The reports were launched in conjunction with SolarPower Europe\u2019s Solar Quality Summit in Barcelona, Spain, this week, a conference focusing on solar quality and technical due diligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuality hybrid solar and battery storage projects are powering Europe\u2019s clean energy,\u201d said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe. \u201cThese landmark reports will support the sector in building and maintaining high-calibre hybrid solar projects with flexibility and confidence, while driving Europe\u2019s solar transformation forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
SolarPower Europe, the primary trade body and lobby for the solar industry in Europe, said the Technical Due Diligence report<\/a> provided an \u201cindustry-first\u201d framework for the entire lifespan of a hybrid solar-plus-storage project, from planning to decommissioning, and proposes best practices for the technical, legal and financial aspects of such projects.<\/p>\n The report was complied by SolarPower Europe\u2019s Lifecycle Quality Workstream, it said, with \u201cover 30 experts\u201d from across the solar sector \u2013 \u201cfrom Operations & Maintenance (O&M), EPC, engineering, recycling and circularity, waste management, utility-scale solar, and manufacturing backgrounds.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n The EPC best practice report<\/a> \u2013 updated for its third version \u2013 includes additions on biodiversity protection and cybersecurity for project procurement and construction, the trade body said, along with \u201csubstantially expanded\u201d guidance on engineering and building hybrid solar-plus-storage facilities.<\/p>\n These reports\u2019 focus on hybrid utility-scale solar-plus-storage projects shows the extent to which colocation has become a major fixture of Europe\u2019s solar market. Industry figures have repeatedly said that colocation is now a major part of the solar offering<\/a> and business case, particularly as markets mature and renewables capacity expands faster than grid development. PV Tech Premium<\/a> examined the growth of hybrid projects in the context of the maturing BESS market last month.<\/p>\n Wojtek Swietochowski, general manager, ABO Energy, and vice-chair of SolarPower Europe\u2019s Lifecycle Quality Workstream said: \u201cHybrid PV and energy storage systems are reshaping Europe\u2019s energy landscape, and common standards are essential for this growth.\u00a0These guidelines guarantee that hybrid projects deliver reliable performances, protect workers and biodiversity, and meet the expectations of both investors and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The reports also reflect the growing focus on quality and due diligence in large-scale solar. As the technology scales and rapidly expands across multiple markets and geographies, a focus on quality has become imperative. Cost pressure from upstream manufacturing \u2013 which have resulted in multiple records of increased module defects and breakages \u2013 have added another dimension to the quality assurance discussion.<\/p>\n