Residential solar installations have almost trebled in Ho Chi Minh City in the past nine months, in line with the Vietnamese government’s recently announced aim for solar arrays to be installed on 26% of the country’s homes by 2030.

China’s Tongwei and Longi Green Energy Technology have announced a new polysilicon supply deal under which Tongwei will sell 55,000 metric tons of polysilicon to Longi through the end of 2020

GCL System Integration Technology (GCL-Si) has revealed tentative plans to buy an unspecified state-linked semiconductor manufacturer, with Chinese media reports suggesting that the Shenzhen-listed PV module supplier may leave the solar cell and module business to exclusively focus on producing wafers for the semiconductor industry.

The South Korean government has announced plans to formally launch a dispute settlement process with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over U.S. tariffs on PV cells, modules and washing machines.

The evolving outlook for project finance, as well as the gradual maturation of technologies, such as blockchain, present new challenges and opportunities for renewables, EY says in its latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) report. Uncertainty in the sector continues to drive a “relentless focus on cost” to soften the impact of protectionism, subsidy cuts and rising interest rates throughout the world, it adds.

The Chinese authorities plan to use renewable energy technologies to provide all of the electricity that will be consumed in a new economic zone that is being developed near Beijing, according to local state media reports.

China’s GCL-Poly Energy Holdings has agreed to lend US$110 million to GNE Development, a wholly owned unit of the group.

The Hong Kong government will start discussing plans from early next week to give owners of residential and commercial rooftop solar PV systems the chance to sell surplus electricity to the grid.

Jinzhou Yangguang Energy (Jinzhou Yangguang), a subsidiary of China’s Solargiga Energy Holdings, has agreed to buy a 17.8% stake in Jinzhou Yangguang Motech Renewable Energy (Jinzhou Motech) from Motech Suzhou Renewable Energy for CNY 9.96 million (US$1.58 million), in a cash transaction.

The past year has been an exciting period for proponents of floating solar. A range of new projects and pilots have been announced across the globe over the past 12 to 14 months, with IHS Markit’s Solar Deal Tracker now listing floating PV installations in 24 countries throughout the world, all in varying stages of development.