SPIE acquires majority stake in German rooftop solar EPC; EPS signs solar PPAs in Serbia; SolarDuck bags Bureau Veritas certification; Encavis lands solar PPA with LyondellBasell & Better Energy with Leroy Merlin; Albania clears 70.6 MW solar capacity.
SPIE invests in MBG energy: French multi-technical service provider SPIE SA has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the German rooftop solar PV EPC company MBG energy GmbH. Once final, the agreement will entail 75% share capital of MBG, whose founders will remain as minority shareholders of the remaining 25%. SPIE says this acquisition strengthens its position in the fast-growing PV roll-out market and gain competencies in a field that's being strengthened by the EU Solar Standard within the European Performance of Buildings Directive. For MBG, this provides potential commercial synergies within the existing technical facility management of SPIE in Germany.
EPS signs solar PPAs: Serbian utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) has signed solar energy power purchase agreements (PPA) for a total 16.9 MW of capacity. The duration of the agreement is for 15 years each for B2 Nova Sun's 9.9 MW solar plant in Nova Crnja and B2 Sunspot with 7.0 MW capacity in Kikinda. Together, these projects are forecast to produce 25,000 MWh annually. Both these projects are winners of auctions conducted by the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
The Executive Director for Energy Portfolio Management at EPS, David Žarković said, "With investors who participated in the auctions and other independent producers in Serbia, we already have more than one gigawatt of installed capacity from renewable sources, which constitutes more than 10% (ten percent) of Serbia's production capacity. With slightly more than 30% of EPS production from the hydro sector, we are already rapidly approaching 50% production from RES."
SolarDuck Bureau Veritas certified: Dutch offshore solar PV company SolarDuck has secured the world's '1st' prototype certificate for its floating offshore solar solution from the global testing, inspection and certification firm Bureau Veritas. It has granted the certificate for the solutions used by SolarDuck in its 520 kW pilot Merganser project. Comprising 6 interconnected platforms, the solution will be deployed off the coast of The Hague, Netherlands. It is designed to withstand challenging offshore conditions and a maximum wave height of 11.6 meters and water depth of 21.5 meters. The SolarDuck-led consortium for the project won €7.8 million subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) in November 2022 (see Europe PV News Snippets). SolarDuck says the Bureau Veritas certification represents a significant step forward in the development of marine renewable energy technologies for offshore applications.
Solar PPA in Germany: US-headquartered multinational chemicals and refining company LyondellBasell has expanded its renewable energy procurement portfolio in Germany. It has signed a PPA with Germany's Encavis Asset Management for 208 MW of solar capacity. This is part of Encavis' 260 MW solar park in Bartow, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Encavis plans to construct phase I of the project in March 2024 and complete it in summer 2025. This 12-year offtake agreement for 210 GWh annually, says LyondellBasell, will help it achieve more than 90% of its total renewable electricity procurement target. It aims to source at least 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, based on electricity consumption in 2020. According to BloombergNEF, LyondellBasell was one among the top private buyers of wind and solar energy in 2023 (see BNEF: US Corporations Led Clean Power Buying In 2023).
Solar power for French company in Poland: French home improvement and gardening retailer Leroy Merlin has signed a PPA with Denmark-based solar company Better Energy in Poland. Under the 10-year PPA, Better Energy will supply solar power via the national grid from its Chelmno Solar Park that will amount to 14 GWh or approximately 20% of Leroy's domestic electricity consumption. The project is currently under construction. The PPA will kick into effect in 2025.
70.6 MW solar in Albania: The Government of Albania has approved applications to install 2 solar power parks with 70.6 MW of combined capacity. Albania Power Core has secured approval for its 40.56 MW solar farm in Fier municipality, while Alb Sun Energy has the green signal to go ahead with 30 MW solar plant, also in Fier. They have secured a timeline of 49 years to operate their plants, according to local media reports.
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