Apricum articles
Our view on the latest developments in the cleantech industry.
Vietnam’s solar success story and why its solar M&A landscape is about to heat up
Vietnam’s solar star is clearly on the rise. In 2016, the long awaited announcement of the first solar feed-in tariff (FiT) policy for solar project development (also further referred to as FiT phase 1) in Vietnam triggered a solar success story, unique in the ASEAN...
Buffered charging – how batteries can close the widening “charging gap”
The ‘charging gap’ is widening”, Volkswagen’s head of e-mobility Thomas Ulbrich warned last week as the number of new electric vehicles (EVs) on the streets is increasingly outpacing available charging points. Based on the forecasted 2.5 to 4 million EVs and plug-in...
What’s in it for large-scale energy storage in Germany?
Germany is considered to be a “storage policy laggard” compared to markets like the UK, USA and China, with PCR appearing to be the only market scheme attractive for utility-scale storage in place.
Clouds, communities and virtual batteries: A look behind the curtain
Tesla’s plan to offer its own electricity tariffs moved forward in the UK at the end of October with the introduction of its “Tesla Energy Plan”. Participating homeowners with an installed solar system and a Powerwall storage unit are promised the lowest flat rate for...
Floating solar PV gains global momentum
This article explores the current state of floating solar PV, briefly highlighting several leading markets, and discussing benefits and advantages in detail alongside common applications and business model considerations. The outlook for FPV is positive and is set to...
Taking part in the growing corporate M&A sector for renewables: Key valuation approaches explained
In this article, we offer a panorama of the merger & acquisition (M&A) landscape in Europe and examine various valuation methodologies used in M&A for the renewable energy sector, an area of growing economic importance. We explain the key aspects that must...
Energy storage in a post-pandemic world: Taking stock and preparing for future success – Part Two
In the final part of this article, Florian Mayr completes his review of Covid-19’s longer-term impact on the third key driver of the energy storage market. He identifies the key mindset and behavioral shifts we expect to see in a post-pandemic world, and outlines how energy storage players can best adapt and respond.
Energy storage in a post-pandemic world: Taking stock and preparing for future success – Part One
What is the actual impact of Covid-19 on the energy storage market in the longer term? In the first of this two-part article, Florian Mayr provides the bigger picture of “energy storage vs the virus” by closely examining its effects on the first two of three key market drivers
The valuable role of waste-to-energy in the energy transition
An interview with Apricum’s waste-to-energy expert Thomas Obermeier Apricum has recently expanded its industry focus to include the waste sector, offering services in wastewater treatment, waste-to-energy and waste management. Supporting Apricum in its expansion into...
Storage at 20 USD/MWh? Breaking down the low-cost solar-plus-storage PPAs in the USA
This article explores the competitiveness of energy storage and new market opportunities that are emerging via storage-plus-renewables projects by examining with some simple “reverse engineering” how recent low solar-plus-storage PPAs in the USA were achieved.
Towards a subsidy-free era for China’s solar PV market
The rise and fall of feed-in tariffs By the end of 2018, only seven years after the introduction of a national feed-in tariff (FIT) support scheme in 2012, China was home to one third of the world’s cumulative photovoltaic capacity, with ~173 GW of cumulative PV...
What will e-mobility’s impact on stationary energy storage be?
Exploring the impact of e-mobility on stationary energy storage: Part 3 focuses on second-life batteries, repurposing EV batteries for sustainable stationary storage.