The solar PV industry will create 94,000 new jobs in Europe between 2016 and 2021, says an EY report commissioned from industry association SolarPower Europe. At the beginning of the next decade, the sector will employ 174,700 full-time equivalents, a growth of 145% from 81,000 in 2016 but still a lower amount than 250,000 in 2008.
Photovoltaics systems withstood the hurricane in the Caribbean better than many buildings. Now they are an important element in rebuilding the infrastructure – and could provide Puerto Rico with the most modern electricity grid in the USA.
The newly installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity worldwide will exceed 95 gigawatts (GW) in 2017, according to the latest forecast of Bernreuter Research. "Supply of the feedstock polysilicon would even allow PV installations to reach 100 GW if inventories were strongly reduced," says Johannes Bernreuter, head of the market research firm and author of the Polysilicon Market Outlook 2020.
Building Energy S.p.A, multinational company operating as a Globally Integrated Power Producer (IPP) in the renewable energy industry, has announced the Inauguration of Tororo Solar Plant, its first photovoltaic system in Uganda, located at around 10 km from the border with Kenya. With a capacity of 10 MW, Tororo Solar Plant is among the largest in Eastern Africa.
Iran is aiming to boost its renewables sector. The current installed capacity of 240 MW is planned to increase to 5,000 MW by the end of 2020. Companies that are investing in renewables make it onto a shortlist to receive a tax incentive, assuming they fulfill conditions relating to the specific location and an output purchase agreement with the government. Despite the attractive tax incentives, the solar market in Iran remains challenging.
Europe is going from leader to runner-up, as China maintains the top spot in renewable energy competitiveness. The picture emerges from EY’s biannual Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI), a ranking of the 40 most competitive markets for the industry.
There couldn’t be a starker contrast between the market development of two renewable heat segments: Whereas Swiss heat pump sales remained at around 18,400 units per year from 2014 to 2016, collector sales dropped significantly from 117,634 m² in 2014 to 66,699 m² last year. Market volume is now below where it was ten years ago and solar water heaters are facing strong competition from heat pumps and photovoltaics. The annual solar thermal symposium on 8 November in Dübendorf near Zurich will provide an opportunity to discuss alternative applications and technologies.
Photovoltaic Feed