Spanish consultancy AleaSoft Energy Forecasting says France, Germany, Spain and Portugal all broke records for daily PV energy production in the second week of May, as prices in all major European electricity markets, except for the French market, continued to increase.

The Bangladeshi government has issued a call for consultants to conduct a feasibility study, initial environmental examination, and environmental and social impact assessment for a 100 MW solar plant. The consultants will also be expected to survey the transmission line route for connection to the nearest grid substation.

The European Commission has shared updated documents with its member states for speeding up permitting procedures and designing auctions for renewables. It includes the use of non-price criteria in auctions, which the commission says will allow higher value-added projects to be rewarded.

Consortia featuring subsidiaries of Chinese solar module maker Longi and Chinese industrial conglomerate Shanghai Electric have withdrawn from a public procurement tender for a solar park in Romania. The European Commission opened two anti-subsidy investigations into their involvement, which have now been closed.

A scoping review examining the barriers to residential PV installations in South Africa says that no studies have considered how income effects the the likelihood of households adopting rooftop solar. The researchers claim this is “a glaring omission given debates on just transitions.”

The authorities in Georgia are soliciting consultants for a 6.13 MW solar plant. The consultants will prepare a feasibility study and technical specifications. The deadline for applications is June 10.

Researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory have concluded that renewable energy could partially replace diesel fuel to power instruments and provide heat at the South Pole. They have proposed a solar, wind and energy storage hybrid that could reduce diesel consumption by 95% and save approximately $57 million over 15 years, after an initial investment of $9.7 million.

Lightsource bp says it plans to develop a solar-plus-storage facility in Ireland. The proposed installation will feature a 57 MW solar array and a 54 MW energy storage system on an open grassland site in the eastern part of the country.

Chinese company Hunan Rich Photovoltaic Science and Technology is set to invest over €300 million in the development of a 1 GW solar panel factory and 200 MW solar power plant in Serbia. The agreement is one of two the country’s Minister of Mining and Energy has signed with Chinese companies this week.

SolarDuck and Tokyu Land have installed a floating solar demonstration unit in Japan. This project is billed as the nation’s first offshore floating solar power plant on the surface of the ocean and will be used to power electric vehicles and boats.