European energy power companies have slashed the feed-in tariff they pay to home rooftop PV owners. The site studied 51 energy contracts and found that the acquisition price had dropped from more than 20 cents per kilowatt-hour at the beginning of the year to an average of just 8 cents. Vattenfall, the Swedish power company, was one of the best payers, offering 16.8 cents per kilowatt-hour for customers on non-fixed energy contracts, but is now offering just 4.5 cents for customers on three-year fixed deals. The drop in feed-in tariffs is linked to a big increase in the number of solar panels. On sunny days, there is a surplus of electricity, which has led to falling or even negative prices on the wholesale market. But even with excess power, utilities are actually paying for the power that rooftop photovoltaics provide. In light of this, the Swedish government plans to adjust the regulations for rooftop photovoltaic Internet access, as the current system costs the Treasury more than 400 million euros in lost energy taxes. The government believes that by reducing the purchase price for rooftop photovoltaics, residents can be encouraged to use more of their own electricity and invest in home battery storage systems.

The Italian authority allocated 368.2MW of installed renewable energy capacity in the latest round of clean energy procurement activities. Developers offered maximum discounts of 2% to 2.8% at the maximum auction price of €0.065 ($0.070)/kWh. Italian energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) has allocated 368.2MW of renewable energy capacity for projects larger than 1 MW in the country's 11th round of renewable energy auctions. The Gses awarded solar capacity projects with a total of 149 MW at 16 sites and five wind projects with a total capacity of 213.8 MW. These PV projects range in size from 1.7MW to 49.5MW. Developers offered maximum discounts of 2% to 2.8% at the maximum auction price of €0.065/kWh. The minimum bid of €0.0607/kWh comes from the largest project, a 75.6MW wind farm planned for Foggia province in southern Italy. These bids were slightly higher than or equal to the 10th round of the renewable energy auction and all other prior auctions.

Daniel Westerman, chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), said renewable energy cuts in Australia were up about 40 percent from last year. Australia finds itself caught between needing more renewable power generation and limiting the number of renewable projects in large areas of the national grid. To complicate matters further, some camps believe a new transmission system is the only way out of the situation, but Australia's framework for assessing transmission projects is not considered fit for purpose. AEMO chief Executive Daniel Westerman told a forum in Sydney on May 15 that cuts in renewable energy projects had risen by almost 40% over the past year. The states most affected are Victoria and New South Wales, and the woes extend to parts of Queensland. "We can see from the control room that more and more solar and wind power is being cut because there is not enough transmission capacity," Westerman said. From January to March, connections from Victoria to New Zealand and Tasmania were at their limits 42 per cent and 57 per cent of the time respectively. "The line to NSW was bound for two-thirds of the time that the sun was producing free electrons, and over 80% of the time to Tasmania," he said. In other words, part of our electric highway is paralyzed." Ian Learmonth, chief executive of the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), said Australia was well below the level needed to meet its climate targets - namely a 43% cut in emissions by 2030 and more than 80% of electricity generated from renewables on the national grid. "To meet the ambitious targets around renewables and emissions reductions, we need to install about 29GW of large-scale renewable energy, which is roughly 3.6GW per year or 300MW per month, equivalent to a sizeable wind farm per month," Learmonth said.

In recent years, China's new energy sector has developed rapidly, among which photovoltaic products are well received by the European market. As Europe speeds up its green transition, PV industry insiders in Spain and Portugal are optimistic about the prospects of cooperation with Chinese companies in the solar power sector. The Francisco Pizarro Solar Farm in the southwestern Spanish autonomous region of Extremadura is the largest operational photovoltaic power plant in Europe. It was built and operated by Spanish power company Iverdrola Group and opened in the summer of 2022. It uses solar panels entirely from China. With an installed capacity of 590 megawatts, the Francesco Pizarro solar plant consists of 1.5 million solar panels, 13,700 trackers and 313 inverters, providing green and clean energy for 334,000 homes, Jose Belliot, the company's renewable energy development commissioner for Extremadura region, said at the site. 'There have been no problems with the Chinese-made panels after they have been put into operation,' Mr. Bellet said. 'Chinese photovoltaic products fit our needs just right.' Spain is Europe's second-largest market for solar power. According to a report published by the European Solar Energy Industries Association at the end of 2022, Spain's total installed PV capacity is expected to reach 26.4 gigawatts by the end of 2022, with 7.5 gigawatts added in 2022 alone. Data show that 41.1 gigawatts of new PV capacity were installed in the EU in 2022, up 47 percent from 2021. Jose Donoso Alonso, secretary-general of the Spanish Photovoltaic Association, said that the quality and cost advantages of Chinese photovoltaic products are obvious to all. At present, Spain imports mainly inverters and photovoltaic panels from China, which are very competitive. Mr Alonso said Spain planned to have 30 gigawatts of total installed PV capacity by 2030, but this could be raised to 55 gigawatts to 65 gigawatts, given the interest shown by investors and the state of the industry. Alonso believes that the cooperation between Spain and China is crucial to promoting the development of the global photovoltaic industry, and the large-scale development of the photovoltaic industry in Spain will also help China explore the European market. Portugal is also a big importer of Chinese photovoltaic products. Pedro Amaral Georgiou, CEO of the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, said that Chinese-made photovoltaic panels, which account for about 85 percent of the market in Portugal, have obtained the highest quality certification and are recognized by power companies, financing institutions and others. Portugal aims to have 9 gigawatts of total installed PV capacity by 2030, but the government may raise the target to 18 gigawatts to 20 gigawatts, Jorge said. Portugal must strengthen cooperation with China if its total installed PV capacity is to reach 20 gigawatts. We look forward to more construction and investment by Chinese companies in the European...

Green Akku, a German supplier of solar panels for balconies, is now reportedly offering ZaunPV(fencePV), a plug-in photovoltaic system that can be easily installed on a garden fence. Fence photovoltaic is a new type of photovoltaic power generation system that can combine the fence with photovoltaic panels to convert solar energy into electricity. Such a system would provide energy for the fence, while also injecting excess power into the grid, improving energy efficiency. Fence photovoltaics can also be used in lighting, access control, surveillance and other systems in public places, as well as power supply in rural areas. The photovoltaic system can be vertically attached to the fence, and is able to generate more solar energy even in less sunny weather and winter. This plug and play system can also be installed on other types of fences. The inverter can be connected directly to the home network through a safety plug. In addition to housing, fence photovoltaic can also be applied to urban, industrial, public facilities and other fields, including urban walls, rural fences, highways, schools, hospitals and other places. In addition to photovoltaic fence, solar anti-theft fence, photovoltaic monitoring fence and other products and designs have gradually entered the public field of vision. As one of the world's leading countries in the field of renewable energy, Germany has a wide range of fence photovoltaic applications, including solar anti-theft fence, fence photovoltaic monitoring and so on. Australia has a large amount of solar energy, and the application of fence photovoltaic is also relatively widespread in the country, which is widely used in public places, rural areas and so on. The United States is relatively mature in the field of fence photovoltaic, and many states have adopted fence photovoltaic technology to power public facilities, such as gas stations, bus stops, campuses, etc. It is important to note that the specific application of fence PV and roof PV needs to take into account local regulations, safety, environmental and building conditions and other factors. In general, the application of fence photovoltaic is still in its infancy, and there are still some technical and marketing difficulties. However, with the continuous maturity of technology and policy support, it is believed that fence photovoltaic will be more widely used in the future.

The Electric Power Board of Thailand (Egat) aims to increase the capacity of floating photovoltaic plants at its nine hydropower stations to 10GW by 2037, with an investment of nearly 300 billion baht. The Thai government earlier approved Egat's plan to develop 2,725MW floating photovoltaic plants at nine DAMS. Egat is waiting for approval of its capacity expansion from the committee that drafted the National Power Development Plan for 2023, Egat Director General Boonyanit Wongrukmit said. Egat has completed the development of its first floating photovoltaic plant, with a capacity of 45MW, located at the Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast. Egat is building a second floating PV plant with a capacity of 24MW at the Ubonrattana dam in Khon Kaen in the northeast. Boonyanit said the project includes the installation of energy storage systems and weather forecasting equipment to ensure more stable power supply from solar farms.

The US production site will come on stream at 3 GW, with plans to double capacity to 6 GW.Enel North America announced that it has chosen Oklahoma as the site for its new solar cell and manufacturing facility. The facility was first announced in November 2022 and will be operated by its affiliate, 3Sun USA.The main battery and panel plant is expected to have an initial capacity of 3 GW, with Enel saying it plans to double that to 6 GW. The plant is expected to bring millions of dollars of investment to the state and create more than 1,500 jobs, with production expected to begin by the end of 2024."We are close to completing an assessment of potential sites for the plant, and factors such as land availability, skilled Labour stock, connectivity to transport networks and tax and incentive structures are taken into account when making location decisions," an Enel spokesperson told PV.The United States has become increasingly attractive to solar panel makers because the $370 billion Inflation Reduction Act contains a raft of manufacturing incentives, including tax breaks for solar cell and panel manufacturing.Enel currently has a $3 billion wind power portfolio in the state and an office in Oklahoma City. "We are very much looking forward to the possibility of expanding our presence in the state," Enel said.The facility will join Qcells' 3.3GW vertically integrated solar manufacturing base in Georgia, making it the largest solar manufacturing announcement in the United States to date."[Oklahoma] is on the verge of one of the largest economic development deals in our state's history with Enel, which has invested in our state for more than a decade," Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said.Enel says it is considering building a new plant in the Tulsa area.

Nova Innovation, a leader in tidal energy technology, says it will install its first floating photovoltaic demonstration project in Scotland later this year. The company is currently building a multi-megawatt international pipeline.     Scotland will deploy its first floating photovoltaic system this year as part of work to increase renewable energy generation and reduce carbon emissions. Nova Innovation, a leading developer of tidal turbines, has added floating solar products to its portfolio and will install the above PV systems later this year. The company is currently testing the array at its facility in Edinburgh.Speaking during a visit to the production site in Edinburgh's Leith Harbour area, Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf said: "These panels give usa glimpse of the opportunities for Scotland's future energy system and are a first step in exploiting the huge potential of floating solar."Nova Innovation installed the world's first offshore tidal turbine array in Shetland in 2016. The company then secured 6.4 million pounds ($8 million) in funding from the National Investment Bank of Scotland in 2021 to expand production of innovative renewable energy generators. It has since set up project sites in Canada, France and Indonesia."The Scottish National Investment Bank's investment in Nova Innovation helps expand the company's manufacturing base in Leith and aligns with the Scottish Government's priorities to support innovative technologies, which will help us achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045," Yousaf said, "Scotland is already one of the most advanced Marine energy technology testing and demonstration centres in Europe, and I look forward to seeing solar panels rolled out here in the near future."Simon Forrest, chief executive of Nova Innovation, said record high energy prices and growing concerns about security of supply made it imperative for Scotland to focus on exploiting its vast natural resources to develop homegrown energy."Scotland is at the heart of the tidal energy revolution and Nova continues to lead the field with proven technology and unmatched reliability," Forrest said. "Adding floating solar to our portfolio puts us in an ideal position to better drive towards net zero emissions."Nova Innovation says the installation of the floating photovoltaic unit will officially start later this year. The company says it already has several megawatts of international pipeline.

On March 21, the second day of Jinan Exhibition, Growatt booth scene is still hot. At the booth site, Growatt held a new product launch ceremony of "Inherit classic, recreate classic". Growatt made a grand debut with MAC 60KTL3-X2 LV industrial and commercial inverter products, explaining the core strength of the enterprise with innovation. With the proposal of the two-carbon strategy and the introduction of various favorable policies, industrial and commercial distributed photovoltaic (PV) develops rapidly and gradually becomes the main force of newly installed distributed installations. Growatt MAC series inverters since the use, a total of more than 100,000 shipments, capacity of more than 6GW. Growatt actively responds to the market demand, on the basis of the MAC generation officially launched MAC II series inverter, to create value for customers, to achieve cost reduction and efficiency.   Mr. Yuan Zhimin, product director of Growatt, pointed out at the press conference that the industrial and commercial products released this time start from the systematic level, maximize the value of customers, meet the requirements of high-ratio design, set high efficiency, economy, safety and intelligence as one, and improve the efficiency of power generation.     High efficiencyGrowatt MAC 60KTL3-X2 LV with maximum efficiency up to 98.8%, high current design, suitable for high power and high current components, perfect for 182/210 components, multi-channel MPPT design, support complex scenarios, improve power generation, increase power generation income.EconomySupport 70mm? Aluminum cable access, save cable investment; Support PLC communication, reduce communication cable and construction costs, all-round reduce power station system investment costs.SafetyThe product adopts no fuse design, safe and maintenance-free; IP66 protection and C5 anticorrosive grade design, waterproof and dust-proof, adapt to a variety of harsh and complex application environment; Ac-dc two-level lightning protection module design, extreme safety; Precise anti-DC arc technology to prevent fire hazards in power station.IntelligenceIntelligent group monitoring, accurate fault location; Intelligent IV curve scanning, one-button diagnosis power station health status, and provide diagnostic report; Big data intelligent early warning analysis, remote intelligent operation and maintenance, maximize to avoid power generation loss; Intelligent reactive power compensation, reduce the investment of reactive power compensation cabinet equipment.   Growatt builds the "quality first" brand core with core technology, and with strong R&D and innovation ability and excellent product quality, it provides high-quality distributed energy solutions for the whole scene for the global household and industrial and commercial users, and embraces the surging photovoltaic era.

On April 2, 2023, the photovoltaic committee of China Renewable Energy Society held the 18th China Renewable Energy Academic Conference, and released the results of the highest efficiency of solar cells in China in 2022 on the same day. Among them, the "29.55% perovskite/crystalline silicon two-end laminated solar cell efficiency" submitted by Longi Green Energy was selected by the photovoltaic committee of China Renewable Energy Society as the highest efficiency of solar cells in China in 2022 (Ver.6)!   29.55%, Longi crystalline silicon and perovskite stack team opened a comprehensive screen domination era!Among them: 29.55%, China crystalline silicon - perovskite two ends of the laminated battery the highest efficiency! China's first by the international authority of the certification of more than 29.5% of the laminated battery efficiency! Among the top three in the world!25.9%, the world's largest area (M6 size 241 square centimeters), the highest efficiency crystalline silicon-perovskite four-terminal laminated battery! Before this, the largest area is the Karlsruhe Polytechnic certification efficiency in Germany, an area of 4 square centimeters, the efficiency of 23.4%. This is the world's first true four-ended laminated mini PV module based on crystalline silicon dimensions!   At the 16th China New Energy International Expo and Summit Forum held on the same day, Martin Green, the "father of the world's solar energy" and professor of the University of New South Wales, announced through a video that Longi Green's 26.81% cell efficiency is currently the world's highest silicon solar cell efficiency record, regardless of technical route. It has been five years since a Japanese company set a new world record of 26.7 percent efficiency in a single crystalline silicon cell in 2017.