PV developer 7C Solarparken has revealed plans to acquire the renewables unit of EnerVest. In a related deal, it has also expanded its PV portfolio to 256 MWp with an investment in three projects in Germany.

Portuguese utility EDP has agreed to buy a minority stake of up to 40% in Brazil’s Blue Sol Participações.

Australia’s Syrah Resources has signed a deal with Solarcentury to install 11.2 MW of solar and an 8.5 MW battery storage system at a mine in Mozambique.

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy has revealed plans to launch a new solar tender in early 2021. Separately, the Asian Development Bank signed a deal last week to provide up to $175 million in loans to back the development of another 100 MW solar project in the country.

Japanese financial services giant Orix has agreed to buy an 80% stake in Spain’s Elawan Energy, as part of its plans to develop solar and wind projects.

A number of companies are now racing to find new materials to replace toxic or otherwise unsafe elements in PV modules, in pursuit of circular economic ideals. In a similar vein, many researchers are also looking for ways to recycle and reuse some of these materials at the end of solar panel lifetimes. In line with these efforts, artificial intelligence and machine learning now play a critical role in identifying new chemical footprints for PV modules and cells.

Equatorial Power and SustainSolar are installing containerized, off-grid solar battery power systems to support farming projects on an island in Lake Kivu.

The West African nation is launching a capacity-building program to create an ‘ecosystem’ of PV and energy-efficiency businesses. The Green Climate Fund is providing access to international finance.

Renewables are the best way for Europe to decarbonize, the Choose Renewable Hydrogen coalition said this week, prior to the upcoming release of its hydrogen and energy-system integration plan.

Canadian Solar has unveiled its newest line of PV modules, with maximum power ratings of up to 590 W. Trina Solar, meanwhile, has signed a deal to supply PV modules for almost 1 GW of capacity throughout the world.