During the period from August 7th to 13th, 2025, the following international news occurred:
1. Italy deploys 2.33 GW of solar in H1
Data from the Italian Renewable Energy Association shows that 2.33GW of new solar installed capacity was added in the first half of 2025, including 329MW for household use, 342MW for industrial and commercial use, 266MW for ground-mounted power plants of 1-10MW, and 155MW for power plants above 10MW, with a cumulative total reaching 39.59GW. Except for a slight increase in 1-10MW ground-mounted power plant projects, most market segments such as residential, industrial and commercial sectors have declined year-on-year. The industry association pointed out that power plants below 10MW maintain resilience due to easier approval, but the household and industrial and commercial markets continue to shrink.
2. Germany reduces feed-in tariffs for solar up to 1 MW
Germany has implemented new solar feed-in tariffs from August 1: the full feed-in tariff for rooftop systems below 10kW is 0.1247 euros/kWh, and the partial feed-in tariff is 0.0786 euros/kWh; systems below 100kW are uniformly 0.0632 euros/kWh. Projects above 1MW need to obtain subsidies through bidding. The new regulations require systems above 2kW to stop receiving subsidies during negative electricity price periods, promoting the growth of demand for energy storage systems.
3. Czechia deploys 357 MW of solar in H1
Czechia added 357MW of new solar installed capacity in the first half of 2025, including 200MW for industrial and commercial use, 139MW for residential use, and 18MW for ground-mounted power plants, with a cumulative total reaching 4.825GW, which slowed down compared with 484MW in the same period of 2024. The residential market was significantly affected by the 50% reduction in subsidies, with installations decreasing by 43% year-on-year. The Photovoltaic Association suggested simplifying approval procedures to promote market development, and the cumulative installed capacity is expected to exceed 5GW throughout the year.
4. UK installs 621 MW of PV in H1
The UK added 621MW of new solar installed capacity in the first half of 2025, with a cumulative total reaching 19GW by the end of June. Developer Quinbrook put the 373MW Cleve Hill project into operation, making it the largest solar power plant in the UK. The government plans to accelerate deployment through policies such as contracts for difference and building energy efficiency standards to achieve the target of 45-47GW by 2030. Currently, multiple 100MW-level projects have been approved, including the 500MW Heckington Fen solar park.
5. Bhutan awards 120 MW solar contract
Bhutan awarded the 120MW Jamjee solar project to a consortium of local Rigsar Construction Company and India's HILD Energy. The project will be built in a forest reserve about 25 kilometers from the capital Thimphu, covering an area of approximately 156 hectares, and will become the largest solar power plant in the country once completed. Bhutan plans to achieve 25GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2040, including 5GW of solar energy, and currently the country's total solar installed capacity is only 3MW.
6. Acwa Power secures two solar-plus-storage projects in Morocco
Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power won the bid for Morocco's Noor Midelt II and III solar-plus-storage projects, with a total installed capacity of 800MW solar supporting 1200MWh energy storage. Located in the Atlas Mountains, each project includes 400MW solar energy and 602MWh energy storage, developed under the BOO model, and a 30-year power purchase agreement was signed with Morocco's Sustainable Energy Agency. ACWA has invested 3.5 billion US dollars in Africa this year, helping Morocco's solar installed capacity move towards the 3GW target by 2028.
7. Quebec to offer rebates for home, commercial solar
Hydro-Québec in Canada's Quebec Province announced that it will implement a solar subsidy policy starting from 2026. Residential, industrial and commercial users can receive a subsidy of 1,000 Canadian dollars per kilowatt of installed capacity, with a maximum of 40% of the total installation cost. Medium-sized families will receive approximately 5,000 Canadian dollars, and commercial buildings will receive a maximum of 40,500 Canadian dollars. The province plans to develop 3GW of solar energy projects by 2035, with supporting 10 billion Canadian dollars in clean energy investment. Canada added 314MW of solar energy in 2024, with total installed capacity exceeding 5GW.
8. Netherlands installs 4.32 GW of solar in 2024
Official data from the Netherlands shows that the country added 4.32GW of new solar installed capacity in 2024, including approximately 3GW for industrial, commercial and utility-scale projects, and about 1.3GW for residential projects. By the end of 2024, the cumulative installed capacity reached 28.62GW. Although the new additions have slightly decreased compared with 4.77GW in 2023, research institutions predict that it will reach 59GW by 2030 and may exceed 100-180GW by 2050. Grid operators pointed out that this growth will promote the transformation of the energy structure.
9. Genneia switches on 180 MW solar park in Argentina
Argentine energy company Genneia has put the 180MW Anchoris solar power plant in Mendoza Province into commercial operation. The project cost 160 million US dollars and uses 360,000 bifacial solar modules. The project supplies power to industrial users through the renewable energy futures market, increasing the total solar installed capacity in the Cuyo region to 490MW. Genneia plans to achieve 800MW of solar installed capacity in the region by 2026, and the company's total renewable energy installed capacity will exceed 1700MW.
10. Ivory Coast to build 52 MW solar plant by 2027
Ivorian local developer Tongon Solaire signed an agreement with the government to build a 52MW solar power plant in the Poro region in the north of the country, with an investment of 58 million US dollars. The project adopts the BOOT model and is planned to be put into operation by the end of 2027, which can meet the annual electricity demand of 30,000 households. The government stated that the under-construction solar projects will increase the country's solar installed capacity from 42MW to 925MW by 2030, and the proportion of renewable energy will rise to 45%.
11. Tropical storms, record heat shape North America’s July solar production
Solcast reported that North American solar energy production in July was significantly affected by extreme weather. The high-pressure system in the southwestern United States brought sunny weather, with irradiance in Nevada and other states 20% above normal; while Canada and the central and eastern United States had more cloud cover due to low-pressure systems, resulting in solar energy production below average. The remnants of tropical storm "Barry" caused floods in Texas, and heatwaves covered half of the United States, which reduced cloud cover but lowered photovoltaic efficiency, affecting operations. Satellite data shows that extreme weather has led to significant differences in solar energy production between regions.
12. Slovenia deploys 85 MW of solar in H1
Slovenia added 85MW of new solar installed capacity in the first half of 2025, the lowest in four years, mainly due to a sharp decrease in residential solar energy. Only 500 households were connected to the grid, far lower than about 10,000 in the same period of previous years. Industrial and commercial projects accounted for half of the new additions, with large ground-mounted power plants adding 7.4MW, compared with 6.5MW for the whole year of 2024. By the end of June, the country's cumulative solar installed capacity reached 1.5GW, and the government continued to provide high subsidies for household hybrid systems.
13. Increased solar helps lower European electricity prices
Analysis by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting shows that the average weekly electricity prices in the European electricity market generally fell, with the Nordic market reaching a minimum of 29.95 euros/MWh. Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain saw electricity prices drop due to increased solar power generation. Among them, Italy, Portugal, and Spain set new daily solar power generation records for the month on August 1 (143/27/196GWh). Analysts predict that electricity prices in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal will rise next week due to reduced wind power, while solar energy production in Germany, Italy, and Spain will continue to grow.