Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) says that 919 MW of new PV systems were installed in Germany in September.

Austria has reduced the value-added tax (VAT) on residential PV systems. The new measures apply to all new PV systems up to 35 kW in size, and it will go into force in January.

The German authorities have attributed the recent explosion of a 30 kWh storage battery in a private home to a likely technical defect. The incident has left the home uninhabitable, and property damages will likely be substantial, according to investigators.

Qcells has acquired full ownership of intellectual property rights for LECO technology with the recent acquisition of Cell Engineering. The technology is known to enhance the efficiency of PERC and TOPCon solar cells.

pv magazine has learned that five solar-related fires in Germany and Austria occurred in late September. Photographs show that two of the blazes were likely caused by residential batteries manufactured by LG.

1Komma5° says it plans to start production at a new TOPCon solar module factory in Germany from next year. The Hamburg-based startup aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 1 GW, with further expansion targets set to reach 5 GW by the year 2030.

The Luxembourg Ministry of Energy has allocated 52.7 MW in an agrivoltaics tender. While the final prices from the procurement exercise have not been disclosed, the ministry said it considered ecological and agricultural factors.

Solar module prices have hit a new low in recent months, due to market forces that SolarPower Europe describes as a “perfect storm.” The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) says domestic solar module production fell from 9 GW in 2022 to 1 GW this year, with production now almost at a standstill. The associations say that urgent action is needed to prevent a potential wave of insolvencies in Europe.

Shell, which acquired Sonnen four years ago, is now actively seeking a majority shareholder for the Germany storage system specialist.

Fraunhofer ISE is helping Holosolis to build Europe’s largest PV factory – a 5 GW solar plant in France – by 2025. The German research institute is providing support in technology selection and factory planning.