PV

Greece’s first virtual net-metering PV system is installed on the rooftop of a school in Thessaloniki, the country’s second biggest city. The system is funded by Greenpeace Greece but is not yet connected to the grid, as it is waiting for a ministerial decision facilitating virtual net metering.

The Afghan government has approved a plan for the deployment of 100 MW of renewable energy capacity. The plan includes 65 MW of solar tendered by the government in 2016.

Between 750 MW and 800 MW of renewable energy generation capacity will be installed in Iran in the country’s current calender year. Most of this capacity will come from solar and wind. Meanwhile, the country has reached approximately 22 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity, as of the end of February 2017.

The Government of Uzbekistan announced that five 100 MW solar plants will be installed in the country in the period 2017-2021. Total investments for the plan are expected to reach $1.1 billion.

Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, Adelaide-based company Tindo Solar, has been bought by a local insulation company turned solar installer, Cool or Cosy, as part of a plans to create the largest solar retailer in Australia.

The Italian solar developer saw its turnover and profits decline slightly last year. The company acquired Italian solar inverter manufacturer Elettronica Santerno in late 2016.

Armenia’s Ministry of Energy has signed a MoU with UAE-based Ocean Holding for the construction of PV plants with a combined capacity of over 100 MW.

A new white paper published by analysts at IHS Markit compares the electricity network with other key systems such as transport and data infrastructure. The report concludes that increasing the amount of electricity storage available could create a more flexible, efficient and reliable grid, and save billions of dollars each year.

Sydney-based solar data start-up Solar Analytics has been awarded $2.1 million in grant funding from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency, to fast-track its rooftop PV monitoring technology.

Ukraine installed almost 100 MW of new PV systems in 2016. The country’s cumulative installed PV power reached 530.8 at the end of last year. Local agency SAEE predicts 150 MW of new PV installations for 2017, while the association UARE expects between 300 MW and 400 MW.