EU

Researchers in Hungary have developed a model to calculate the optimal PV and battery storage balance to support the European grid in the next few years. They found that the cost-optimal range is at 530–880 GW of PV, combined with battery storage equivalent to 2.5–7.5% of the total intermittent capacity.

The European Commission will publish guidance on agrivoltaics as part of a wider document covering innovative technologies, attendees at pv magazine Roundtables Europe 2024 heard. More than 1,300 guests joined pv magazine’s live event on Dec. 5, which covered topics ranging from quality and European manufacturing to energy storage and solar cell technology.

Benin has started construction of the 25 MW Forsun PV plant, which is set to join the Defisol and TTC projects to expand the Illoulofin Solar Power Station’s total capacity to 75 MW. The government said the project is backed by a $25.8 million investment.

Despite the ongoing implementation of industrial strategies in other countries, the value of China’s exports will exceed $340 billion by 2035, according to the International Energy Agency.

Storage Drop has secured a grant from the European Union to develop its PV-driven cooling system technology for low temperature environments. The system is based on compressed air energy storage technology and a hydraulic isothermal compressor with a water pump that compresses the air in an isothermal process.

The production of PV ingots and wafers remains the most highly concentrated of all the production stages in the silicon solar supply chain. Yet efforts to re-establish production in Europe and the United States are not for the faint-hearted.

The trilogue negotiations on the Net-Zero Industry Act have concluded. The European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on Feb. 6, following discussions on Article 20 Market Access, which set out the rules for resilience auctions.

As solar module prices continue to drop to record lows, amid global oversupply, questions are being asked about how much inventory is sitting in European warehouses and when normal levels will return. With numerous estimates and assumptions swirling, EUPD Research’s Markus A.W. Hoehner and Ali Arfa have looked closely at the numbers in an attempt to provide a transparent view of the issue.

Latvia recorded 54 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of last year, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) statistics. This is “miserable” compared to the country’s Baltic siblings, one energy expert tells pv magazine. But if Latvia lands the right utility-scale opportunities, solar could be one of its renewable energy stars.

The European Solar Manufacturing Council says that the European Commission should ban all products made with forced labor to ensure the future of the European PV manufacturing sector.