‘France at risk of energy isolationism’
The Chair of the solar commission of French renewable energy association SER – Xavier Daval – explains why a further commitment to nuclear by the Macron government may seriously undermine efforts of late to revive renewable energy. According to him, if more nuclear reactors will be built, France may miss the chance of positioning itself as a leading country in the growing global renewable energy market.
Germany plans 20% FIT cut for commercial and industrial solar
With the ruling coalition having agreed to extend additional tenders for PV and wind power, a related, draft bill by the Federal Ministry of Economics has been disclosed. The policy document includes a proposal for a 20% FIT reduction for solar installations ranging in size from 40 kW to 750 kW.
Global operational floating PV capacity tops 1.1 GW
The World Bank says floating PV has the potential for 400 GW of capacity – under conservative assumptions. The authors of a World Bank study say adding floating solar to hydropower plants improves their flexibility while increasing energy yields.
Ukraine has 121 MW of solar under net metering
Around the half of this capacity was deployed from April to September, according to new official statistics released by the Ukrainian authorities.
Italy adds 42.3 MW of solar in September
Newly installed PV capacity for the first nine months of this year has reached 300.9 MW. September was the month with the largest growth this year.
Naturgy finances Brazilian PV projects through $71.5m bond issuance
The Spanish gas and power provider will use the funds to build the Sertão I Solar and Sobral I Solar projects, with a combined capacity of 68 MW.
Germany added almost 200 MW of new PV capacity in September
The new capacity figure fell on the previous month, mainly because fewer ground-mounted systems went online. The monthly retreat of FIT payments will stay at 1% for the next three months. According to SolarPower Europe, Germany will be by far the largest market in Europe, with 3 GW of new capacity this year.
Pakistan’s regulator to review two PV project proposals totaling 100 MW
Pakistan’s electricity regulator NEPRA will review a proposal for the construction of a 50 MW PV plant planned to sell power at approximately $0.071/kWh, while a second 50 MW project is expected to deliver power at a levelized tariff of $0.076/kWh.
BASF to build battery material factory in Finland
As part of a strategic alliance, BASF and Norilsk Nickel aim to meet growing demand for battery materials for electric vehicles.
Iran’s operational PV capacity reaches 250 MW
According to new numbers released by Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA), renewable energies have reached a combined cumulative capacity of 650 MW, with solar representing a 39% of the total.
