Europe

The European Union’s executive body sets out plan to more closely link the energy systems of EU member states, including commitment to fast-track key interconnector projects. Proposals have been welcomed by leading solar and energy storage trade bodies. The move comes as several EU nations lag 15% interconnection target set for 2030.

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.

Most studies of European 100% renewable energy overlook pumped-hydro energy storage (PHES), for the following, incorrect, reasons: there are few PHES sites; more dams on rivers are required; large areas of land are flooded; large amounts of water are required; there is a heavy environmental cost; and the capital cost of PHES is high. All these perceptions are wrong.

The transaction, consisting of equity and convertible bonds, will cover Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Croatia. RP Global aims to commission 2.5 GWp of renewable power in the next five years.

Tariffs on solar glass harm the European solar industry. This problem can now be easily solved without jeopardizing the European solar glass production.

The European Commission’s decision to deliver its hotly anticipated Heat Pump Action Plan late next year instead of this month is a “mistake” that will impact the sector and €7 billion ($7.6 billion) worth of investments, the European Heap Pump Association’s (EHPA) secretary general Thomas Nowak says in a statement.

A cold snap rocketed demand for electricity in Europe’s main markets in the final week of November compared to the previous week, according to Aleasoft Energy Forecasting.

Research firm EUPD Research says that the European Union’s (EU) solar PV module excess inventory reached 47.2 GW in 2022 and may hit 40 GW in 2023. In a new report provided to pv magazine, the company forecasts the EU may install 60 GW of new PV capacity this year with Chinese solar module imports hitting about 100 GW.

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.

pv magazine recently spoke with Bartosz Majewski, CEO of Menlo Electric, a Poland-based solar distributor operating in Europe, about high inventory levels of solar panels in Europe.