Largest solar park in Estonia: Estonian energy company Evecon has completed a 77.53 MW solar power plant in the country calling it the largest solar park in the Baltics. It has more than twice the capacity of the largest existing solar park in Estonia. Built by an Evecon and Mirova joint venture (JV), the Baltic Renewable Energy Platform (BREP), the Kirikmäe Solar Park is located in the Municipality of Lääneranna. The project is equipped with 117,600 Canadian Solar PV panels with a total power output of 655 W to 665 W.
54 MW project online in Germany: German solar EPC company GP Joule has commissioned the Kleinschirma Solar Park with around 54 MW installed capacity for Solarparc. The project has been grid-connected since mid-September 2024, and is estimated to generate close to 60,500 MWh annually that can be supplied to over 18,500 households.
Eltex now SolarMente company: Barcelona, Spain based SolarMente has acquired local solar installer Eltex as part of its strategy to expand its energy solutions portfolio that comprises solar, battery, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and heat pumps. Founded in 2020, SolarMente works on a subscription model for PV self-consumption. It provides installation, maintenance and insurance services to the users. The company counts Hollywood actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor and brand ambassador.
Petrol signs solar PPA in Slovenia: Slovenian energy company Petrol has signed a 5-year corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) in Slovenia with Axpo of Switzerland. Under the transaction, Axpo will supply electricity to Petrol to support its core activities. The latter will get to plan its long-term energy supply at a fixed average price as it currently supplies close to 3 TW of electricity to its end customers annually. It also has an option to purchase matching Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) Guarantees of Origin (GoOs) from any AIB country for solar, wind or hydro power.
Terna acquisition cleared: The European Commission has approved Masdar’s proposed acquisition of GEK TERNA’s Greek clean energy platform Terna Energy. The commission found the proposed acquisition as falling within the scope of its Merger Regulation, and compatible with the internal market. Masdar announced plans to acquire Terna for €3.2 billion in June 2024, starting with a 67% stake to be followed by the remaining outstanding shares taking it to 100% (see Masdar To Acquire Terna Energy).
167 MW Spanish project: GRS, the Spanish solar contractor from the Gransolar Group, has secured a contract to construct a 167 MW solar farm in Spain’s Seville. It will build this capacity as 4 solar power plants, in partnership with Everwood Capital which selected the company after a competitive selection process.
OMV expands portfolio: Romanian oil and gas producer OMV Petrom has completed the acquisition of 50% of the shares of Electrocentrale Borzești from RNV Infrastructure in Romania. The latter owns 1 GW of renewable energy projects comprising 950 MW of wind, and 50 MW of PV capacity. These projects are located in the north-eastern part of the country. While the PV farm is in testing period, the wind projects are expected to gradually start production between 2025 and 2027.
JA Solar’s patent: The European Patent Office (EPO) has ‘upheld as valid’ a JA Solar patent involved in litigation. The litigation relates to the patent EP2787541B1. According to the Unified Patent Court (UPC) website, soon after the filing of the lawsuit in July this year, a French company raised an objection to the validity of the patent prompting the EPO to conduct an opposition procedure to assess its validity which it has now declared as valid during oral proceedings on October 2, 2024. According to JA, the patent has been maintained in its granted scope, and the independent claims of the patent have not been amended. However, the decision of the EPO Opposition Division can still be appealed. Meanwhile, the outcome has been entered in the patent register. While JA Solar does not offer any other details in a brief press statement, it had reportedly filed for the above-mentioned Solar Cell Patent along with EP4092759B1 against Astronergy in July 2024 regarding TOPCon technology (see TOPCon Patent Ownership War Heating Up, Now Moving To China).
French project for steel producer: French independent power producer (IPP) Corsica Sole has inaugurated a solar power plant in the commune of Campet-et-Lamolère in France at the property of a family that owns the historic building Château de Campet. With the Campet-et-Lamolère Solar Power Plant, the family has transformed the surrounding land that was devastated in the Klaus storm in 2009. The facility will generate 18.8 GWh annually which is contracted by a steel company under a 20-year corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA). While this provides the steel producer a secure supply of renewable electricity at a stable price, the owners of the land will use the income generated by the solar energy production on site to finance the maintenance and restoration of the castle. “This power plant is much more than an energy project. It embodies our desire to preserve our family heritage while at the same time being part of modernity,” said Anne-Loraine de Pins, owner of the château.
Saint-Gobain contract for TotalEnergies: French industrial company Saint-Gobain has contracted TotalEnergies to ensure continuous supply of clean electricity for its local industrial sites in France. The latter will supply it with 875 GWh renewable energy from its wind or solar farms located in the Grand Est, Hauts-de-France region in Occitanie, and Pays de la Loire. It will also provide Saint-Gobain with certificates of origin in equivalent quantity from the projects. The contract will kick into effect in January for 5 years.
Award for AIKO modules: Solar PV manufacturer AIKO has won the Innovation Award at the Belgian Expo Solar Solutions in Kortrijk for its Neostar Infinite module. This module uses zero busbar (0BB) All Back Contact (ABB) technology with a module efficiency reaching up to 25%. The power output of this module for residential applications ranges within 485 W to 700 W, according to the company.
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