Netherlands

With the solar energy sector 2.0. in its sight, the Dutch PV distributer’s Energy Management Experience Centre will seek to offer energy management solutions to balance out electricity generation and consumption.

The Dutch specialty group believes its sand-resistant coating for solar panels will be particularly suitable for desert areas. The new technology is currently being tested at a solar plant in China’s Gobi Desert.

Solar applications under the Dutch SDE+ tender reached 2.6 GW in the first half of the year, said Dutch solar industry association Holland Solar, with country on course to become GW-scale market shortly.

Around 525 MW of installed PV was connected to the grid in the Netherlands in 2016, according to provisional numbers provided by the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

The U.S. supplier of automation systems for the PV industry also saw order intake and quarter-end backlog increase in the latest quarter. All of the company’s segments contributed to the turnover growth registered in this period.

Dutch energy company Eneco Group announced its acquisition of a 34% stake in Next Kraftwerke, a German company operating one of Europe’s largest virtual power plant networks. The investment was announced at the Ecosummit cleantech event in Berlin today.

Researchers at the Netherlands’ University of Twente have developed a material comprising thin, diamond-like photonic nanostructures which reflect a surprisingly wide range of colours of light, from all angles. This could make the material ideally suited for use as a back reflector for PV modules.

Tempress systems, a subsidiary of U.S. based Amtech, has received a follow-on order for a multi-phase 1 GW project. The turnkey order is for an n-type bifacial manufacturing line, and includes high throughput PECVD and diffusion platforms.

The Dutch gas provider is building Netherlands’ first MW-sized power-to-gas installation. The plant will be powered by 5,000 solar modules.

The Dutch solar company has launched a plan to build a 300 MW solar module manufacturing facility in Noord-Groningen, northern Netherlands. The factory is expected to begin manufacturing activities in 2018.