“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.
Armenia builds third 1 MW PV plant under special tariff regime, announces plans for module factory
The Armenian government introduced a special tariff for PV projects up to 1 MW in late 2016. Construction on the country’s third 1 MW solar project under this regime has now begun. Furthermore, the Ministry of Energy has announced plans for Armenia’s first module factory.
ET Solar begins work on ACWA’s 60.9 MW solar plant in Jordan
The German subsidiary of ET Solar is building a 60 MW PV plant in Jordan for ACWA Power. Construction on the project is expected to be completed within ten months.
Switzerland installed 250 MW of new PV systems in 2016
According to estimates from national association Swissolar, about 250 MW of new PV installations were connected to Switzerland’s grid last year.
Eon reports record €16 billion loss for 2016
The German energy company said its new strategy is fully reflected in its balance sheet. This was accompanied by the largest loss ever registered by the group. Eon is now planning workforce reductions, as well as further measures to reduce its net liabilities to €20 billion in the mid-term.
Czech solar market shows first signs of revival in residential segment
The Czech solar market collapsed in 2014 after the country’s FIT scheme was shut down. After two years of almost zero growth, the country’s PV market registered a slight increase in new installations in 2016. This growth was mainly due to the support program for sustainable buildings.
Estonia to replace feed-in premium scheme for renewables and solar with auction mechanism
The Estonian government plans to replace the current FIP scheme for renewable energies with an auction mechanism within the next few months. The country’s installed PV capacity reached 10 MW at the end of 2016.
Four bidders for Turkey’s 1 GW Konya solar PV plant
The names of four consortia that will bid for Turkey’s 1 GW solar PV plant in Konya have been revealed. The tender will take place on 20th March.
Engie plans to acquire RWE’s renewable energy unit Innogy, reports
The French energy giant is offering to acquire Innogy, the renewable energy unit of German power provider RWE. Innogy acquired German developer Belectric and its huge solar power plant portfolio in January.
Vattenfall uses BMW car batteries for storage projects at winds farms
German car maker BMW will provide Vattenfall with 1,000 lithium-ion car batteries. Vattenfall will use the batteries, which are also used for the vehicle BMW i3, for storage projects at wind farms.
