Germany’s solar funding in firing line after €60 billion budget shortfall
The leaders of Germany’s three major political factions have agreed to cut an unspecified amount of solar spending, among other initiatives, to plug a €60 billion ($64 billion) budget shortfall triggered by a German federal court ruling in November. However, the Federal Association of Solar Economy (BSW-Solar) has criticized the announcement and said that concerns remain about other major solar projects that are potentially at risk.
Draft Vietnamese rooftop PV decree sends ‘negative signal,’ says analyst
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) is drafting a new rooftop PV decree that rules out the possibility for homeowners to sell excess energy back to the grid. Apricum analyst Moritz Stitcher tells pv magazine that the mechanism sends the wrong message for the sector.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: JinkoSolar to sell 49% of storage subsidiary
JinkoSolar says it plans to sell a 49% stake in Jinko Energy Storage to investment firm Haining Xinchao.
Solar’s ‘success story’ could soon be over, says SolarPower Europe
European Union member states have installed a “record-breaking” 56 GW of PV over the last 12 months – consistent with the last three years of 40% year-on-year growth, according to SolarPower Europe. But the association warns that solar’s moment in the sun could soon be over, as energy prices stabilize and project interest rates skyrocket.
Turkey could generate 120 GW through better solar rooftop rollout
Introducing rooftop solar “obligations” for new structures and public buildings, as well as tendering suitable apartment building roofs by municipalities, could help Turkey drive up its rooftop solar capacity to 120 GW, according to a new report by think tank Ember.
December drop in gas, CO2, Euro electricity market prices
In the first week of December, prices in almost all electricity markets decreased compared to the previous week due to lower gas and CO2 prices, lower electricity demand and higher wind energy production, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting.
India’s solar panel imports hit $1.13 billion in first half of fiscal 2024
India’s solar panel imports in the first half of fiscal 2024 surpassed the total value imported for all of fiscal 2023.
Reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic modules with high shading tolerance
TU Deflt researchers made a first attempt to validate reconfigurable solar modules using prototypes in outdoor tests. The panels consist of two or more blocks of solar cells that are connected to a switching matrix and reportedly achieve a 10.2% higher energy yield than conventional shade-resilient modules under partial shading conditions.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Polysilicon prices continue to fall
Polysilicon prices fell by as much as 0.63% in China this week, according to the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNMIA).
Energetica Industries files for insolvency
Energetica Industries, an Austrian PV manufacturer, can no longer meet its payment obligations. A total of 120 creditors and 94 employees are affected by the insolvency proceedings.
