Low Carbon Brings 240 MW Solar Online in UK
Low Carbon commissioned nearly 240 MW of large-scale solar capacity into operation across the UK over the past year. It says this strengthens its position as an independent power producer (IPP). The projects, located in Warwickshire, Essex and Shropshire, include Feldon Vale (49.9 MW), Maldon Wycke (25 MW), Layer (49.9 MW), Birch (39 MW), Long Meadow (19 MW), Braintree (35 MW) and Pepperhill (21 MW). Together, these 7 solar projects are expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 64,000 UK homes annually. The announcement follows the company securing about 130 MW of capacity in the UK government’s latest Contracts for Difference auction allocation round 7 (AR7), bringing its total capacity awarded in recent CfD rounds to over 1 GW.
ENERPARC Secures Up to €1 Billion to Expand Solar Portfolio
Germany’s solar and storage EPC firm Enerparc AG has secured a financing package of up to €1 billion to support the expansion of its ground-mounted solar parks and battery storage projects. The package includes a €500 million junior financing and a long-term project financing framework of up to €425 million, with an accordion facility that could increase the project financing portion to €500 million. The funding will enable the firm to achieve its medium-term corporate goals. Following the installation of 1.2 GW of new solar capacity in 2025, ENERPARC’s owned ground-mounted portfolio has reached about 5 GW. The company plans to further increase installations in 2026 and expand battery storage capacity; it currently has 24 storage systems totaling around 220 MWh in operation or under construction.
JUWI Realigns Strategy to Focus on Core European Markets
Germany-headquartered renewable energy developer JUWI has announced a strategic realignment to focus on its core European markets as competition in the global wind and solar sectors intensifies. The company said it will optimize its structures and processes to better position itself in the wake of increasing competition for investors, grid connections, and project contracts in Germany and international markets. While an official statement from JUWI does not specify the details, the management said the changes are aimed at improving efficiency and strengthen its competitiveness while continuing to expand renewable energy projects. The realignment is being implemented in coordination with employee representatives and the company’s parent firm, MVV Energie AG. JUWI said the adjustments will support its role as a partner for municipalities, investors, and project developers in building and operating renewable energy plants.
Good Energy Forays into Scottish Solar Market
Good Energy, the UK-based renewable energy supplier, has announced the acquisition of commercial solar PV and battery storage installer Low Energy Services of Scotland as its 5th acquisition over the last 18 months. Good Energy says this acquisition marks its foray into the Scottish market will help it meet growing demand for solar in the UK’s commercial sector.
Zelestra Secures 1.5 TWh Under Italy’s Energy Release 2.0
Spain’s Zelestra has secured bilateral contracts totaling 1.5 TWh of renewable electricity under Energy Release 2.0 in Italy, supporting the development of new solar capacity in the country. The agreements include a long-term contract for 950 GWh with Burgo Group S.p.A., a European producer of graphic and specialty papers. The deal aims to provide Burgo with stable renewable power supply reducing its exposure to wholesale market volatility and supporting decarbonization of its industrial operations. Energy Release 2.0, promoted by Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), links industrial electricity demand with the development of new renewable generation projects. Zelestra says this supports its strategy to expand its renewable portfolio and reach nearly 3 GW of total capacity in Italy by 2026.
ROSI Selected to Recycle End-of-Life Solar Modules in France
French solar recycling firm ROSI Solar along with its partner Envie 2E Aquitaine have been selected by Soren, France’s producer responsibility organization for PV modules, to recycle end-of-life (EoL) solar panels. ROSI said it will use its proprietary technologies to recover high-value materials such as silicon, silver, and copper from retired PV modules with low environmental impact. The initiative supports France’s efforts to scale up solar panel recycling as the volume of decommissioned modules increases said ROSI that targets to become a market leader in recycling standards and recycled volumes.
Atrato Onsite Energy & Finlight Merge as DG Platform
Brookfield-backed Atrato Onsite Energy has acquired Spain’s Finlight to create Europe's ‘largest’ C&I solar business under Finlight brand. It will cater as distributed generation energy provider for commercial, industrial, and residential markets. Headquartered in the UK, with backing from majority shareholder Brookfield and Real Asset Investment Management, Finlight will have around 700 MW of installed and under-construction capacity across 815 commercial and industrial (C&I) sites, along with about 23,000 residential solar and battery systems in the UK, Spain, and Portugal. Its customer base includes companies such as Amazon, Bentley, Nissan, and Tesco. Finlight plans to invest over £2 billion in distributed generation by 2030 to expand its installed capacity to over 2 GW. Focus will initially be on the UK, Spain, and Portugal markets while it will parallel explore expansion into new core European markets. The company will continue to offer fully funded on-site solar and battery systems, allowing customers to purchase renewable electricity at fixed prices without upfront costs.
Slovenia’s ‘Largest’ Solar Power Plant
Alpacem Cement, the Austria-based cement producer, is expanding its existing solar PV facility in Slovenia to 20 MW accompanied by a 16 MW/32 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). This will entail the deployment of over 25,000 solar panels by Enertron. It will make the project the largest solar power plant in the country, reported Balkan Green Energy News. This will be an expansion of its 2022 installation of 2.2 MW solar rooftop solar power plant which the company planned to expand by 1.5 MW in 2023.
NIS Commissions 6.8 MW Solar Plant in Serbia
Serbian oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) has announced the commercial operations of its largest solar PV power plant to date. Located at the oil derivatives storage facility in Novi Sad, the project has an installed capacity of 6.8 MW. Comprising close to 12,000 solar PV panels covering 10 hectares of free space inside the warehouse, the project is expected to generate around 8.7 GWh annually. NIS says this triples the company’s self-owned solar power plants as it has built 78 solar PV projects at its gas stations in Serbia.