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.
ABB and Northvolt have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a wide-ranging supply and technology partnership. Based on ABB’s technology and know how Northvolt can push forward the plan of Europe’s largest battery factory a great deal.
The project developer, EPC and O&M company Asunim Turkey has selected SolarLog™ to monitor two solar PV plants currently under construction in Akhisar and Kula. Asunim Turkey and Solare Datensysteme GmbH (SDS) have been cooperating now for several years and SolarLog™ monitoring is already deployed for a number of Asunim’s PV projects.
The Spanish manufacturer Ingeteam Power Technology has been awarded to supply inverters for a PV plant with a total capacity of 1.177 GW in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The project will be built by Sterling and Wilson, a global solar EPC company.
In SMA’s growth plans, Mexico plays an important role. Due to this fact, SMA Solar Technology plans to open a new subsidiary in Mexico by the end of 2017. The facility will support sales and service efforts in the country.
When solar integrator Coldwell Solar and not-for-profit electricity provider Sonoma Clean Power broke ground for a combined 2 MW of solar energy facility it marked the next step in the journey to a clean energy future for the Californian Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The plant is the first of two new projects that involve PPAs. Under the agreements, Coldwell Solar developed the projects and will build, operate and maintain the solar plants and deliver an agreed-upon amount of solar generated electricity to SCP.
Photovoltaic Feed