A report commissioned by EU lender the EIB has dismissed the role solar mini-grids can play in achieving universal electrification by 2030 and signaled distribution to individual households should be the way forward, including sales to the residents of UN refugee camps in East Africa.

An energy transition investment report published this week has also revealed the former world record low price for solar power announced by the Al Dhafra project in Abu Dhabi last year, has fallen even lower since.

European commissioner for economy Paolo Gentiloni has outlined how the commission’s planned revision of the energy taxation regime, and introduction of an EU carbon border, could be applied.

Preliminary results were published for Solargiga, Zhonghuan Semiconductor, GCL System Integration, JYT Corporation and Akcome Tech.

While trade group SolarPower Europe has welcomed the EU’s emissions-reduction legislative package, it renewed calls for solar and energy storage to be mandated on buildings and urged policymakers to go even further than the stated ambition for clean power to fire 40% of European electricity by 2030.

The government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy surveyed householders and small businesses and was told the prospect of firms having to pay higher taxes after installing PV prompted fury – just as the national solar trade body has been telling Whitehall for years.

While the independent investigation of a payment handed over to a state-owned lead contractor for a polysilicon fab planned by GCL exposed a breach of internal policy, the manufacturer has been cleared of any non-compliance with legal requirements.

Indonesia will catch the eye too over the next nine years, according to analyst WoodMac, as its market grows from 300 MW to 8.5 GW.

State-owned China Xinhua Power Development has booked a $53 million discount on seven solar farms as developer Kongsun seeks to pay down debts, and Canadian Solar has landed a 45 MWh energy storage contract in Colombia.

The province wants sufficient clean power generation facilities to meet 10% of its electric demand after announcing it wants 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.