Europe

Prospective solar wafer manufacturer Sunwafe has appointed a new CEO and secured permits for a 30-hectare site in northern Spain, in efforts to establish Europe’s “first” large-scale, 20GW silicon ingot and wafer production facility.

UK-based IPP Enviromena has signed a £825 million (US$1.1 billion) financing package to support its 1GW solar PV portfolio in the UK.

Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have developed coloured films for solar PV modules that can imitate roof tiles or building facades.

Reforms to the UK’s grid connection process for renewable energy projects are underway, aimed at easing the logjam of applications.

The European Commission (EC) has launched a new strategy to address the fossil fuel energy crisis in the Middle East and accelerate the “shift to homegrown, clean energies”, said EC president Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Commission has reportedly banned EU funds from supporting energy projects using Chinese-made inverters.

A planned 13GW polysilicon production plant in the Netherlands, powered by renewable energy, has been designated as a strategic project under the EU’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

UAE state-owned renewables developer Masdar has established a joint venture (JV) with the national power utility of Montenegro to develop “large-scale” clean energy projects in the country.

Renalfa IPP has secured funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for its Szihalom 450MW solar-plus-storage project in Hungary.

The Global Solar Council has announced a new management and strategy board drawn from across the solar and storage industries.