Europe

Sweden-based flexible CIGS thin-film solar cell equipment supplier Midsummer has recently said it had secured a U$7 million order from US start-up, Sunflare, which has developed a new solar roof tile system that was displayed at SPI 2018.

Investor Allianz Capital Partners has agreed the acquisition of what is expected to be Portugal’s largest unsubsidised solar project.

The UK government has confirmed that a key policy for rooftop solar will end in the spring.

The developing post-subsidy solar market in Europe has taken another step forward with the news that UK-based investor Octopus has extended five power purchase agreements in Italy with renewable energy trader EGO Group.

French floating solar specialist Ciel & Terre is planning to further develop its floating solar platform systems to withstand more extreme conditions through a collaboration with Principia, a company that has a technical background in the offshore renewable energy industry.

PV manufacturing equipment provider Meyer Burger has won an order for 600MW of Heterojunction and SmartWire tools.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will no longer finance thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation and will focus instead on renewable energy as part of its new five-year decarbonisation energy strategy.

PV inverter supplier SMA Solar is to lay off 425 full-time staff and discontinue China as a location as part of a restructuring plan announced in September in order to return the company to profitability quickly.

Sonnedix and Allianz Global Investors have bought a 41MW solar park from BayWa r.e. in the French commune of Hourtin, northwest of Bordeaux.

Australia-headquartered Greatcell Solar, formerly Dyesol Solar, has appointed administrators after failing to secure further financing to develop its perovskite materials and solar cells to a commercial level.