Western Europe

In February, non-profit EU solar panel recycling body PV Cycle announced it had collected 5,000 tons of modules in France, of which 94.7% could be recycled. A reader asked us about the remaining 5.3% and here, PV Cycle’s communications manager, Bertrand Lempkowicz, responds.

In its H1 2020 report, the UK-based infrastructure investor revealed it had suffered substantial losses, mainly due to performance issues on its renewable energy projects. Two of the company’s Australian solar farms were particularly badly hit by transmission and equipment issues.

Analyst IHS Markit has predicted storage will rebound this year following its first year-on-year decline in 2019. The technology is being rolled out at pace despite Covid-19 with state-level policies set to keep the US the global capital for the next five years.

Flow battery manufacturers typically pursue utility scale storage projects but German start-up VoltStorage is targeting the household market.

Utility Iberdrola will provide solar power to the Spanish site of Saudi petrochemical company Sabic, which has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement. The electricity will be generated by a €70 million, 100 MW solar park.

A team of international researchers featuring ANU’s Prof Frank Jotzo has published a study on the ‘just transition’ from coal to renewable sources of energy. The paper looks at comparative examples of transitioning economies, taking account of political realities, and ultimately shows that a ‘just transition’ is just about the only transition worth having.

Infigen Energy on Friday continued to unanimously recommend a revised offer from Iberdrola to its shareholders, after the Spanish renewable energy giant locked in an $893 million offer.

University of New South Wales researchers have published research disproving claims that the energy transition to large-scale wind and solar would hinder the global economy. The research, which ousts outdated and cherry-picked data while showing the economically salutary effects of renewables, comes as 500 UNSW staff face the axe due to the impact of Covid-19.

Danish researchers have shown that adding 250 W solar panels to all of the buggies in a 50-cart fleet is a profitable investment. With an upfront investment of around €75,000, annual benefits of around €15,000 are possible, they claim.

The Korean company has committed to invest in solar innovation in Germany at a time when the EU and member states are desperately trying to kick-start the Covid-19 recovery.