Grid congestion continues to increase in Netherlands
Solar project developers see fewer opportunities to build PV facilities in the northern Netherlands, as grid bottlenecks are becoming worse.
Spain installed 2.5 GW of distributed PV systems in 2022
Spain’s cumulative PV capacity under its self-consumption regime hit 5.24 GW at the end of December.
Adapting agrivoltaics to different climates, crops
An international consortium led by Italy’s Eurac Research launched the Symbiosyst project to adapt PV modules, mounting structures, and maintenance technologies to the needs of various crops in agrivoltaic installations in different climates.
Sustainable Capital offers €100m of financing for EU hydrogen companies
The European Union and its funding mechanisms for hydrogen are attracting the interest of private funds and investors. Sustainable Capital says it wants to co-invest in preselected companies, mainly in the mobility sector, focusing on Estonia, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Greek utility reaches financial close on 230 MW of solar at former coal mine
Greece’s Public Power Corp. (PPC) has secured €102.4 million ($111 million) of financing, with at least €28.5 million coming from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funds will support the construction of 230 MW of PV capacity in Ptolemaida, which is Greece’s coal mining region.
PV developer reveals results of soybean agrivoltaic pilot project
French solar developer TSE, in association with Alliance BFC, has unveiled the initial results of a pilot study in France on how solar panels can affect soybean growth.
Switzerland introduces rebate scheme for solar
Switzerland has announced a new one-off incentive model for solar, in order to reimburse up to 60% of investment costs for installations that meet certain criteria. The scheme exists in addition to nonrecurring remunerations for small and large PV installations.
Irish developer secures financing to build 1.2 GW of solar
Power Capital Renewable Energy (PCRE) has secured €240 million ($259.5 million) to build 1.2 GW of solar projects across Ireland. Commercial operations are expected to start in 2025.
Solar proves common thread among Zayed Sustainability Prize winners
The opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 was not short of inspirational rhetoric, but the winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize provided some real-world examples of what action on the local level really looks like.
CEA-INES unveils 566 W HJT solar module with low carbon footprint
French research institute CEA-INES has produced a 566 W heterojunction (HJT) demonstrator PV panel using Norwegian silicon wafers based on German polysilicon and solar cells made in France. The prototype has a carbon footprint of 317 kgCO2eq/kW, which is considerably lower than the maximum 800 kgCO2eq/kW standard for Chinese products.
