Solar PV manufacturing conference: One of the upcoming destinations for solar PV manufacturing beyond China is India, where companies are gathering support from technologists and scientists to develop an upstream value chain. The idea is not just to establish vertical integration but also to make it a resilient and sustainable one. TaiyangNews is bringing together the country’s leading solar PV players and international experts to discuss the progress of solar PV manufacturing in the Asian country in a 2-day physical event in New Delhi, India, on April 10 and 11, 2025. At the event, Jinchen’s Director Sales and Service, Pon Ramesh Chelladurai will shed some light on module manufacturing equipment for lowest-cost and high-quality products. Registrations for the TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference India 2025 are now open here, where you can also take a look at the list of speakers and insightful sessions planned.
EIB loan for EDP: Portuguese energy group EDP has signed 2 green loan agreements with the European Investment Bank (EIB) worth up to €500 million. Of this amount, €300 million will be used to finance investments in networks in Portugal and Spain. The remaining €200 million is a framework loan to finance the development of a portfolio of wind and solar projects of EDP Renováveis, S.A. in Spain. It will invest the proceeds in these tasks during the 2024 to 2026 period. The latter is the 2nd tranche of a potential €900 million EIB funding for wind and solar projects, also including projects in Portugal and Italy. EDP recently also announced reaching 15 GW in long-term power purchase agreements (PPA) globally, with more than 20% of these signed to supply data centers. It represents around 41.5 TWh of renewable electricity from EDP’s utility-scale projects.
Meyer Burger modules for Italy: Meyer Burger Technology AG has signed supply agreements for its heterojunction (HJT) solar modules for the Italian market. It will supply the company’s Made in Germany solar panels to OGT Solar, the solar products distribution wing of equipment manufacturer for glass production, OGT. It has entered a separate supply agreement with Polish distributor Memodo, also for Italy. Meyer Burger says its high-performance modules are the only ones to qualify for the highest incentive level, Category C, under the Italian government’s Transizione 5.0 program (see Meyer Burger’s Made in Europe Modules Qualify For Italian Incentives).
80 MW changes hands in France: British energy group Octopus Energy has made new investments in the French renewables market. It has acquired 2 newly operational agrivoltaic solar farms from BayWa r.e. Both these projects, with 40 MW installed capacity each, have been designed for sheep farming. They are located in the Indre region in Central France and Charente Maritime in the south-west. Octopus has invested in European renewables developer FFNEV, which has now ventured into France. FFNEV France aims to deliver 500 MW of new agrivoltaic farms by 2030, along with 100 MW of energy storage. Earlier this year, Octopus acquired agrivoltaics developer OX2 in France.
TotalEnergies acquires VSB Group: French energy giant TotalEnergies has completed the acquisition of European wind and solar developer VSB Group. The latter has a pipeline of more than 15 GW. It will add to the French group’s existing renewables pipeline in Europe, taking it over 40 GW. TotalEnergies has also signed agreements with RES to acquire over 800 MW of wind and solar projects under development in Alberta, Canada.
100% RE for L’Oreal in Europe: French multinational cosmetics and personal care group L’Oreal says 100% of its European sites are powered by renewable energy as of December 2024. The company’s President Europe Zone and Member of the Group Executive Committee, Vianney Derville, announced on his LinkedIn account that this commitment extends to its factories, distribution centers, R&I centers, and administrative offices, among others. He said 98% of the company’s energy in Europe in 2024 was sourced from renewable energy.
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