Global Solar Trends: Key Developments in the Renewable Energy Sector

Colombia Introduces New Rules for Energy Communities – April 14, 2025: Colombia’s energy regulatory agency has approved new regulations that allow for the establishment of energy communities. This initiative aims to add at least 1 GW of renewable energy capacity to the national grid.

Largest Solar + Storage Project in Latin America Goes Live – April 14, 2025: ContourGlobal has launched a power plant in northern Chile featuring a 221 MW solar generation capacity and a 6-hour storage capability. This facility is part of an investment portfolio acquired from Spain’s Grenergy last year.

SERIS Launches Solar Asset Management Business – April 9, 2025: The Singapore Solar Energy Research Institute (SERIS) has founded PV Doctor, a startup that offers real-time monitoring and diagnostics to help solar asset owners maintain long-term value.

South Africa Plans to Add 5 GW of Renewable Energy Annually – April 9, 2025: The South African Renewable Energy Master Plan (SAREM) aims to deploy at least 3 GW of renewable energy each year, increasing to 5 GW by 2030, while creating 25,000 jobs in the renewable energy and storage sectors.

Hungary to Add 1.4 GW of Solar in 2024 – April 8, 2025: Last year, utility-scale solar accounted for approximately half of Hungary’s newly installed solar capacity. However, due to a lack of new grid connection permits for large projects over the past two years, growth in this segment is expected to slow in the coming years.

India to Install 18.5 GW of Utility-Scale Solar in 2024 – April 8, 2025: In 2024, India added 18.5 GW of utility-scale solar and 4.59 GW of rooftop solar capacity. Waaree Energies, a local solar manufacturer, led the market with a 14.1% share of PV module shipments.

Poland Opens $1 Billion Energy Storage Subsidy Program – April 8, 2025: The application process for Poland’s power storage and related infrastructure program is now open, with a deadline of May 30, 2025. This initiative aims to enhance the stability of Poland’s power grid.

European Market Faces Negative Pricing Shock – April 8, 2025: Recent analysis from AleaSoft Energy Forecasting revealed that most major power markets in Europe experienced negative pricing last week, with Portugal and Spain setting a record low hourly price on March 30.

Germany’s Solar Capacity Limitations Surge by 97% in 2024 – April 7, 2025: Data from the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) indicates that Germany’s solar curtailment capacity increased by 97% last year, driven by rapid growth in solar deployment and unusually high summer radiation.

Switzerland Announces Compensation Levels for Solar Bids – April 7, 2025: The Swiss government has outlined the compensation levels for tenders exceeding 150 kW in photovoltaic systems, set to open in mid-April.

Israel Installs 900 MW of PV Capacity in 2024 – April 2, 2025: Recent data shows that Israel added 900 MW of solar PV capacity in 2024, with most of the new capacity stemming from projects that signed commercial power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Japan Unveils Solar Strategy for Energy Development – April 2, 2025: The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in Japan released a solar strategy aimed at expanding solar deployment and promoting next-generation technologies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium Completes Solar Array Installation – April 1, 2025: Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium has successfully installed a solar array capable of generating 3.8 GWh annually, expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

Key Points from the European PV Industry Association Summit – April 1, 2025: Over 500 leaders from the solar industry attended the SolarPower Europe Summit in Brussels to discuss energy flexibility and EU policies. An EU energy official mentioned that the Affordable Energy Action Plan could potentially save €25 trillion ($27 trillion).

Dortmund Plans to Install 4.2 MW PV System at Stadium – March 31, 2025: Borussia Dortmund is collaborating with JA Solar and Rhein Group to install a 4.2 MW solar system equipped with battery storage to provide 4 MWh of energy for on-site consumption. A smaller solar installation is already operational on the stadium’s roof.

EU Launches Partnerships to Enhance PV, Advanced Materials, and Textiles – March 24, 2025: The European Commission has initiated three Horizon Europe partnerships to bolster technological strength, industrial capability, and eco-friendly innovation, aiming to invest nearly €1.1 billion ($1.19 billion) in PV, advanced materials, and textiles by 2030.

Eternit Brazil Subsidiary Halts PV Product Manufacturing – March 18, 2025: The Brazilian subsidiary of the Belgian company has decided to cease the production of photovoltaic products due to competition from China. The last module from this subsidiary is expected to be released in September 2024.

SMA Reports €93 Million Loss in 2024 – March 11, 2025: German solar company SMA experienced a nearly 20% drop in revenue last year. The company anticipates stable revenue and profits in 2025, partly due to the positive impact of restructuring measures.

Power Roll Develops 12.8% Efficiency Back-Contact Perovskite Solar Devices – March 5, 2025: Researchers from the University of Sheffield and Power Roll have achieved a 12.8% energy conversion efficiency in indium-free devices based on a new back-contact process compatible with roll-to-roll manufacturing.

Wind Load Effects on Floating PV Systems – March 4, 2025: Researchers studied the aerodynamic performance of a floating PV system consisting of 16 panels and an array of 15 such systems, finding that drag coefficient distribution and wind pressure effects vary with incoming wind angles. Material optimization has also revealed cost-saving opportunities.

Estonia Launches Largest Battery Storage Project – April 1, 2025: This flagship battery storage project commenced operations on February 1, just days before the disconnection from the Russian power grid.

Compressed Air Energy Storage Solutions for Homes and Businesses – March 25, 2025: Segula Technologies has launched Remora Stack, a containerized isothermal compressed air energy storage solution, claiming an efficiency of up to 70%.

Netherlands Tests Temporary Solar Shutdown to Alleviate Grid Congestion – March 5, 2025: A pilot study in the Dutch province of Zeeland found that homeowners temporarily shutting down their solar panels during peak generation times could reduce grid load by 57%.

Daytime Electric Vehicle Charging Boosts PV Adoption – February 25, 2025: Solar generation capacity continues to expand rapidly, marking another record year for solar PV deployment in 2024. Despite challenges in some countries regarding electric vehicle adoption, usage rose by 25% last year. Assuming a daily energy requirement of 10 kWh per new EV, the 17 million new electric vehicles sold in 2024 would necessitate an additional 50-70 GW of solar generation capacity worldwide.

India’s CDIL Semiconductors Launches Solar Bypass Diode – February 18, 2025: CDIL Semiconductors has developed India’s first domestically produced solar bypass diode, optimized for extreme climate conditions, featuring low forward voltage drop and high thermal stability.

French Construction Company Launches PV Monitoring Software – February 18, 2025: The French construction firm Ubitik has successfully introduced Ubix Solar, a comprehensive software solution designed to help developers monitor large-scale PV projects.

Allegro Energy Introduces Australia’s First Domestic Micro-Emulsion Flow Battery for Long-Duration Storage – April 1, 2025: Allegro Energy has launched Australia’s first domestically produced micro-emulsion flow battery intended for long-duration energy storage (LDES). The company will pilot this technology in collaboration with Origin Energy at Eraring, Australia’s largest coal-fired power station.

Philippines Releases Bidding Regulations for Renewable Energy Generation and Storage Projects – March 18, 2025: In an upcoming renewable energy tender, the Philippines has identified the “solar power plant + battery energy storage system (BESS)” co-development model as a primary strategic focus. All projects must include a minimum storage duration of 4 hours to ensure adequate grid support and energy reliability.

Scatec Signs Major Solar + Storage PPA in Egypt – March 18, 2025: Norway’s Scatec has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Egypt Aluminium to build a 1.1 GW solar power plant along with a 100 MW/200 MWh battery storage system. This agreement is seen as Egypt’s first utility-scale PPA signed with an industrial buyer.

Massachusetts Allows Increased Demand Charges to Promote Energy Storage – February 25, 2025: The Massachusetts Public Utilities Commission has approved a rate adjustment allowing large electricity customers, particularly commercial ones, to pay transmission synchronized peak demand charges instead of capacity transmission fees.

Sales of Heat Pumps Decline in Major European Markets in 2024 – February 25, 2025: Analysis from the European Heat Pump Association indicates a 23% year-on-year decline in heat pump sales across 13 major European markets, which account for approximately 85% of the total market, with the UK being the only country to experience growth.

ACWA Power Developing Hydrogen Corridor Connecting Europe and MENA – February 24, 2025: In an exclusive interview with pv magazine, ACWA Power CEO Marco Arcelli discussed the company’s exploration of opportunities to build a hydrogen corridor between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. He also mentioned a 2 GW hydrogen project in Neom and the company’s plans in renewable energy and desalination.