Belgian grid operator, Eandis tests storage at its solar-powered facilities
‘TheBattery’ storage system of the Dutch provider of high and low voltage equipment, Alfen, will be used by the Belgian power distributor to store solar power produced at its logistical center in Lokeren, Flanders.
Solar to lead global renewables growth for next five years — KPMG
Investors throughout the world made 406 investments in large-scale renewables in 2017, collectively valued at roughly €40.1 billion (US$49.5 billion), but solar is set to grow more in terms of capacity than any other clean-energy technology over the next half decade, according to a new report. Battery storage will play a crucial role in this, it found.
Germany’s auction for large-scale solar: Bids below €0.04/kWh for the first time
Price drop continued in the first round of the 2018 tender series. The final average price of solar bids was €0.0433/kWh, a value which is quite below that of the tenders for wind power.
Italy installed 409 MW of new PV in 2017
Last year’s figures, however, still do not include new capacity coming from the revamping and repowering business. For 2018, local renewable energy association, ANIE Rinnovabili expects growth to be stronger.
Ukraine added 211 MW of solar in 2017
The country’s cumulative installed solar power has reached 741 MW, while rooftop PV under net metering has topped 37 MW. Over 500 MW of new PV additions are expected in 2018.
Germany starts first mixed wind-solar auction
Bids for solar PV ground-mounted projects and wind farms on land can be submitted to the Federal Network Agency by April 3. Overall, the German government will allocate around 200 MW of capacity in the tender.
Russian companies plan vertically-integrated monocrystalline module factory
The manufacturing facility is planned to be built in Russia’s Astrakhan region thanks to an investment of 1.5 billion RUB (around US$26.5 million).
Portuguese grid operator to invest €70 million to accommodate more solar
Overall, the grid improvement is expected to enable at least 800 MW of new solar PV plants to come online in the south of the country.
Enel switches on 103 MW solar plant in the Brazilian state of Bahia
The $110 million project is expected to generate 220 GWh per year.
The future looks bright for solar energy development in Mexico
Mexico is set to become the largest solar PV market in Latin America, with around 2 GW of installs expected annually. Political and regulatory uncertainty do not appear to be affecting investor interest, with more opportunities than challenges present. pv magazine attended GTM Research’s Solar Summit Mexico last week to report on the latest developments in the Mexican market.
