/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.

/30^th November 2017, PV Magazine, GTM Research/ European solar demand will see 35% year-on-year growth in 2018, according to U.S. market research company, GTM Research. European countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are all forecast to be GW-scale markets in 2018. Globally, around 606 GW of new PV capacity is forecast to be installed between 2017 and 2022. The global solar market is set to exceed 90 GW for the first time, growing 15.2 percent year-on-year before levelling off towards sustained growth of 5.6 percent in 2018. A resurgence of European demand and the long-awaited takeoff of Latin American markets will drive growth next year as China peaks this year and uncertainty around protectionist measures in the United States, India, and Turkey stall demand. Its latest Global Solar Demand Monitor Q3 2017 says that the “much-needed” strong growth forecast for 2018 will be partly due to increasing demand from Spain and the Netherlands, both of which are currently supporting the development of large-scale solar projects that are planned to come online over the next two years.

/BRUSSELS, November 24, 2022, 17:20 GMT, European Commission, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ EU energy ministers today agreed on the content of a Council regulation laying down a temporary framework to accelerate the permit-granting process and the deployment of renewable energy projects. The regulation will introduce urgent and targeted measures that address specific technologies and types of projects, which have the highest potential for quick deployment and the least impact on the environment.The new temporary will rules set maximum deadlines for granting permits for solar energy equipment, upgrading existing renewable power plants (repowering) and the deployment of heat pumps. In addition, they will introduce a presumption of overriding public interest for renewable energy projects.

/14^th October 2021, BayWa r.e. Renewable Energy GmbH, Fraunhofer ISE/ BayWa r.e., a pioneer in Agri-PV solutions, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, together with other research partners, have built the first Agri-PV research facility for apples and espalier fruit at the Nachtwey organic fruit farm in Gelsdorf in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The primary objective of the project, which is funded by the German Ministry of Environment, Energy, Food and Forestry of Rhineland-Palatinate (MUEEF) and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), is to increase climate resilience in fruit growing and to ensure safe and sustainable apple production with additional solar power generation. As part of the project, which will run for five years, numerous factors will be investigated on eight varieties of apple.

/12^th January 2021, SolarPower Europe, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ France crossed the significant capacity threshold of 10 GW installed in 2020. It is now halfway towards its MAEP (Multi-Annual Energy Programme) goal of 20.1 GW of solar capacity by 2023, according to SolarPower Europe. Secondly, despite the impact of the pandemic, France produced 4.46 TWh of solar in the third quarter of 2020, thereby beating its record from 2019 (4.43 TWh). This is a significant achievement and an important step towards building back better. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power in the European Union 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: 2020 ÷ 2030.  The climate targets that have been set are also promising. The Climate & Energy Law adopted last year confirmed the Energy Transition for a Green Growth law with 2030 targets. The detailed MAEP sets out the requirements for each type of technology, and the targets for 2028 now lie between 35.1 GW and 44 GW in cumulative capacity. To keep in line with these targets, the annual market growth rate will need to rise to 2 GW/year between now and 2023, and then 4 GW/year between 2023 and 2028. As a result of these targets, solar is positioned to be one of the most important contributors to the French energy transition.

/28^th September 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Тhе Мunісіраl Соunсіl оf Наѕkоvо hаѕ іѕѕuеd at the end of August 2020 рrеlіmіnаrу аррrоvаl fоr thе соnѕtruсtіоn оf а giant solar рhоtоvоltаіс (PV) power рlаnt with 400 MWp capacity nеаr thе vіllаgеѕ оf Кnіzhоvnіk аnd Dоlnо Vоуvоdіnо, located in the Haskovo District of South Bulgaria. Тhе іnvеѕtоr whо wіll buіld thе рlаnt іѕ Еnеrу ВG 1, whісh іѕ а рrојесt соmраnу оf thе Аuѕtrіаn hоldіng Еnеrу Dеvеlорmеnt GmbН. Тhе рhоtоvоltаіс power рlаnt іѕ ехресtеd tо gеnеrаtе 560,000,000 КWh оf сlеаn еnеrgу аnd ѕаvе 650,000 tоnѕ оf саrbоn dіохіdе еmіѕѕіоnѕ реr уеаr, according to the company. Furthermore, it will open over 50 permanent jobs and additional jobs during the construction phase of the project that will take up to 12 months. Vіеnnа-bаѕеd Еnеrу Dеvеlорmеnt, fоundеd іn 2019, іѕ аn іnvеѕtmеnt соmраnу fоr rеnеwаblе еnеrgу іnfrаѕtruсturе thаt рrоvіdеѕ сlеаn еnеrgу tо іtѕ сuѕtоmеrѕ.

/18^th April 2017, FS UNEP, BNEF) According to a recent report of FS UNEP and BNEF In 2016, the advance of renewable energy slowed in one respect and speeded up in another. Investment in renewables excluding large hydro fell by 23% to $241.6 billion, but the amount of new capacity installed increased from 127.5GW in 2015 to a record 138.5GW in 2016. Together, the new renewable sources of wind, solar, biomass and waste, geothermal, small hydro and marine accounted for 55.3% of all the gigawatts of new power generation added worldwide last year. More solar gigawatts were added (75GW) than of any other technology for the first time. A major reason why installations increased even though dollars invested fell was a sharp reduction in capital costs for solar photovoltaics, onshore and offshore wind. On a less positive note, there were clear signs as 2016 went on of slowing activity in two key markets, China and Japan.

/14^th February 2020, Alyssa Danigelis/ Greece’s Environment and Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis recently announced plans to invest in two enormous solar facilities on former mining sites. A plant on the Peloponnese Peninsula in southern Greece would be 1 gigawatt, and another for Ptolemaida in the north would be 2 GW. At a meeting with stakeholders in Ptolemaida, Hatzidakis said that Greece’s Public Power Corporation (PPC) would move quickly to install the 2-GW plant in the lignite mining region, Ilias Tsagas reported today for PV Magazine. PPC also wants to build a 1-GW plant in Megalopoli, which has mining sites and a coal-fired power plant, Tsagas added. 

/LONDON, January 12, 2023, 9:30 GMT, HIVE ENERGY/ British renewable energy and circular economy company Hive Energy [Hive], is planning to attract $4 billion (TL 75.11 billion) direct investment for over 4 GW of proposed co-located solar and battery storage projects in 30 locations across Türkiye. The company has applied for co-located solar and battery storage projects with capacities ranging from 11 to 230 MW in scale. The applications focus on 19 cities, from Gaziantep in the country’s southeast to Balıkesir in the west. The total capacity of the proposed solar-based battery projects is around 4 GW and average energy yield for solar projects is over 2,000 kWh/kW.

/LONDON, September 29, 2021, 10:30 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The country’s primary strategy to meet the growing need for power includes reducing energy dependence by increasing energy efficiency, renewable resources, natural gas, nuclear sources and connecting to the European power infrastructure. The country imports nowadays approximately 30% of its power (the main import countries are Slovakia, Austria, and Ukraine, while the main export countries are Croatia and Serbia). Hungary is ranked among the top 10 countries by attractiveness for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy by the Renewable Market Watch in their yearly updated "Attractiveness index for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy investments in Central-East Europe (CEE) and South-East Europe (SEE) countries in 2021". Between 2015 and 2020, cumulative installed solar power capacity in Hungary registered an impressive 11-fold increase. In June 2020, Hungary adopted a new law making the net-zero emission target by 2050 a binding obligation. This law is part of a broader change in the country’s energy and climate policies.

/2^nd June 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ With a land area of 93,028 km2, Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It measures about 250 km from north to south and 524 km from east to west. It has 2,106 km of boundaries, shared with Austria to the west, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to the south and southwest, Romania to the southeast, Ukraine to the northeast, and Slovakia to the north. The country’s landscape is mostly flat. The population was 9.82 million, and the current gross domestic product (GDP) was $155.7 billion as of 2018, according to the Hungary Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook: 2020 ÷ 2030. Under Hungary’s National Energy Strategy up until 2030, Hungary will aim at ensuring the long-term security of energy supplies and increasing the share of renewable sources in its electricity generation mix, particularly solar photovoltaic, but also notes that fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, will be necessary for future generations. Hungary is ranked among top 10 countries by attractiveness for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy investments among CEE & SEE countries by Renewable Market Watch™ in their yearly updated "Attractiveness index for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy investments in CEE & SEE countries in 2020". The country’s main strategy to meet the growing need of power is to reduce the energy dependency by increasing energy efficiency, increased use of renewable resources and nuclear sources.

/LONDON, January 17, 2022, 9:15 GMT, Iberdrola, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Iberdrola, through its British subsidiary ScottishPower has signed two deals to acquire 17 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the UK, with a combined capacity of more than 800 MW. The contracts have been concluded separately with Elgin Energy, which owns 12 projects, and Lightsource BP, which controls the rest. Both companies are experienced developers with a long track record in renewable energy. The projects, across England, Scotland and Wales, are in advanced stages of development and will be operational by 2025 with a total investment of approximately £500 million (around €600 million). This portfolio of solar sites will add enough clean energy to power over 220,000 homes.

/BERLIN, June 11, 2024, 9:00 CEST, IRENA/ Today, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Energy Community Secretariat (ECS) jointly put forward a Letter of Intent to closely work together in support of sustainable energy initiatives in Ukraine. Ukraine, an IRENA Member since 2018, appealed to the Agency and its Member Countries during the 2023 IRENA Assembly for their support in rebuilding the country’s damaged renewable energy infrastructure. Within the Agency’s mandate, IRENA has already supported the Ukrainian energy sector by sharing its knowledge through capacity building sessions, and training developers on the use of IRENA’s Energy Transition Accelerator Financing Platform (ETAF).

/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.

/25^th June 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ In the first quarter of 2020, the share of green electricity generated in the total amount of energy generated in Kazakhstan was 1.8%. This is 58% more than for the same period in 2019. Renewable energy development in Kazakhstan is accelerating. For three years, the amount of green energy generated has doubled. In 2017 renewable energy power plants in the country generated 1.1 billion kWh, while in 2019 this figure was 2.4 billion kWh. The state plans in 2020 to bring this figure to 3.15 billion kWh. According to the Kazakhstan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook 2020 ÷ 2030, electricity consumption in Kazakhstan will continue to show steady growth. Electricity consumption amid the development of the Kazakh economy shall increase by 2030 to 133.8 billion kWh, and by 2050 - to 162.7 billion kWh. The growing demand for electricity and the decommissioning of old power plants due to physical wear and tear in Kazakhstan will require significant construction of new power capacities: 10-15 GW by 2030 (which corresponds to approximately 60% of installed capacity for 2012) and 35-40 GW by 2050. This creates incredible opportunities for investors in renewable energy projects.

/10^th February 2021, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ This market report offers an incisive and reliable long-term overview of the photovoltaic sector of the country for the period 2020 ÷ 2030. In view of recent cuts in FIT’s announced in Germany, Spain, France, UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy, the Republic of Kazakhstan represents a stable investment environment in the CIS region with clear rules, feed-in tariff support scheme and auction (tender) procedure. The current cumulative installed PV capacity in the country is insignificant, but the number of fully permitted and ready to build projects will promptly increase in 2020 and the next years. Kazakhstan is ranked 25th for Ease of Doing Business in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report. The country has moved up three positions compared with the previous year. Investors prioritize Kazakhstan's strong fundamentals as its most attractive feature.

/SOFIA, April 19, 2024, 16:00 BST, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ RE-Source Southeast, the largest event dedicated to corporate renewable energy sourcing in Southeast Europe, will be held for the 4th time in Sofia, Bulgaria. It brings together industrial and corporate consumers, project developers, electricity traders and renewable power producers.

/ABU DHABI, UAE & ATHENS, June 20, 2024, 11:30 BST, Masdar/ Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar (“Masdar”), the UAE’s clean energy leader, has announced its definitive agreement with GEK TERNA SA (GEKTERNA.AT) and other shareholders of TERNA ENERGY SA (TENERGY.AT) to acquire 67% of the company’s outstanding shares initially. This is subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. Upon completion of the initial acquisition, Masdar will launch an all-cash mandatory tender offer to acquire the remaining outstanding shares, aiming to reach 100% ownership.

/BRUSSELS, July 19, 2023, 14:00 BST, European Commission, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ In their amendments to the draft legislation, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) propose to further strengthen consumer protection against volatile prices. The reform of the electricity market, to make it more stable, affordable and sustainable, received the support of the Energy Committee on Wednesday (July 19, 2023). Consumers should have the right to fixed-price contracts, dynamic price contracts, as well as more key information on the options they sign up to, banning suppliers from being able to unilaterally change the terms of a contract. The aim is to ensure that all consumers, as well as small businesses, would benefit from long-term, affordable and stable prices and to mitigate the impact of sudden price shocks. MEPs also advocate that EU countries prohibit suppliers from cutting the electricity supply of vulnerable customers, including during disputes between suppliers and customers, and prevent suppliers from requiring these customers to use prepayment systems.

/13^th March 2017, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM, Ingeteam) One of the largest PV plants in Australia has been now inaugurated, namely the Moree Solar Farm, with a rated power of 56 MWac (70 MWp). This project has been the first utility-scale solar plant in the country to be equipped with a system that allows the PV panels to follow the path of the sun, from east to west. Moree Solar Farm uses a single-axis horizontal tracker that maximises the power output, making it possible to supply approximately 145 GWh of energy annually to around 24,000 Australian households. The plant’s output is connected to Essential Energy’s distribution network, allowing the solar farm to supply electricity into the grid and trade in the National Market. Although the power plant has been up and running for nearly one year, it had not celebrated its opening ceremony until now. The inauguration took place on Friday, 3rd March 2017 and brought together the main representatives of the companies and institutions involved in the project. Ben Franklin, Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy, and Amy Kean, Renewable Energy Advocate, attended as the main representatives of New South Wales’ government.