/BERLIN, October 25, 2021, 9:30 CET, EIT InnoEnergy, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The pandemic we are currently in is driving a multitude of changes across the world. While, undoubtedly, many of the impacts have been devastating, there are some developments which bear great promise for the future. Interestingly enough, some of the most significant and positive of these changes happen right in front of us – in our cities, particularly large and densely populated urban areas. New trends are emerging that are pushing urban centres in Europe and around the globe to adopt exciting new models that put citizens and their life quality front and centre.

/FRANKFURT, Germany and COLOGNE, Germany, February 2, 2023, 7:00 ET, PRNewswire/ Digital Realty and ENGIE have signed a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 116 megawatts (MW) share of a new 154 MW ground mounted solar photovoltaic project. Digital Realty's offtake commitment, estimated at 120 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, supports the construction of the new solar park to be built by CEE Group, an infrastructure fund specializing in renewable energy projects. Located in Brandenburg in the northeast of Germany, the solar park is scheduled to start operation in late 2023.

/23^rd March 2021, BayWa r.e. Renewable Energy GmbH/ BayWa AG has been given the green light for the capital increase at BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH (BayWa r.e.) by an external investor. The regulatory approvals by the responsible supervisory authorities in Germany, Austria and Australia have laid the foundation for the largest transaction in BayWa’s corporate history: Funds advised by the Swiss investor, Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP), will acquire a 49% stake in BayWa r.e. with an equity contribution of €530 million. The transaction is expected to be completed in March. BayWa AG will remain the majority shareholder with a 51% stake.

/BRUSSELS, October 14, 2021, 17:00 CET, WindEurope, SolarPower Europe/ Renewables are central to delivering Europe’s energy and climate ambition – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. At RE-Source 2021 globally leading businesses from different sectors of the economy underline their commitment to support Europe’s transition to a renewable energy system. This year’s event comes just a day after the European Commission endorsed corporate renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) as part of the answer to surging energy prices. The current price surge will only increase the demand for PPAs as businesses seek to hedge against volatile energy prices.

/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.

/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.

/17^th January 2018, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ The Hungarian Government is willing to establish a sustainable energy economy in all aspects, where beside environmental and social sustainability, cost-effectiveness also prevails. The expansion of renewable energy systems can help to decentralize our power supply system, and it opens up new directions of development such as a smart grid system. Hungary imports nowadays approximately 30% of its power. In the meantime, 50% of the country’s power is generated from a single nuclear plant (Paks Nuclear Power Plant). János Lázár, the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office announced in the middle of December 2017, the government’s plans to minimize Hungary’s energy imports in the next 10-20 years. He said Hungary should cover one half of the country’s total demand from the upgraded Paks Nuclear Power Plant, and the other half from solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants.

/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.

/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.

/10^th September 2020, by Lim Jeong-yeo, The Korea Herald/ LG Chem became the first company in Korea to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle using next-generation lithium-sulfur battery into the 22-kilometer-high stratosphere, the company said Thursday. The test flight, conducted on Aug. 30 jointly with Korea Aerospace Research Institute, flew the high-altitude solar unmanned aerial vehicle EAV-3 equipped with a lithium-sulfur battery for a total of 13 hours. During the flight, EAV-3 was able to stably operate in the 12- to 22-kilometer-high stratosphere for seven hours, a feat previously unaccomplished by any Korean company. Carriers are typically unable to fly at that height due to the adverse conditions of temperatures below 70 degrees Celsius and vacuum-like 1/25 atmospheric pressure.

/20^th March 2019, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Experimental floating photovoltaic solar power plant project in Kruonis pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant (PSHP), developed by Lithuanian state-owned enterprise Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba has received funding from the Lithuanian Business Support Agency (LBSA). The total amount of 235,000 EUR has been granted. LBSA, together with the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation has decided to fund the project after considering 139 applications, 91 of which received grants. The floating solar power plant project has been rated among the best applications. Lietuvos energijos gamyba is developing the project together with the scientists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).

/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.

/18^th May 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Romania had the cumulative installed capacity of 1,390 MW (1.39 GW) as of 1^st January 2020, according to the recently published report Romania Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook: 2020 ÷ 2030. The photovoltaic development in Romania was started with small scale photovoltaic installations below 30 KW in 2006. Contrary to the rapid expansion of the wind market in Romania, the photovoltaic power capacity remained relatively unchanged by the end of 2011. After that, Romania was an emerging market for photovoltaic energy investments amongst SEE countries by the end of 2014. The maturing photovoltaic markets in Germany, Spain, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy and Bulgaria allowed investors to look for new opportunities among South-East European (SEE) nations and Romania was one of the best alternatives. Furthermore, Romania was one of the major destinations for the Chinese solar power plant investors in Central and Eastern Europe between 2012 and 2015. By the end of 2011, the country had approximately 3 MW installed capacity, by the end of 2012 this capacity increased fourteenfold to approximately 42 MW, and with a more than thirty-fold explosive growth cumulative installed capacity reached 1,293 MW (1.29 GW) by the end of 2014. However, solar photovoltaic market growth in Romania between 2015 and 2019 was moderate, with only 97 MW of newly installed capacity in this period.

/15^th May 2020, RENEWABLE MARKET WATCH^TM/ Solar energy is the fastest-growing and lowest cost source globally. In Europe, solar capacity increased by 36 per cent to 8.5GW in 2018. However, 2019 was a huge success for the European solar PV market with a 104 per cent increase of newly installed solar PV capacity (16.7GW) compared to 2018 (8.5GW), according to the Europe Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook: 2020 ÷ 2030. Cumulative installed solar capacity in Europe reached 131.9GW by the end of 2019, which is 14 per cent increase compared to 115.2GW at the end of 2018. By the end of 2020, several member states in the European Union have to speed up to meet their 2020 renewable energy targets. Furthermore, Renewable Market Watch™ expects countries such as Spain, France, and Italy shall take their place at the GW-scale annual installation level. Most of the countries in Europe agree with the new 32% EU 2030 renewables target. The ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’ package gives the solar sector a solid policy framework that paves the way for much more versatile, low-cost solar investments in Europe. The European Green Deal is the new roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable. This will happen by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities across all policy areas and making the transition just and inclusive for all.