The project, named FENICE (FuturaSun advancEd italiaN manufacturIng CEntre), has entered the Grant Agreement Preparation stage, marking a crucial milestone towards establishing a state-of-the-art factory specializing in next-generation photovoltaic modules.

FENICE Project: leading the way in solar energy for Europe

The FENICE project is a groundbreaking initiative, as it will introduce the production of photovoltaic modules based on advanced technologies like n-type and xBC (Back Contact) in Italy and Europe. This project positions FuturaSun as a key player in a strategic sector, delivering modules with efficiency rates above 24%, fully developed in Europe.

Subscribe to our special newsletter PV for investors

In a market where more than 95% of modules currently come from China, FENICE offers a new path toward an independent, resilient, and sustainable supply chain.

Supporting the energy transition and sustainability

The new factory aims to produce over 7.6 GW of high-efficiency photovoltaic modules within its first 10 years of operation. This will make a significant contribution to Europe’s energy transition goals, as the EU targets 49% of energy in the building sector to come from renewable sources by 2030.

A technological and employment hub

In addition to its environmental benefits, the project will have a strong economic and employment impact. The factory, fully powered by renewable energy and with an annual production capacity of 1.4 GW, will create more than 250 direct jobs and 380 indirect jobs, becoming a technological hub for the local community.

Strategic collaborations and continuous innovation

The project is part of a larger effort to develop a European supply chain, with Italian suppliers providing encapsulants and backsheets, and European suppliers delivering glass, ribbons, and frames.

Also see: Stringer pioneer focuses on innovation and “made in Europe”

FENICE also includes plans for a research center open to collaboration with universities and other institutions, encouraging the ongoing development of new photovoltaic technologies like IBC, n-type, and Tandem Silicon-Perovskite. This will complement the research already being pursued by FuturaSun through its Rome-based start-up, Solertix.

A strong commitment to Europe’s energy future

FuturaSun has been growing steadily for over a decade and continues to invest in innovation and sustainability. With a strong presence in Europe and globally, the company is ready to scale up distribution of the modules produced at the FENICE factory, aiming to help build a sustainable, resilient, and competitive energy future for both Italy and Europe. The project will be covered by direct funding from the European Union through the Innovation Fund with 21 mln €.

Also see: TrinaSolar emphasizes the efficiency advantages of TopCon PV modules

The next major step for the project will be the preparation and signing of the Grant Agreement with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the granting authority, to officially secure the funding. (hcn)





Source link



The EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) defines energy communities as “the pooling of energy production and consumption to promote the collective participation of smaller players in the energy market and to balance the energy system at a decentralized level”. They offer the opportunity to jointly own, manage and benefit from local renewable energy projects, such as solar parks.

They also help to increase public acceptance of renewable energy projects and facilitate private investment in a clean energy transition. At the same time, they bring direct benefits to citizens by optimizing energy efficiency and reducing electricity bills. Energy communities can also help to stabilize the electricity system through demand response (DR) and energy storage and make use of flexibilities.

More than 9000 energy communities – different framework conditions

The EU distinguishes between two types of energy communities, the Citizen Energy Community (CEC) and the Renewable Energy Community (REC). They can be organized as companies, cooperatives, non-profit organizations (NPOs), SMEs or other forms of partnerships. Their main objective is not to generate financial profit, but to create environmental, economic or social benefits for their shareholders, members and the region. This is one of the main reasons why the 2018 RED II Directive requires EU Member States to ensure that energy communities have a level playing field or “level playing field” (like other market participants) to operate in the market in a non-discriminatory manner.

There are currently many different forms of energy communities across Europe – their total number is estimated to be over 9000. However, the binding EU regulation of RED II on their non-discriminatory treatment has not yet been implemented in many cases. The framework conditions are very different in many EU countries and there are numerous obstacles and challenges. In some countries, such as Spain, Austria, Portugal and France, there is already a separate legal framework for energy communities, while in other countries this is currently being developed.

Still high hurdles in Germany

Germany has not yet implemented the EU requirements sufficiently. There are around 900 citizens’ energy cooperatives between Constance and Flensburg – and around 1700 energy communities, depending on how you count them. However, their operation and establishment is greatly hampered by complex regulations and a high level of bureaucracy.

Also see: Call for a democratic, resilient, and affordable energy future

This applies in particular to energy sharing. For example, it is not yet possible for energy communities to generate electricity and share the surplus with neighbors. Jointly generated electricity may not flow through the public electricity grid if it is also to be used within the energy community. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection has announced that it will present a draft law on energy sharing (also due to the requirements of the EU electricity market reform), but it is currently unclear whether this will actually bring any improvements.

Operational rules published in Italy

In Italy, the responsible national energy agency published operational rules for energy communities in February 2024 after a test phase lasting several years. At the end of November 2023, the European Commission approved a €5.7 billion program to develop energy communities with a renewable plant portfolio of up to 1 megawatt (MW) in the country.

At the end of 2023, there were just over 100 energy communities in Italy, but a significant increase is now expected with the new regulation. The aim of the government in Rome is to install additional PV systems with a total output of 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2027 by strengthening the energy communities. The industry association Italia Solare even expects at least 12 GW of PV to be added through energy communities by 2030.

Greece promotes locally operated energy communities

There are more than 1,600 energy communities registered in Greece that operate renewable energy systems with an installed capacity of more than 1 GW. However, most of them are dominated by companies. Last year, the legal framework was adapted to facilitate the establishment of energy communities by cooperatives, citizens’ groups and municipalities.

In December 2023, the Greek government made €42 million available with the support of the EU Structural and Investment Fund to support locally operated energy communities that operate via net metering or virtual net metering. The projects must use renewable energy sources to meet the electricity needs of municipal buildings such as hospitals, schools and sports halls. The electricity generated can also be used for households affected by energy poverty. Funding is provided for 80 percent of the costs of energy community projects with a minimum installed capacity of 0.3 MW.

FEDECOM project runs until 2026

Opportunities for the further development of energy communities were presented in a webinar by The smarter E on the topic of “European energy communities: sector coupling, flexibility and operational perspectives”. The focus was on the EU project FEDECOM, FEDErated “systems of systems” approach for flexible and interoperable energy COMmunities. It will run for four years (2022-2026) as part of the Horizon Europe program.

Also see: France – Sector coupling for more flexibility

The project aims to develop a technical and economic ecosystem to demonstrate the benefits of coupling the energy sectors (electricity, gas, heating and cooling, industry, electric and hydrogen mobility) in European energy communities. By integrating local energy systems and a cooperative demand-response (DR) strategy in a network of energy communities (regional, national, cross-border), grid stability and reliability will be improved, economic benefits increased and the carbon footprint reduced.

Main objectives

The main objectives of FEDECOM are:

– Implementation of a cloud-based solution (platform) for sector coupling, decentralized generation and energy storage, flexibility management and improvement of RE hosting.
– Validation of the solution in three pilot projects, each consisting of several (federated) demonstration sites (communities): The Spanish Virtual Green H2 Federation, the Swiss Residential Hydropower Federation and the transnational BENElux e-Mobility Federation.
– Develop viable plans for broad implementation in other energy communities.

Future challenges

Challenges include an increased focus of the energy communities on balancing fluctuating renewable electricity generation through energy management, energy storage and demand response, the creation of flexibility incentives through dynamic electricity tariffs, the increased integration of non-electric heat supply, the technical development of the energy supply system, and the development of the energy market. (hcn)





Source link



The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a profound impact on the global energy market. The over reliance of European nations on Russian fossil fuels has posed a significant challenge to supply security. Italy, as one of the largest importers of natural gas, sourced 40% of its gas from Russia until 2021. However, in 2022, Italy reduced its dependence on Russian imports to 19% of its total natural gas imports.

Against this backdrop, Italy is projected to achieve a cumulative installed capacity of 162.7GW from renewable sources by 2035, with the share of renewables increasing to 69% in its power capacity mix, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Severe drought impacted hydropower generation

GlobalData’s latest report, “Italy Power Market Size, Trends, Regulations, Competitive Landscape and Forecast, 2024-2035” reveals that Italy is expected to have 107.7GW of renewable capacity by 2030, with the share of renewables in total annual generation reaching around 59% by 2030.

Sudeshna Sarmah, Power Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The severe drought in 2022 significantly impacted Italy’s power market, as hydropower generation decreased from 31.2TWh in 2021 to 13.7TWh in 2022. In the absence of nuclear power, the country increased its thermal power generation by 8.4%, rising from 163.4TWh in 2021 to 177.1TWh in 2022. Additionally, electricity imports reached a total of 47.4 TWh.”

Eliminating coal-powered plants by 2025

In 2022, the Italian government introduced the “National Plan for the Containment of Natural Gas,” aimed at reducing the country’s natural gas consumption.  As a supplementary measure, Italy has begun importing natural gas from Azerbaijan, Algeria, and Libya. While this provides temporary relief, the nation must focus on enhancing its renewable energy capacity to achieve self-sufficiency. In 2023, Italy revised its renewable energy generation objective, setting a new target of achieving 65% by 2030.

Also see: Italy: Strategic joint-venture for 2 GW PV projects

Sarmah adds: “The upgrade of renewable targets should also come up with robust measures and a clear roadmap with definitive objectives to achieve them and overcome its dependency on natural gas and electricity imports.”

Also interesting: “Italian PV-sector needs regulatory certainty”

Sarmah concludes: “Italy remains committed to eliminating coal-powered plants by 2025. The government aims to strengthen its national grid and prioritize the swift development of renewable energy sources. Additionally, the country is expected to revise its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). The current target outlined in the NECP is to reach 93.2GW of renewable power capacity by 2030, with solar PV systems expected to contribute 50GW and wind power slated to provide 19.3GW.” (hcn)





Source link



The Italian government has drastically restricted the construction of photovoltaic systems on open spaces. With the exception of agri-PV, it is now completely prohibited on arable land. Industrial roofs offer a way out. The project developer EPC Elettronica Italia in the province of Lecce in Apulia has shown what something like this can look like – albeit on a smaller scale than on open land.

Do you want to keep an eye on the latest developments relating to investing in your solar installations? Then subscribe to our free investor newsletter.

9,000 square metres built on

The company has installed a solar generator with an output of one megawatt on the roof of a former tobacco processing plant. The modules are located on the roof of the old factory, which covers an area of 9,000 square metres. With optimum solar radiation and no shaded areas, the company can maximise its yield at this location. After all, the southern Italian region of Apulia has one of the highest irradiation rates per square metre on the entire Apennine peninsula.

20 inverters installed

EPC also achieves its high output by using bifacial modules. These feed the solar power into 20 Piko CI inverters from Kostal Solar Elektrik. The commercial inverters from the manufacturer based in Hagen, Westphalia, each have an output power of 50 kilowatts. “The bifacial modules had to be connected to inverters that are capable of handling a very high current: One of the special features of Kostal’s devices is that they support currents of up to 18 amps, making them suitable for this type of installation,” explains Paolo Melandri, Field Marketing Engineer at Kostal. “In addition, the type of devices used also allowed us to optimise the configuration of the strings.”

See also: Norman Foster Solar Award for church renovation in Switzerland

Practical test of the flexibility of the inverters

The plant in Apulia was one of the first photovoltaic systems in Italy to be installed with such a large number of inverters from the Piko CI series. “For us, this was a practical test of the flexibility of our inverters, as they are rarely used in such a large number of systems with such a high output,” says Riccardo Frassanito, Service Manager at Kostal. “It also confirmed the ability of our products to easily manage data transmission and the interaction between the various devices. This ensures efficient monitoring, even with such a large number of installed devices.”

Also interesting: Sonnenkraft installs PV on listed theatre in Austria

1.41 gigawatt hours of solar power per year

The bifacial modules ensure a high yield. The planners assume that the generator will supply around 1.41 gigawatt hours of clean electricity every year. All of the energy generated is fed into the grid and sold via an electricity trader. The latter has concluded a purchase agreement with EPC for the solar energy generated. (su/mfo)





Source link



The latest analysis by SolarPower Europe shows that 17.2 gigawatt hours (GWh) of new battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be installed in Europe in 2023, supplying 1.7 million additional European households with electricity – an increase of 94% compared to 2022. This is the third year in a row in which the annual energy storage market in Europe has doubled.

Also see: Battery costs fallen by more than 90%

According to the “European Market Outlook for Battery Storage 2024-2028” by SolarPower Europe, battery storage systems with a capacity of 35.8 GWh were installed in the EU at the end of 2023. In addition to photovoltaics, growth was primarily driven by home batteries. In the wake of the energy crisis, European citizens turned to batteries to increase their energy self-sufficiency.

Home storage systems have dominated so far

With 63% of total installed BESS capacity, the residential segment led the way, followed by large-scale battery systems with 27% and commercial and industrial systems with 10%. In 2023, the share of domestic battery storage systems grew by 70%, the share of large-scale battery storage systems by 21% and the share of commercial storage systems by 9%.

Germany maintained its position as the leading market in Europe with installations of 5.9 GWh last year and significant growth of 152%. It was closely followed by Italy with a record 3.7 GWh (+86%) and the UK with 2.7 GWh (+91%).

Slower market growth – boost for large battery storage systems

For the years 2024 to 2028, SolarPower Europe forecasts further growth in the European battery storage market, albeit at a slightly lower level, to a total capacity of 78 GWh in 2028. The industry association expects annual market growth of 30% to 40%, which will be driven primarily by large-scale battery storage systems. Their share of newly installed capacity is expected to rise to 45% by 2028, the share of commercial storage systems to 25%, while the share of home storage systems will fall to 29%.
According to SolarPower Europe, the declining importance of home battery storage systems is primarily due to falling electricity prices and signs of saturation in the previously dominant markets of Germany, Italy and Austria.

Longer electricity storage

The increasing importance of large-scale battery storage systems is primarily due to the rising demand for grid stabilization services and the shifting of peak loads as a result of the growing proportion of fluctuating solar and wind power. At the same time, large battery storage systems that can store electricity for slightly longer than today are expected to become increasingly popular. “With the increasing demand for flexibility in the electricity grid and the shifting of energy, we will see a significant increase in BEES capacity duration from around 1.5 hours today to 4-8 hours,” the report states.

Still a number of obstacles

However, according to Dries Acke, Vice President of SolarPower Europe, there are still a number of hurdles that are currently slowing down the potential of large battery storage systems to stabilize the energy system. These include double grid charges for the storage and withdrawal of electricity, restrictive regulations for the operation of large battery storage systems that are linked to solar and wind farms, or different standards in the EU member states, for example in terms of fire protection.

Call for EU electricity storage strategy

“While politicians have focused on batteries for the electrification of the automotive industry, their crucial role in the transition of the European electricity system to environmentally friendly technologies has been largely overlooked. Flexibility through battery storage is not just a technical issue for regulators and standardization bodies, but requires immediate political attention and prioritization,” emphasizes Michael Schmela, Director Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe.

See also: 10 innovative solutions compete for the EES Award

The industry association is therefore calling for a comprehensive EU electricity storage strategy and a target of at least 200 GW of installed battery storage capacity in the EU by 2030. (hcn)





Source link