funding is down and Australian rooftop installers are preparing for tough times ahead as one U.S. utility has warned customers to be alert to scammers hoping to benefit from the pandemic.

Cumulative solar generation capacity reached 2.5 GW last year, enough to meet 3.8% of electricity demand.

The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.

Scientists at Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed an anode from graphene doped with sodium, which they say could potentially overcome some of the fundamental issues in increasing storage capacity and the lifetime of sodium-ion batteries.

The unfolding effects of the Covid-19 crisis, and fears of a possible second wave, have split analysts trying to guess how the unsubsidized renewables market will emerge as slumping demand continued to distort power markets. pv magazine rounds up the week’s coronavirus developments.

Solar project owners responded to an appeal to donate a portion of their solar incentive payments to the public health authorities as another multinational body emphasized the importance of coronavirus fiscal stimulus packages having environmentally-friendly conditions attached.

The government wants to see off a potential slump in the PV market as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase means CHF376 million worth of rebates will be available for solar systems.

More than 1,200 solar modules will be installed on the south side of a dam 2,100 meters above sea level. The facility planned by utility EWZ is set to be ready this year.

The Swiss government has decided to extend its incentives for renewable energy projects, while also adjusting them to promote greater competitiveness. In addition, it plans to replace feed-in tariffs for large-scale solar installations with a new auction mechanism.