Emiliano Bellini
Enetronica reports revenue and profit drop for 2016
The Italian solar developer saw its turnover and profits decline slightly last year. The company acquired Italian solar inverter manufacturer Elettronica Santerno in late 2016.
UAE-based Ocean Holding plans to invest $100 million in solar in Armenia
Armenia’s Ministry of Energy has signed a MoU with UAE-based Ocean Holding for the construction of PV plants with a combined capacity of over 100 MW.
EDF joins consortium building phase III of Dubai’s 1 GW solar plant
The French power utility will join forces with a consortium led by Abu Dhabi-based developer Masdar to build the third 800 MW phase of the largest PV project in the UAE.
Ukraine’s PV capacity tops 530.8 MW
Ukraine installed almost 100 MW of new PV systems in 2016. The country’s cumulative installed PV power reached 530.8 at the end of last year. Local agency SAEE predicts 150 MW of new PV installations for 2017, while the association UARE expects between 300 MW and 400 MW.
Veolia opens solar module recycling facility in France
The French environmental services provider has secured a 4-year contract from PV cycle for the treatment of end-of-life photovoltaic modules.
France supports South Africa grid improvement with $477 million
The French Development Agency (AFD) has provided South Africa’s power utility Eskom with a ZAR 6 billion ($477.7 million) credit facility. Eskom, which has delayed the development of several large-scale PV projects over the past years due to grid issues, will use the funds to improve its network and integrate more renewable energy power.
PV in Slovakia is kept alive by residential segment
Slovakia has seen small amounts of PV installed over the past three years. In 2016, however, the market showed the first signs of a recovery led by the residential segment. The country reached 545 MW of installed PV power at the end of 2016.
Sweden’s plan to reduce tax for self-consumption by 98% moves forward
The Swedish government is proposing a 98% reduction to the tax on electricity generated by renewable energy power generators over 255 kW. The new rules were submitted to local Parliament and, if approved, would come into force by January 2018 at the latest.
DEWA completes 200 MW phase II of 1 GW Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
Construction on phase II of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is now finalized. The 200 MW unit of the 1 GW solar park came online a month ahead of schedule. DEWA revealed the plant was built at a cost of 1.2 billion AED ($326.7 million).
SunPower supplies 130 MW of modules in France
The US module manufacturer will supply 130 MW of modules for 25 projects selected in France’s recent tender for PV projects larger in size than 250 kW. Most of the modules will be manufactured at the company’s factory in Toulouse, south-western France.
