BloombergNEF says in a new report that corporations publicly announced 46 GW of solar and wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2023, up 12% year on year. It says the increase was driven by a surge of activity in Europe.

Dutch offshore solar company Oceans of Energy is leading a project to scale up offshore solar blocks. Backed by 15 European partners, it is expected that the 150 MW building blocks will set a new standard in offshore energy and allow the construction of gigawatt-scale offshore solar farms.

Data center specialist AirTrunk has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) under which it will procure energy from a 29.99 MW solar farm that ib vogt is now developing. Construction on the project is set to begin later this year.

Denisa Sakova, Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of Economy, has signed an agreement with Japanese plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemical, which is developing flexible photovoltaic panels. Sakova says the aim is to explore the possibility of producing the panels in Slovakia.

ESB has opened a 75 MW/150 MWh battery plant, touted as the largest of its kind in commercial operation in Ireland. Eamon Ryan, the country’s Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, has said that the site will be a core part of Ireland’s renewable energy transition.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country has overcome the worst of its power shortages due to tax incentives, investment, the expansion of rooftop solar capacity, and the construction of new transmission lines, despite additional recent power cuts by utility Eskom.

Galp, a Portuguese energy company, has announced plans to build a 5 MW/20 MWh battery storage system in Portugal, in collaboration with Powin. The system at one of Galp’s solar plants will enable it to adjust its PV production profile and meet its energy requirements. This project marks Powin’s first venture in Europe.

RWE and PPC have announced the final investment decision for the construction of a 450 MWp solar plant in Greece through their joint venture, Meton Energy S.A. RWE has also shared the details of a 35 MW/41 MWh battery storage project – its first utility-scale storage facility in the Netherlands.

Energy consultancy DNV has published a data validation and methodology review of solar irradiance data provider Solcast, a company it acquired early last year. The review found that the forecasting specialist’s figures are “at or above industry standards.”

Veolia plans to develop more than 40 solar projects on restored landfill sites in France amid dire shortage of suitable land for renewables development. The company expects the first plants to be operational by 2027.