Shell moves to acquire German storage business Sonnen
In May, oil giant Shell invested in German manufacturer Sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business, subject to Germany’s monopoly authorities. Sonnen said it hopes the deal will accelerate its growth by expanding its market reach and capacity.
Chint’s 103 MW Dutch solar park will use Astronergy panels
Chinese module maker announces start of construction on big project in the Netherlands weeks after announcing production of solar panels at its German Astronergy unit would be halted.
World’s first solar-powered passenger car on roads next year
A Dutch start-up has designed an electric vehicle that runs solely on solar energy, and aims to deliver its first models next year. The car will also be available to lease.
ABN Amro takes majority stake in Dutch PV module testing company Eternal Sun
The controlling interest in Eternal Sun group was acquired by the Dutch bank’s Energy Transition Fund. The value of the transaction was not revealed.
Dutch researchers propose new approach to measure solar potential of urban areas
The system is said to have a maximum estimation error of less than 10% and to reduce the computational requirements for calculating the output of PV systems in complex environments. The approach is based on the correlation between a skyline profile and the annual irradiation received at a particular spot.
Solar rail and roads in the UK to get financial shot in the arm
The Department for Transport has announced funding for research projects which could help decarbonize Britain’s railways and generate power from roads and footpaths. Previously explored with limited success, it is hoped the research will push the frontiers of the field and give a fresh impetus to Britain’s ailing solar sector.
Solliance claims 21.5% efficiency for perovskite CIGS cell
The European solar research organization, Solliance announced it has achieved a 21.5% efficiency for a flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) tandem solar cell based on perovskite.
Netherlands PV market expanded by 46% in 2018
Dutch New Energy’s report reveals residential PV is no longer the largest growth driver – commercial and industrial and large-scale solar are now taking the lead. With newly installed PV capacity of 1.3 GW, the country saw its largest increase in new installations last year.
Europe passes 500 TWh of renewables demand – but solar loses ground
The 2018 figures for the Guarantee of Origin (GO) certificate market show a marked growth in clean energy demand in Europe. Demand surpassed 500 TWh, while GO prices reached record levels. Solar GO, however, saw a slight fall.
Dutch utility Liander expects 6 GW of solar on its turf by 2023
The Netherlands’ largest power provider said that capacity would be six times more than is currently connected to its grid. To accommodate such vertiginous growth, the company is planning to increase redundancy in critical areas with high levels of solar deployment. Parent company Alliander has announced an €844 million plan to improve the power network.
