/26^th February 2021, SolarPower Europe, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Belgium recorded its best year for new installations as cumulative installed solar photovoltaic capacity exceed 10 GW at the end of 2020. A study conducted by Ecofys, suggests that Belgium could set a renewable energy target between 22,5% and 27,2%. The association recommends an objective at 25% renewables minimum. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power in Belgium had a strong performance in 2020 despite the negative health, social and economic effects of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, revealed the recent update of Europe Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook: 2021 ÷ 2030.  Each of Belgium’s three regions has its own regulatory framework for solar and renewable energy. The country has the potential to reach 18 GW of solar capacity by 2040, according to the grid operator Elia. Solar PV developments have very good prospects in Belgium as solar technology costs are going down.

/14^th June 2018, Strasbourg, EU Commission/ An ambitious political agreement on increasing renewable energy use in Europe was reached today between negotiators from the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. Today's deal means that two out of the 8 legislative proposals in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package (adopted by the European Commission on 30 November 2016) have been already agreed by the co-legislators. On 14 May, the first element of the package, the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive, was adopted. Thus, progress and momentum towards completing the Energy Union is well underway and the work started by the Juncker Commission, under the priority “a resilient Energy Union and a forward-looking climate change policy" is delivering its promises. The new regulatory framework includes a binding renewable energy target for the EU for 2030 of 32% with an upwards revision clause by 2023. This will greatly contribute to the Commission's political priority as expressed by President Juncker in 2014 for the European Union to become the world number one in renewables.

/22^nd March 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The current levels of dependence on fossil fuels, the need of reducing 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. To understand how we may unlock the self-generation potential, the analysis Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market Outlook 2021 – 2030 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. Today, renewable energy sources have become a significant contributor to the energy transition occurring in Europe. According to the EU Green Deal, substantial fossil fuel capacity needs faster decommissioning to ensure that the EU reduces carbon-intensive power plants by 2030. The rate of replacement of carbon-intensive energy sources by renewable energy to date has already resulted in GHG emissions reductions in the EU electricity sector. 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 2030.

/30^rd April 2018, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Investment in solar photovoltaic (PV) power capacity is growing in Europe, and, although utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants with capacity above 1 MW continue to dominate the market, distributed solar is also growing rapidly. There is clear trend solar photovoltaic (PV) sector’s growth in Europe is moving towards self‑consumption and net metering according to recently published report Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar PV Market Outlook 2017 - 2026. According industry analysts of Renewable Market Watch™, this trend may be expected to continue, as the EU administration is working to establish new more effective business and regulatory framework to stimulate distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) and other decentralized renewable energy sources. Electric vehicles are an essential part of a clean energy future and supported by clean electricity such as solar photovoltaic (PV) power, their impact on carbon emission reduction can grow even more. As electric vehicles plug in to the grid at night, they increase usage. This in turn can encourage home owners and utilities to add more solar powered charge-in capacity to the grid and solar photovoltaic (PV) power may have prevailing part over other renewable energy sources (RES).

/LONDON, December 7, 2021, 15:30 GMT, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The European Council reached an agreement on a proposal to update EU rules on value-added tax (VAT) rates. The new rules reflect member states’ current needs and the EU's present policy objectives, which have changed considerably since the old rules were put in place. The updates ensure member states are treated equally and give them more flexibility to apply reduced and zero VAT rates. The rules will also phase out preferential treatments for environmentally harmful goods. The current levels of dependence on fossil fuels, the need of reducing 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. According to the EU Green Deal, substantial fossil fuel capacity needs faster decommissioning to ensure that the EU reduces carbon-intensive power plants by 2030. The rate of replacement of carbon-intensive energy sources by renewable energy to date has already resulted in GHG emissions reductions in the EU electricity sector. 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 2030.

/LONDON, August 26, 2021, 9:10 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has announced the results of the innovation auction that closed for bids on August 1, 2021. As in the innovation auction on April 1, 2021, only bids for combinations of at least two renewable energy installations with different generating technologies at the same grid connection point could be accepted. The round was slightly undersubscribed, with 23 bids comprising a volume of nearly 250 MW submitted. The number of bids and the bid volume submitted was around half what they were in the previous auction round. All bids were for combinations of solar installations with storage facilities. Six bids had to be disqualified due to formal errors. As this round was undersubscribed, the statutory volume control for the innovation auction was applied for the first time. This meant that bids were awarded until 80% of the bid volume of the accepted bids had been reached or exceeded. As a result of the volume control, only 16 bids with a total volume of 156 MW were successful, according to the market study Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market Outlook 2021 – 2030. 

/6^th May 2021, Lightsource bp/ in Italy, Lightsource bp continues to boost its utility-scale solar portfolio by acquiring three projects from Horizon Firm, a trusted developer specialized in solar, totalling 156MWp across the country. Two of the projects are based in Sicily, in a low solar plant massification density area, in the province of Agrigento: the Canicattì project (40.9 MWp) and the Torre di Mastro project (58.2 MWp). The third project, Manfredonia (57.4 MWp), based in Apulia, will be developed as an Agri-PV with the aim of virtuously integrating agriculture and renewable energy. These projects cast light upon the two regions’ strategic roles for the development of RES in line with the national objectives of energy production and decarbonisation.

/27^th July 2021, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The well-established Polish solar project developer R.Power announced that it would receive a Syndicated Bank Loan of approximately EUR 53 Million to construct 91 MWp of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Projects in Poland. BNP Paribas Bank Polska and Santander Bank Polska signed the financing agreement with R.Power, and these two banks will split the loan amount equally. The company will use the loan to build seven solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in Poland. These solar projects are part of the 299 MW portfolio that R.Power won on Polish RES auctions earlier this year.

/LONDON, October 22, 2021, 10:30 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The current levels of dependence on fossil fuels, the need of reducing 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. To understand how we may unlock the self-generation potential, the analysis Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market Outlook 2021 – 2030 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. Today, renewable energy sources have become a significant contributor to the energy transition occurring in Europe. According to the EU Green Deal, substantial fossil fuel capacity needs faster decommissioning to ensure that the EU reduces carbon-intensive power plants by 2030. The rate of replacement of carbon-intensive energy sources by renewable energy to date has already resulted in GHG emissions reductions in the EU electricity sector. 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 2030.

/LONDON, October 11, 2022, 10:30 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. To understand how we may unlock the self-generation potential, the analysis Europe Net Metering and Self-Consumption Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market Outlook 2022 – 2031 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. Today, renewable energy sources have become a significant contributor to the energy transition occurring in Europe. According to the EU Green Deal, substantial fossil fuel capacity needs faster decommissioning to ensure that the EU reduces carbon-intensive power plants by 2030. The rate of replacement of carbon-intensive energy sources by renewable energy to date has already resulted in GHG emissions reductions in the EU electricity sector. 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 2030.

/LONDON, January 25, 2023, 9:30 GMT, 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 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. 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.

/23^rd December 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The global energy system is undergoing rapid transformation. With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement serves as inspiration, countries, cities, and corporations worldwide continue to take meaningful action on renewable energy development. 2019 was another historic year for the global renewable power sector mix over the past year. Renewable energy sources have continued to dominate new additions to the world’s power generation over the past year. Renewable capacity reached 2,537GW globally by the end of 2019, up 176GW from the previous year. More solar PV capacities were installed globally than any other power generation technology. Solar alone saw more new capacity deployed than fossil fuels and nuclear combined. Solar added almost twice as much capacity as its renewable peer, wind power. A total of 97.08GW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was installed globally in 2019, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This led to a total global cumulative solar photovoltaic (PV) power capacity of over 580GW in 2019 after the solar exceeded the 300GW mark in 2016 and the 400GW level in 2018.

/9^th March 2021, UNEF/ The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) has managed to get Castilla-La Mancha to approve the adaptation of the regional urban planning laws regarding the self-consumption solar PV systems. These facilities are treated through prior communication, which considerably speeds up administrative processing. With this, it would already be more than half the Autonomous Communities that have eliminated this administrative barrier to self-consumption solar PV systems and, therefore, streamlined the approval processes.