Residential PV

The Italian government has raised the tax breaks it offers for building renovations and energy-requalification projects – potentially including storage-backed rooftop PV systems – to 110%. The new measure is part of the Relaunch Decree, which is a package of guidelines aimed at reviving the Italian economy in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Capacity additions will, however, rebound in 2021 to exceed 2019 levels as the majority of delayed solar projects come online.

The country earned a score of 6.3 on a 10-point scale on the basis of its investment, partially usage or plans to use renewable energy in the near future—in a study by UK based analytics firm British Business Energy. The USA ranks first with a score of 7, followed by Brazil at 6.5.

A study by the International Energy Agency into the chilling effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on energy demand states renewables will be ‘the only energy source likely to experience demand growth for the rest of 2020’. The slower the economic recovery, the more the fossil fuel industry will suffer.

The Delhi-based end-to-end rooftop solar company is looking to eventually raise Rs 250 crore ($35 million) as it plans to improve its technology infrastructure further, scale up the service offerings, and expand to newer geographies, including parts of Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.

China’s Growatt emerged as the largest rooftop solar inverter supplier, claiming around 21% of the 1534 MW market, followed by rivals Solis (18%) and Sungrow (17%).

Up to 150 GW of PV and wind projects could be postponed or canceled throughout the Asia-Pacific region by 2024 if the coronavirus-triggered recession continues beyond the current year, according to new research by Wood Mackenzie.

The rooftop solar sector will see reduced installation activity even after lifting of the lockdown as consumers continue to deal with financial constraints. Small-size developers may also lack the financial strength to meet additional working requirements.

A French-Turkish research team has created an economic model to optimize scheduling for solar-powered EV charging units. The proposed model suggests that such projects might be more profitable today than at the end of the decade, depending on a wide range of variables.

Over 21.6% or 3 GW of solar and wind installations will get delayed due to supply and labour disruptions caused by the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, according to the analysts which in a January report forecast the country to add over 15 GW of renewable capacity this year.