Europe PV News Snippets: Nofar, Singulus, Orsted

• Portland Trust has sold off its stake in a 153 MW under development solar project to Nofar Energy and Econergy in Romania
• For a pilot production in Germany, Singulus Technologies has secured an order for its new pilot machine
• European energy company Orsted has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Microsoft for its 430 MW AC Texas project

153 MW solar in Romania changes hands: Israel based renewable energy company Nofar Energy has acquired a 153 MW solar power plant in Romania along with international independent power producer (IPP) Econergy, from Portland Trust. The project is currently under development in Arges County and is scheduled to enter commercial operations in early 2023. Monica Cojocaru of the legal firm Schoenherr Romania that advised Nofar Energy on the transaction said, "This transaction reconfirms international investors' trust in the long-term potential of the Romanian renewables market, even though governmental support is still lagging behind." This transaction marks the entry of Nofar Energy in the Romanian solar market after it forayed into the US market with 67% acquisition in solar and storage developer Blue Sky Utility (see Israeli Company Nofar Energy Enters US Solar Market).

New pilot thin-film machine order for Singulus: German thin film production equipment maker Singulus Technologies has received an order to supply its new pilot machine of the next generation for selenization machines of the CISARIS CX3 type for a pilot production in Germany. Singulus said the new machine generation will be employed for the future production sites and additional capacity expansion of the CIGS factories. It already supplies machines for selenization, sputtering and evaporation. "The CIGS thin-film technology by CNBM will meet the higher demands of the market in the future even more through the use of new equipment. With the new CISARIS CX3 selenization machine, the production costs are further reduced and both the cell performance as well as the production output is improved. This will make the CIGS technology even more efficient and competitive in the future," said Singulus Technologies CEO Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck. In June 2021, the German equipment supplier said it signed an agreement with China's CNBM to supply its equipment for the latter's CdTe thin-film solar modules production plans (see Singulus Bags CdTe Production System Order From CNBM).

US PPA for Danish RE company: Denmark headquartered renewable energy company Orsted has signed up global technology company Microsoft Corporation as the offtaker of power generated by its 430 MW AC solar power plant in Texas, US. The facility called Old 300 Solar Center is to start commercial operations in Q2/2022 in Fort Bend County. It will be located on close to 2,800 acres of privately owned land near the city of Needville with an investment worth $400 million.