Germany’s ‘big four’ utilities have all referred to the growing importance of renewable energy in their business models in reporting their latest financial results.
Manufacturing equipment supplier Manz, which regards solar and energy storage as two of its three key strategic business segments, claims recent restructuring is starting to pay off, reporting some positive developments in its latest financial reports.
Despite preparing investors’ expectations for flat revenues in 2016, inverter maker SMA Solar Technology has reported an increase in sales for the first quarter and exceeded management expectations by more than €10 million (US$11.4 million).
French oil major Total’s €950 million acquisition of battery manufacturer Saft puts the company at the front of the pack of fossil fuel firms looking to diversify, according to SolarPower Europe CEO James Watson.
The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that solar PV companies and investors should be compensated by the Spanish administration over historic amendments to the feed-in-tariff (FiT) policy for new installations.
Germany’s renewable energy trade associations have spoken up collectively about their country’s plans to introduce tenders to award rights for new large-scale projects.
Sweden-based thin-film production equipment specialist Midsummer said it had secured a second ‘DUO’ flexible CIGS (copper, indium, gallium and selenium) thin-film solar cell sputtering tool order from an existing customer based in Asia.
R&D group Solliance, which includes ECN, imec, TNO, Holst Centre and industrial partners such as Nano-C, Solartek, DyeSol and Panasonic have succeeded in producing a record 10% aperture area power conversion efficiency for an ‘up-scaled’ thin-film perovskite photovoltaic module.
Oil and gas company Total has proposed to buy battery company Saft, which produces devices for the stationary storage industry as well as for transport and other applications.
Specialist PV manufacturing equipment supplier Amtech Systems reported continued success in securing new solar equipment orders in its second fiscal quarter of 2016, the highest bookings since the March quarter of 2011.
