Weekend Read: Race to the top
A flurry of clean energy announcements in the European Union this year bodes well for the expansion of renewables but there will be a race against time to get key legislation adopted before next summer’s European elections.
Intersolar 2023 Day 3: A word from Solis
Our pv magazine newshounds will be walking the floors for one last time in Munich today to bring you all the developments as Intersolar Europe 2023 winds down for another year.
Solar mounting structure made of end-of-life wind turbines
Swiss startup Turn2Sun has developed a PV mounting structure with end-of-life wind turbine blades. It has installed the structure at an altitude of 2,500 meters in the Grisons region of Switzerland, with 16 bifacial 430 W solar modules.
Europe can’t waste a single ray of sun
As the solar wave sweeps across Europe, creaking grids are emphasizing the continent’s overriding need for energy storage.
Agrivoltaics for raspberries
BayWa r.e. and its Groenleven subsidiary are building an 8.7 MW agrivoltaics project to support raspberry cultivation, in one the largest projects of its kind in Europe. They expect to complete the project in the first quarter of 2024.
A bright spot in the darkest hour
Solar is not only helping to keep the lights on in Ukraine – it also has a vital role as part of Europe’s energy transition and clean energy economy.
Weekend Read: Keeping Ukraine’s lights on
The first half of 2023 has seen a revival in Ukraine’s solar market as some plants resumed operations, including in recently liberated territories. Demand is also picking up among industrial consumers that wish to be less dependent on the common energy grid in case outages return, reports Ian Skarytovsky.
PV Cycle recommends excluding PV panels from WEEE directive
PV Cycle has published a position paper stating that PV panels do not fit with the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive. It is calling for the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for all renewable energy products and equipment in the European Union.
Indonesia’s race to net zero
Coal-dependent Indonesia has huge solar potential but progress toward a net zero economy has been sluggish, explain Daniel Kurniawan and Fabby Tumiwa from the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), an Indonesian thinktank.
Weekend Read: New turf for thin films
Thin-film technologies have long promised to make a major impact on the solar industry but have largely been constrained to niche applications and research labs if they were not shredded by the market. After several false starts, current trade dynamics and promising research programs may help solar thin films find their place in the sun.
