Energy Policy

With ambitious decarbonization targets and a favourable regulatory landscape, Portugal is an appealing market for renewable energy developers and producers. Like other European markets, however, Portugal’s clean energy industry faces challenges related to permitting, grid connection, and the availability of remuneration schemes – hurdles which threaten to slow the country’s energy transition.

With speculation rife UK prime minister Rishi Sunak could call a general election next year, Robert Cathcart, a blogger for English installer Solar Fast, takes a look at just how green the current government is.

A flat year for solar installation numbers in Japan could be seen as positive in a nation switching to new PV business models, writes Izumi Kaizuka, director of research for Japanese solar consultancy RTS Corp.

The European Union has set ambitious targets for solar PV expansion but is Brussels designing the right policies to support growth? Andreas Walstad investigates.

As part of Aurora Solar’s Empower 2022 online solar summit, Bernadette Del Chiaro, from the California Solar & Storage Association, will moderate a talk about electric utilities and how they have abused their monopoly position to discriminate against solar in the US. Here, she gives pv magazine a taste of the presentation.

Greece’s energy sector has been experiencing an ongoing policy reform fever in the last two years that is now extending to energy storage, net metering and small solar farms. The reforms will boost the country’s energy transition.

The two PV companies have outlined how competitive value creation in Germany and Europe can succeed. This would also be important in order to preserve technologies and innovations in this country. Meyer Burger and SMA make four specific proposals in which they have an eye on both the generation of solar power and the manufacture of the photovoltaic products required for this.

Up to 16 developers have prequalified in Tunisia’s tender for five PV projects totaling 500 MW, from a total of 38 participants. Unlike previous tenders, this one has attracted key international players including Enel, Engie, EDF, Fotowatio, TBEA and Canadian Solar.

Mixed messages have emerged from today’s meeting between the Australian state and federal energy ministers’ meeting, after what was meant to have been a decisive point for the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) policy measure. Fundamental opposition from some states under Labor governments exists, however an agreement to release the draft legislation was reached – after it passes the test of the Federal Liberal party room.

According to a new report released by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, no single EU country is performing sufficiently in both showing ambition and making progress in reducing carbon emissions, thus casting a long shadow over the Paris Agreement objectives. Sweden is leading the charge in fighting climate change, followed by Portugal and France.