Legal

India’s Union Budget will be presented next week. Developers in the country hope for lower goods and services tax (GST) and import duties on solar components, as well as a delay in enforcing the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) until domestic supplies improve.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Camille Zimmermann, Investment Director at France-based equity firm Omnes. She says that, when there are women at the helm of companies, it seems there is no problem in finding other talented women to join the ranks of their organizations.

Signs of a UK government that’s prepared to back solar have emerged within a fortnight of the Labour Party securing victory in the General Election. The government has already signed off on more than 1 GW of new solar capacity.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Mary Riccio-Kjærgaard, CEO and owner of Danish PV installer Risskov Teknik & Solar Aps. She explains how the idea of leadership is still being negatively influenced by cultural stereotypes and says women can accomplish more and go further by simply being “female leaders.”

Italy’s regional governments approved 3.358 MW of solar in the first half of this year, with Sicily leading by approving around one-third of the total new capacity.

The Spanish authorities have approved 7.2 GW of new PV projects so far this year, with 3.1 GW authorized in the second quarter alone.

Firefighters in Gersthofen, Germany, have extinguished a fire at a hydrogen refueling station that was inaugurated on June 17 as part of a pilot project supported by the German government.

In an interview with pv magazine, Linda Kalcher, executive director at European think tank Strategic Perspectives, described the possible consequences of the recent EU elections on the continent’s energy landscape. “Investors and businesses need security and predictability to thrive,” she said. “If cleantech is not manufactured here, the jobs and investments go to the US and China and a deindustrialisation looms. This cannot be in the interest of any politician,”

Alongside the new lawsuit, which has been filed in Germany, Maxeon has announced it is appealing a preliminary injunction decision recently made by a court in the Netherlands over an ongoing patent dispute with Aiko.

The Hauts-Plateaux de l’Yonne Energy Association (EHPY) has started planting 5.8 km of hedges in central France to integrate 14 agrivoltaic projects into the landscape. The initiative aims to improve project acceptance and promote biodiversity.