G3 Energy

LOCATION: ARENA TRAINING CENTER,    88 DEKELIAS Av. – NEA FILADELFEIA

DATE: Thursday, February 11, 2016 18:00 Hour
CO-ORGANIZED: 1) ARGUS FX
2) G3 ENERGY

SUBJECT: “Investments in renewable energy and energy saving projects in Greece: Current Situation and Future Trends”

The conference will participate investors and representatives of companies and research institutions dealing with Renewable Sources and Energy Saving. The aim of the conference is to attract investors in the Energy sector. The topics that will be presented, relating to current situation of the market in RES and ES, regulatory framework, partnerships framework between institutions and investors, financing prospects and investment opportunities.

>>> Read the program here (flyer_en) <<<

China is likely to have surpassed Germany in the fourth quarter as the country with the most solar capacity, despite missing its target for 2015.

China’s installed photovoltaic solar capacity stood at 43 gigawatts (GW) by the end of the year, up about 15 gigawatts from 2014, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

This compares with a figure of roughly 40 GW for Germany, according to data from that country’s Federal Network Agency and Fraunhofer ISE.

Germany’s installed solar capacity stood at 38.24 GW at the end of 2014, up 8 percent, the Federal Network Agency has said, while installed capacity added in 2015 was roughly 1.3 GW, according to Fraunhofer ISE.

China had been on track to surpass Germany.

Data from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) shows installations were up 60 percent in 2014, and up 35 percent in the first nine months of 2015, to 37.45 GW.

The NEA set an aggressive 2015 target of 23.1 GW for solar farms, but did not issue a target for the “distributed solar” category, which it defines as installations smaller than 20 megawatts, after installing just a quarter of its 2014 target.

“Overall, China managed to exceed its 35 GW set in the framework of the twelfth five-year plan, clearly demonstrating the political commitment,” said Frank Haugwitz, director of Asia Europe Clean Energy Advisory Co, citing the previous targets China had set for the period from 2011 to 2015.

France is working on a project to cover 1000 kilometers of roads with specially modified solar panels. Ségolène Royal, France’s minister of ecology and energy, says, “The maximum effect of the program, if successful, could be to furnish 5 million people with electricity, or about 8% of the French population.”

This is not some solar sidewalk we are talking about here, folks. This is a major step forward in the greening of the world’s electrical energy supply. According to France’s Agency of Environment and Energy Management, 4 meters of solarized road (about 14 feet)  is enough to supply the electrical needs of one household, not counting heat. One kilometer (0.62 mile) will supply enough electricity for a community of 5,000 inhabitants.

The specialized solar panels were developed by Colas, which bills itself as the “World leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure.” It introduced its Wattway panels last October. They took 5 years to develop and consist of 7 millimeter thick strips glued to the road surface. The strips use a thin film of polycrystalline silicon to make electricity from sunlight. Colas says they have been tested extensively and can withstand the weight of a 6 axle truck. They are also said to be skid resistant.