United Kingdom

Acquisition of the British company by Dutch-British oil giant Shell will support growth of First Utility’s smart energy solutions and aid incorporation of battery technology and renewables, company CFO says.

While solar has been recognized in Scotland’s first energy strategy, which aims to supply half of the country’s energy needs from renewables by 2030, criticism has been aimed at the lack of concrete policy frameworks for solar, an energy source that could add 6 GW capacity in the next 12 years.

Perovskite solar start up, Oxford PV has received €15 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), to support its efforts at commercialization of silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell production.

European renewable energy investment platform Vortex, has sold a 45% equity stake in Vortex Solar Investments to Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), Malaysia’s second largest pension fund, in a GBP 67.5 million transaction.

Wirsol has announced the acquisition of two solar projects totaling 16 MW, which are gearing up to begin construction in the U.K. Wirsol also says it has plans to expand this portfolio to around 150 MW over the next 18 months.

British Petroleum makes first move in PV since 2012 with acquisition of 43% stake in British renewables firm Lightsource.

In two separate studies, in the U.K. and Switzerland, respectively, the notion of combining solar power and trains has been explored. The results indicate it could offer a cost-competitive, energy saving alternative to the traditional power methods currently employed.

The UK’s port operator has announced plans to build a 20 MW solar array on multiple warehouses at the Port of Immingham. Custom Solar has been contracted to install solar panels.

Lessons learned from solar failures could propel battery storage market to 12 GW by 2021, argues report by All-Party Parliamentary Group on Energy Storage, which implores government to be “on the front foot” when it comes to seizing ways to ensure energy security for the nation.

Using water as the source of electrons, microbial bio-photovoltaic (BPV) cells have the capacity to exploit the ability of cyanobacteria and microalgae to convert light energy into electrical current.