Although wind power had the largest share with 165 MW of capacity, solar was able to secure the same number of projects and a total capacity of 104 MW. The Danish Energy Agency had received 17 bids, including 280 MW of solar projects.

At the weekend’s G20 summit, a framework agreement for the project expansion was signed by project initiator Jemse SE and Chinese partners Power China and Shanghai Electric. The plant expansion will include the deployment of storage capacity. The project is one of two PV plants, totaling 400 MW, selected in round one of the RenovAr program for large-scale solar and renewable energies.

French developer Voltalia has secured an $18.1 million loan for its 50 MW Kopere solar project. The plant will sell power to utility KPLC under a 20-year PPA. The country’s Rural Electrification Authority is also tendering 1.1 MW of solar plants associated with minigrids in off-grid regions.

Accumulated water at hydropower facilities can work as a virtual charge during the daytime while direct solar power is being used, according to a study. Reservoir-based hydropower plants will offer the best such option, as they are highly controllable and offer abundant water levels.

With a new decree, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has enabled the owners of residential, commercial and industrial rooftop PV systems to sell excess power to the grid. The government hopes the new provisions will result in around 1 GW of deployed PV capacity over the next three years. Doubts, however, have been raised about the attractiveness of the scheme.

The French industrial equipment manufacturer expects to almost double turnover in solar by 2023. The company supplies materials for ingot production as well as providing electrical protection solutions such as fuses, fuse holders, heatsinks, wire management, disconnect switches, laminated busbars and surge protective devices.

The 1 MW array – to be expanded to 5 MW – is being tested before official commissioning. The plant is at the Sobradinho dam, a 175 MW hydroelectric facility on the São Francisco River, in the state of Bahia.

In addition to unveiling Portugal’s first renewables auction, State Secretary for Energy João Galamba has said he will fight speculation in the large-scale solar business, and introduce both longer timeframes for project construction and stronger penalties.

The US$215 million Apodi solar park is located in the city of Quixeré, in the state of Ceará. The project was selected in Brazil’s second auction for renewables, which was held in 2015.

Through the tender, the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) is seeking independent power producers (IPPs) to provide more electricity connections within the African country. It joined the International Solar Alliance at the beginning of November.