SolarPower Europe: SolarWorld bankruptcy marks “sad day for Europe”
The European solar industry’s peak body SolarPower Europe says that yesterday’s insolvency announcement, from German-based producer SolarWorld, is regrettable and that it is of “vital importance” that all parts of the solar value chain are present in Europe.
Study: reasonable cost of capital can make solar competitive in all European countries within five years
According to a new report from (ETIP PV), solar is already competitive with the current low wholesale electricity prices in southern European countries, while in Europe’s northern regions PV can become competitive within the coming five years.
EIB and Eiffel Investment Group launch €200 million clean energy fund for bridge financing
The European Investment Bank and Eiffel Investment Group have launched a fund devoted to investments in the green economy in France and Europe. The fund will provide bridge financing for, among others, projects in the solar and storage sectors.
“We should work all together for the future of energy”
Interview: SolarPower Europe has appointed Wacker Chemie’s Christian Westermeier as new president. pv magazine spoke with the outgoing president Oliver Schäfer about the reasons behind his unexpected resignation and the future of PV and the energy market in Europe.
Wacker’s Christian Westermeier elected SolarPower Europe president
SolarPower Europe announced that Christian Westermeier has been elected as the organization’s new president. Westermeier is the Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Application Engineering of German chemical company and polysilicon manufacturer Wacker Chemie.
SolarPower Europe summit opens, 6.7 GW installed in Europe in 2016
The European solar market decreased by 21% last year. This disappointing if not unexpected news opened SolarPower Europe’s annual summit in Brussels today. Grid integration of Europe’s solar capacity, EU market rules for protecting the ‘prosumer’ and reforms to the continent’s faltering Emissions Trading Scheme were major themes during the plenary session.
Extension of EU duties on Chinese solar products is now official
On Friday, the EU published in its Official Journal the 18-month extension of antidumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese solar products, including notification of a partial interim review of the measures. The review could lead to the gradual reduction of duties and minimum import prices. The EU will also consider if the Minimum Price Undertaking agreement is still of relevance.
North American and European utilities invested around $297 million in distributed solar to date, GTM Research
Investments in distributed solar made by North American and European utilities have reached an aggregate value of $297 million to date. North American power providers seem to be more confident on distributed solar, but European companies are investing more heavily in all distributed energy segments.
Mixed reactions to 18-month extension of antidumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese manufacturers
The 18-month extension to antidumping (AD) and anti-subsidy duties applied to Chinese solar exports has caused mixed reactions within the industry. The measure should be published on the EU Official Journal by the end of this week.
AIB: Renewables continue to grow at a rapid pace across Europe
The demand for green electricity in Europe, documented with Guarantee of Origin (GOs) has grown by 5% in 2016, now reaching nearly 370 TWh. Solar and wind are stepping up to challenge large hydro.
