Markets

The Rimini expo will showcase investment structures and strategies for reducing energy bills, with financiers, EPC contractors and industry stakeholders in attendance from Italy and abroad.

The recent price spike in solar modules and batteries is not a new normal but a market catching its breath, says Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar.

Nearly 300 exhibitors from 11 countries will gather at Targi Kielce on 4–5 March, reflecting Poland’s progression from rapid solar expansion to a more coordinated systems approach.

As solar becomes an established business asset across Central and Eastern Europe, financial returns increasingly depend on disciplined operational management, market responsiveness and robust digital infrastructure.

As emissions trading expands in Europe and beyond, researchers at PIK examine why carbon pricing remains contested among policymakers and weigh familiar objections against the empirical record.

Consumer priorities in Spain’s solar market have fundamentally shifted after a major power outage in spring 2025. The study reveals how motivations have changed and which technologies are now in focus.

Independent power producer R.Power and energy trader Axpo have signed an optimisation agreement for a 150 MW / 300 MWh utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in Poland, with services agreed through to the end of 2037.

The Croatian Ministry of Environment and Green Transition and the national environmental fund are offering €1.58 billion in grants this year, targeting renewable power, heating, EVs and energy efficiency. Application schedules are now available.

Independent power producer and developer MET Energia Italia will act as aggregator for 600 industrial customers seeking solar power supply under Italy’s recently launched Energy Release Scheme.

Legislative and institutional reforms are underway to establish an EU-aligned guarantees of origin framework, designed to enable cross-border trading and support renewable energy investment by 2027.

Solar self-consumption in Spain continued to grow in 2025, with 1,139 MW of new capacity installed. However, the national association UNEF warns that further measures are needed to achieve national expansion targets.

Industry forecasts point to slight price rises for PV modules and batteries next year, driven in part by regulatory adjustments in China amid persistent global supply pressures.

Companies are encouraged to submit their projects, products and solutions by 20 March. The award ceremony will take place on 22 June, the eve of The smarter E Europe 2026.

Trinasolar’s Head of Eastern Europe discusses how solar projects across CEE are increasingly financed without subsidies, with private capital driving growth, new PPA models and robust development even in challenging markets.

With grid access secured, the project has entered commercial operation under a 19-year virtual PPA, with remaining volumes traded on Poland’s wholesale market.

The wind- and hydro-coupled programme is designed to provide fast-response flexibility as renewable generation rises and Baltic grids integrate more variable power.

Spain’s fast-growing solar market is putting pressure on the grid. Attilio Bragheri from SMA discusses how grid-forming inverters and new semiconductor tech can help, and why SMA prioritises a European supply chain.

The MIX Marszewo system developed by GOLDBECK SOLAR Polska integrates new photovoltaic capacity into the existing Marszewo Wind Farm, creating a shared grid connection for TAURON Zielona Energia.

January data point to a cautious but meaningful shift in the European PV market, with selective module price rebounds, disciplined inverter pricing, stronger buyer sentiment and a PV PMI of 69.

Around 32 percent of the more than 1,000 exhibitors at the energy transition trade fair, which takes place from 4 to 6 March in Rimini/Italy, will be coming from abroad. For the first time, there will be an Africa Investment Hub.

Industry leaders at the summit will discuss how AI can drive efficiency, strengthen quality assurance and support operational excellence in Europe’s solar sector.

Efforts to diversify imports, increase production and expand recycling are losing momentum within the EU, says the European Court of Auditors, which urges swift corrective action.

Renewables and related technologies now account for most of China’s investment growth, underscoring a structural shift with direct consequences for global solar manufacturing, project development and battery storage deployment.

Katerina Jirku Nemec, Head of Eastern Europe at Trinasolar, outlines in this interview why Central Eastern Europe stands out in a global context.

Polish independent power producer R.Power S.A. has signed a long-term virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Cisco Systems, Inc. for the development of four new solar projects.