Netherlands

Solar dominated the first round of the Netherlands’ 2017 SDE+ program for large-scale renewable energy projects, accounting for 69.4% of all preassigned capacity. Overall, 4,484 PV projects proposals totaling 2,647 MW were accepted.

Equipment manufacturer Tempress has teamed up with Dutch research center ECN to develop a production process for n-type IBC solar cells with efficiency above 21%. A pilot of the new process was completed in just three months, illustrating its compatibility with mass production.

The Dutch power provider has acquired Belgian utility Eni Belgium and a larger share in Belgium’s power market. The company said that it will now invest in new power production in the country, especially in solar and wind.

Eurolab, a sister company of Netherlands-based equipment provider Eurotron, has opened a new testing facility for back-contact PV modules. The laboratory will facilitate pre-production of back-contact solar panels, R&D projects, and small-scale production for solar challenge teams

PV equipment supplier Tempress has announced the beginning of construction on a 400 kW installation close to its headquarters in the Netherlands, which will be the largest in Europe to feature glass-glass bifacial modules.

The Dutch market keeps showing signs of sustained growth. Estimated new installed PV power for 2016 is expected to surpass 500 MW, while another 600 MW is forecast for this year. Several PV projects developed under the SDE+ program for large-scale renewable energy projects began to come online in the past months.

Dutch government agencies Rijkswaterstaat and ProRail are making land and water surfaces available for the installation of ground-mounted and floating PV plants, as well as for projects from other renewable technologies.

The Netherlands-based equipment manufacturer will provide an unidentified solar cell maker in China with a 200 MW production line. The supply agreement includes the possible expansion of the line to 1 GW. The equipment will produce n-type crystalline-silicon cells for bifacial modules.

The Dutch science-based company has announced plans to expand its product portfolio for solar, with the acquisition of China based Suzhou SunShine New Materials Technology (Sunshine), a manufacturer of PV backsheets.

The Dutch subsidiary of Swedish energy giants Vattenfall has announced plans to add 70 MW of PV capacity at six windfarms located across the country. Plans to include storage applications at at least one of the sites are also in the works.