Hanwha Q-Cells completes internal going-private reorganization
The South Korean PV manufacturer has finalized its plan to merge with Hanwha Solar. The company will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and will continue as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hanwha Chemicals.
Interview: CellCube president Stefan Schauss on Brexit’s impact on the British storage industry
Vanadium redox flow battery supplier Cellcube spoke to pv magazine about the latest political developments in the U.K. and what the effects on storage could be.
EU issues £1.9 million grant to Britain for PV and energy efficiency
The UK cities of Bristol and Plymouth and the county of Devon will get £1.9 million to develop energy efficiency, sustainability, and clean energy projects. Bristol in 2014 received a £50 million grant to accelerate its plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. Devon has ambitious plans of becoming 80% carbon neutral by the same date.
UK government opens consultation on large scale PV-plus-storage rules
In the U.K., systems bigger than 50 MW fall under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime and require special permitting. With the aim of optimizing the market for higher storage penetration, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is holding a consultation until March 25 to determine whether to retain the 50 MW threshold.
BBOXX secures $31m investment – as well as a top eco prize
Topping off a great week for the British next generation utility platform, BBOXX won the Zayed Energy Prize after receiving funding from the Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers fund to speed up roll out of its platform in Rwanda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
UK researchers say transport layers with low permittivity and doping make perovskite solar cells more stable
Scientists are seeking to push ion migration to areas of perovskite-based solar cells where more electric charge can be extracted.
Canadian-UK funding for pilot smart grid solutions
A competition backed by public funding from the governments of the two nations is seeking proposals for projects that will help electricity grids transition to clean and flexible energy.
Industry offers cautious welcome as UK government guarantees export payments after all
The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has proposed a replacement for the flat rate FIT payment regime that is hard to argue with, as it is linked to the actual amount of electricity exported back into the grid.
Tandem cells at 28%
UK headquartered Oxford PV has set a new world efficiency record for its perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.
AB InBev UK inks unsubsidized 100 MW solar PPA
The brewery giant has joined the band of corporations cutting their carbon emissions with corporate PPAs. The deal now is the UK’s largest of this type. But elsewhere in Europe unsubsidized solar PPAs are also taking hold, indicating a striving industry despite a turn away from FIT schemes.
