Sandra Enkhardt
Ikea begins offering balcony solar kits
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea is selling plug-in solar kits in Germany, with storage-inclusive systems starting at €1,229 ($1,425) and reaching €2,800 for versions featuring four 520 W panels. The kits are designed for residential self-consumption and vary by capacity and configuration.
Swiss developer breaks ground on 1.6 GWh redox flow storage project
The redox flow project has enormous storage capacity, expected to be finished in mid-2028.
RWE plans 1.2 GWh battery on German former coal plant
The energy company says it is investing a mid-three-digit million euro amount into construction of the 600 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
Aleo Solar to halt production at PV module factory in Germany
Aleo Solar says it will halt production at its solar panel factory in Prenzlau, Germany, affecting 110 employees. The manufacturer is a unit of Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon.
Germany hits 100 GW solar milestone
The country installed around 1.12 GW of new PV capacity in January, thus raising its cumulative installed solar power over the 100 GW threshold.
Germany allocates 2.15 GW in latest PV tender, final average price for first time under €0.05/kWh since 2019
Germany’s latest auction for utility-scale solar concluded with prices ranging from €0.0388 ($0.0400)/kWh to €0.0495/kWh. The procurement exercise was significantly oversubscribed.
Germany hits 62.7% renewables in 2024 electricity mix, with solar contributing 14%
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) reports that Germany generated 72.2 TWh of solar in Germany in 2024, accounting for 14% of total electricity generation.
Fire risk for home energy storage systems is 0.0049%, says German study
RWTH Aachen University in Germany has investigated the safety of battery storage systems and compared it with other household appliances or technologies. The study aims to create a reliable database for classifying fire risk for consumers and regulators.
PV industry faces consolidation, says JinkoSolar
JinkoSolar has begun converting its production to n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) products to stay competitive, says Frank Niendorf, the company’s general manager for Europe. He predicts that several market players in the value chain will exit the market soon.
Germany’s solar market faces price wars, consolidation
A series of inquiries to residential PV installers has revealed a tough consolidation phase in Germany’s solar installation market. With an increasing number of installers offering solar arrays at very low prices, competition is intensifying as companies vie for fewer orders.
