Solar costs plunge amid oversupply, aggressive auctions
Photovoltaic module costs fell by 33.8% in H2 2016, while fixed-tilt utility-scale solar was down 17.4%, and single-axis tracking dipped by 14.9%, the biggest declines since 2011, according to a study by Greentech Media (GTM), which predicts further dramatic declines in the coming year.
Poland's Ministry of Energy will hold the country's first-ever solar auction on 30 December, during which 100 MW of solar capacity will go up for sale. It is part of a plan to sell 400 MW total PV capacity. The December auction will invite bids on projects up to 1 MW in size at a ceiling price of PLN 465/MWh ($110.5/MWh). Similar sized projects will be auctioned next year. Solar energy has not yet taken off in Poland, though small-scale installations sell power to the grid in return for electricity discounts.

Poland is to hold its first ever solar power auction later this month, kicking off tender process that will deliver 400 MW of PV capacity to the country.

According to pv magazine sources, the first 100 MW tranche of solar capacity will be auctioned by the Ministry of Energy on December 30, with an additional 300 MW of capacity released in 2017 and a 2020 goal of 1 GW of PV tendered under auction.

This month’s inaugural auction will invite bids for solar projects up to 1 MW in size, said Piotr Paj?k from Polish renewable energy news platform Gramwzielone.pl. A ceiling price of PLN 465/MWh ($110.5/MWh) has been set by the Ministry, with support granted for 15 years.

Details of next year’s auction process remain sketchy, but the Ministry has confirmed that it will auction capacity once more for solar plants sized at 1 MW or below. There is no official confirmation as yet of 2017’s ceiling price, but the Ministry has said that it expects winning bids of around PLN 400/MWh ($95.6/MWh).

The rate of support for solar in Poland has been stuttering, with government still largely hooked on cheap coal. However, small-scale solar PV installations of up to 40 kW already offer a subsidy scheme whereby consumers that feed solar energy into the grid are in turn offered a discount on electricity that they consume.

By the midway point of 2016, Poland’s cumulative solar PV capacity stood above 150 MW, of which systems smaller than 40 kW comprised 60 MW. According to Gramwzielone.pl research, some 21 MW of additional small scale (<40kW) solar capacity was added in the third quarter of the year.

Popular content This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com. Share Ian Clover Ian joined the pv magazine team in 2013 and specializes in power electronics (inverters) and battery storage. Ian also reported on the UK solar market, having worked as a print and web journalist in Britain for various multimedia companies, covering topics ranging from renewable energy and sustainability to real estate, sport and film. More articles from Ian Clover Related content Elsewhere on pv magazine...