German customs authorities accuse IBC Solar of smuggling Chinese PV modules
Investigators have accused the Bad Staffelstein-based business of having purchased incorrectly-declared modules from China and evading around €23 million in import duties. The company’s head office and the private apartments of board members have been searched.
Germany added 2.9 GW of solar in nine months
In September, PV systems with a total generation capacity of 287 MW were registered in the country. The feed-in tariff has fallen again for this quarter as a result of the new capacity additions.
Germany added 2.72 GW of PV in eight months
In August alone, around 327 MW of new solar generation capacity was registered in the country. This month the FIT for solar systems up to 750 kW in size will fall another 1.4%.
Switzerland plans large scale solar auctions
The Swiss Federal Council intends to increase competition in the solar sector and set fixed tariffs for large PV projects using tenders. The electricity market will be fully opened up in a move industry association Swissolar says will discriminate against PV and threaten the rapid expansion of renewables.
Solibro restructuring plan will depend on shareholders
The District Court of Dessau-Roßlau yesterday confirmed self-administered insolvency proceedings have been conducted at the German thin-film CIGS module manufacturer and a provisional administrator has been appointed.
Meyer Burger abandons plan to relocate operations to China
The Swiss equipment maker is instead preparing to commit its future to PV in its European heartland and will start with plans to help Norwegian module maker REC Solar embark on a gigawatt-scale production expansion.
Swiss solar on the rise… but too slow?
Switzerland deployed 271 MW of PV in 2018. According to Swiss PV association Swissolar, the current levels of development are not enough to meet the targets set by the country’s 2050 energy strategy.
Battery maker CATL ramps up investment in German gigafab to €1.8 billion
Previously, a mere €240 million was set to flow into the giga-factory. The corporation’s management reasoned new demand for its battery cells made more investment necessary.
Germany added 350 MW of new solar capacity in March
The strong growth registered in the first quarter of the year – when 1.27 GW of new PV was deployed – will prompt a 1.4% reduction in the FIT price for the three-month period up to July.
Ikea’s solar offer in Germany criticized by consumer association
The Verbraucherzentrale NRW says advertising for the Solstråle solar system is misleading and has warned the furniture provider and its partner Solarcentury Microgen (Deutschland) GmbH it will begin legal action if the campaign is not changed.
