Sandra Enkhardt
Tesvolt starts commercial storage system production at gigafactory despite Covid-19
The German manufacturer has started to produce its first commercial storage systems at its new plant under strict safety precautions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The facility’s current annual capacity is set at 255 MWh, but the company aims to eventually expand that to 1 GWh.
Golden PV panels for balcony solar systems
German manufacturer a2-solar has supplied 240 solar panels for the renovation of an old building in Bern, Switzerland. The modules, which are being integrated into 96 balconies, feature different transparency options and color variations.
Vertical PV project on dam in Alps gets approval
Swiss developer Axpo is now modifying the design of the 2 MW plant and is expected to make a final decision on construction later this year. It is currently in negotiations with potential electricity consumers.
Germany installed 700 MW of PV in first two months of 2020
The country added around 700 MW of new solar in the January-February period. Cumulative capacity hit 49.75 GW, which means that about 2.25 GW remains before the feed-in tariff cap is reached.
German utility-scale PV tender concludes with average price of €0.0518/kWh
The government allocated 301 MW of PV capacity across 51 projects in the procurement exercise.
Sheep in search of a solar plant
A large sheep farming company in Germany is seeking PV asset owners who will let its animals graze sustainably at solar project sites, in a move that could be a win-win situation for everyone.
Germany and France modify solar tenders because of Covid-19
The governments of both countries are answering solar industry requests by adjusting tender schemes and considering measures to avoid financial penalties and the loss of incentives due to missed deadlines.
Covid-19: IHS Markit expects demand for private and commercial storage to fall significantly
A slump in demand would weigh more heavily on the storage industry than a temporary production shutdown and IHS Markit analysts say that is where the risk lies, rather than with a temporary shortage of battery cells. A similar prediction has been made for the PV market.
How Covid-19 is halting solar development in Germany
pv magazine has spoken to Germany’s largest solar project developers about how construction has ground to a halt on many PV projects in Europe since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Politicians need to extend implementation deadlines for PV projects that are being built under tender schemes, but deadlines are not the only challenge that companies currently face.
A second life for disused modules and EV batteries
A study led by Bern University of Applied Sciences is moving into the demonstration phase, with projects in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. With partners from all over Europe, the Swiss researchers are developing models for how solar modules and batteries from electric cars can still be used in a sustainable way after their lifecycle has ended.
