While foreign investors are said to be flocking to Greece’s solar sector, project developers are struggling with headwinds in the form of grid access challenges and local resistance to new renewables plants. Jules Scully looks at how these hurdles are affecting PV deployment in the country.
US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is extending an olive branch to global policy makers to advance the country’s own renewable energy technology and meet President Biden’s climate targets. Edith Hancock has all the detail on how she intends to amend four years of faltering progress.
After the International Energy Agency revised its renewables deployment forecast upwards by 25%, Liam Stoker looks at the difficult nature of forecasting a rapidly maturing sector amidst a changing landscape
Andy Colthorpe takes a look at what’s happening and what’s expected to happen in the Japanese large-scale PV market, with data and analysis courtesy of RTS Corporation and interviews with Vena Energy Japan, Sonnedix Japan and Baywa Japan.
Major PV inverter manufacturer SolarEdge Technologies has guided a return to overall business growth in 2021, due primarily to strong market demand in Europe and the US as well as the rollout of its residential energy storage product.
Companies are purchasing solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy more than ever before. The power purchase agreement (PPA) market in Europe has grown to a cumulative capacity of over 12GW, with a record 4GW signed in 2020. Corporate climate commitments are opening doors for investment in renewable energy, and continued price declines are convincing companies to sign new contracts. Is the European market ready to fulfil its potential? By Dr. Mercè Labordena, senior policy advisor at SolarPower Europe, and Milena Koot, communications advisor at SolarPower Europe
‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member First Solar has hit a nameplate Series 6 CdTe thin film manufacturing capacity of 7.9GW in the first quarter of 2021, after ramping its second and last converted factory in Malaysia.
Elon Musk pitched a new vision for Tesla’s home solar-storage product this week, labelling it a “profound” alternative to the status quo. Liam Stoker analyses Tesla’s newly-described offering, the integration of Tesla’s solar and storage into a single product and explores benefits that may have been overlooked.
The fallout from February’s winter storm in Texas could see new legislation enacted that would shift the cost of ancillary services onto renewable energy projects, potentially derailing solar deployment in a state that is currently on track to surpass California and become the US’ leading PV market. Jules Scully speaks to the market to determine the risk posed to solar as a result.
LONGi’s ascent to the top of the solar module shipments league table captured headlines last week, but it also cements the view that consolidation in the sector is inevitable, with an oligarchy of majors dominating market share. Carrie Xiao assesses the prospects of those top five companies as 2021 heats up.
