/LONDON, November 9, 2023, 10:15 GMT, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Development of operational solar PV power plants in Bulgaria started with very moderate steps in 2007 but progressed at fast paces after the second half of 2010. In the middle of 2023, Bulgaria's cumulative installed solar PV capacity exceeded 2,100 MW (2.1 GW). Several large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects with a power capacity above 100 MW were launched into commercial operation in Bulgaria in 2022 and 2023. Local and international investors will build new solar projects between 2024 and 2026. In the last few years, Bulgaria has been the focus of the investors’ interest. Furthermore, Bulgaria has to diminish its dependency on Russian energy imports quickly, and solar power is one of the best renewable energy alternatives. The recent changes in the renewable energy legislation promulgated in the State Gazette on 13 October 2023 are supposed to propel further the growth of the Bulgarian solar photovoltaic energy market.

/MUNICH, October 26, 2023, 14:30 GMT, BayWa r.e. Renewable Energy GmbH/ BayWa r.e. has secured €6.5 million in funding from the EU’s LIFE Programme, which will be used to develop six projects across five countries by 2027, combining agriculture with solar power generation. All six projects are either first or significant steps forward for their respective markets. Working closely with EU representatives, landowners, and local communities, BayWa r.e. aims to develop the commercial viability of Agri-PV and to demonstrate its benefits as an effective climate-adaptation strategy for fruit and crop cultivation in Europe. BayWa r.e. has been instrumental in proving the benefits for using Agri-PV to supplement fruit farming at scale (fruitvoltaics). As part of EU LIFE ADAPT-PV, three of these new projects, in France, Spain, and the Netherlands, aim to increase fruitvoltaic projects’ resistance to climate change by providing a combination of crop protection and generation of green solar energy, within an innovative financing model.

/LONDON, September 25, 2023, 8:30 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The current levels of dependence on fossil fuels, the need to reduce the carbon emissions associated with energy use and the prospects of developing a new and highly innovative European technology sector make distributed solar photovoltaic energy generation increasingly attractive. EU energy ministers agreed at the end of November 2022 on the content of a Council Regulation for a temporary framework to accelerate the permit-granting process and the deployment of renewable energy projects. Reduction of permitting burden shall contribute to corporate PPAs, which are essential for the European Union (EU) to achieve energy independence and its REPowerEU targets. To understand how we may unlock the self-generation potential, the latest update of the analysis Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market Outlook 2023 – 2032 has been conducted with primary research, interviews, first-class sources of information, case studies and desk research. Based on our findings, the study drew conclusions and recommendations on developing a more comprehensive policy and regulatory framework for residential and commercial prosumers. The top 5 markets for net metering and self-consultion solar power are Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, France and the UK. Residential and commercial prosumers installing rooftop and building-integrated (BIPV) solar photovoltaic systems and energy storage shall have a vital role in the European clean energy transition by 2032.

/LONDON, September 22, 2023, 10:00 BST, IRENA, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published a new report, 'Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022'. In 2022, the global weighted average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from newly commissioned utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), onshore wind, concentrating solar power (CSP), bioenergy and geothermal energy all fell, despite rising materials and equipment costs.