Europe

Polysilicon provider Wacker witnessed a sales recovery in the second half of 2020, but ongoing cost reductions coupled with weak first half demand led to polysilicon plant utilisation rates averaging 85%.

Among the three n-type options (n-PERT/TOPCon, IBC, HJT), there is a growing belief that the smart money will be on heterojunction.

Spain’s government and the EU will provide funding to support the development of 65 new solar projects in the Canary Islands by the end of next year.

Oil group Eni and Italian state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) have created a joint venture (JV) that will invest more than €800 million in Italy’s renewables sector by 2025.

French independent power producer (IPP) Neoen is aiming to more than double its renewable power capacity in the next four years.

Meyer Burger has accelerated plans to target the US high-end residential rooftop market with its heterojunction (HJ) PV modules.

German utility RWE has selected the site of a biomass and coal-fired power plant in the Netherlands for its first floating solar project, which will have a capacity of 6.1MWp and be commissioned by the end of 2021.

Total has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with telecoms operator Orange that will allow for the development for 12 solar projects in France.

Sungrow has provided its central inverters to a 187MW solar project in Germany that has been developed by utility EnBW without state funding.

Green investment group Foresight Solar’s net asset value took a hit last year, driven by declining power price forecasts in some of its key markets.