Emiliano Bellini
Spanish government approves Solarcentury’s 300 MW PV project
The Ministry of the Ecological Transition has given the green light to a solar park near the municipality of Talayuela, in the southern region of Extremadura. Work on the facility may begin this year with completion scheduled for 12 months later.
Solar set to make rum taste even sweeter in Guyana
The government of the South American country has changed the designated use of a plot of land near Diamond, for the construction of a solar plant, among other projects. The PV facility is being planned by local rum producer Demerara Distillers Limited.
Brazil: more plans for big solar parks unveiled
Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Rio Alto is planning to deploy another 210 MW of solar plants in the state of Paraiba, while Korean company KSB is discussing a $1.5 billion solar project with the authorities of Campo Grande, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
Dutch government launches tender for utility-scale solar noise barrier
The solar project will be built at the A58 Highway, near the municipality of Etten-Leur. More solar noise barriers, relying on bifacial module, are planned for main roads in the Netherlands.
Another 145.5 MW of utility-scale solar gets green light in Portugal
Including the latest three projects, the country’s total approved large-scale solar capacity has surpassed 1 GW. The developer is Escalabis Solar and total investment is expected to reach €81 million.
Colombian oil giant Ecopetrol goes solar with 10 MW project
The state-owned oil company has decided to power one of its fields with a solar park. The tender for the project will be launched in the fourth quarter. A renewable energy plant portfolio of around 140 MW may be built by Ecopetrol.
EU authorizes Denmark’s scheme for mixed wind-solar auctions
The budget for the first auctions of this kind, for the period 2018-2019, is around €112 million. They are part of Denmark’s new energy strategy, dubbed “Energy for a green Denmark.”
Italian region of Lombardia allocates another €3 million for solar+storage
After earmarking €4 million last year, Italy’s most dynamic and affleunt region is further supporting solar+storage installations through a rebate scheme.
Brazil’s PV capacity tops 1.6 GW
At the end of June 2018, according to official statistics, large-scale solar capacity reached 1,307 MW, while the share of distributed PV generation (up to 5 MW), was 296 MW. Of the total capacity, 1.36 GW was connected to the grid in the last 12 months.
Hanwha Q Cells reports lower revenue, swings to loss in Q2
At US$518.4 million, the quarterly turnover of the South Korean-German manufacturer was down 10.3% year-on-year, while its net result swung from a profit of $18.7 million in the second quarter of 2017, to a loss of $41.3 million in the latest quarter. Despite this, the outlook for full fiscal 2018 remains unchanged.
