China unveils electricity trading pilot scheme
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA) have revealed plans to start operating a wholesale market for distributed-generation (DG) electricity on a pilot basis from early February.
Toshiba posts $439.5 million H1 loss as solar ops struggle
Toshiba has posted a group net loss of JPY 49.8 billion ($439.5 million) for the first half of the current Japanese fiscal year, but the bleak outlook for its solar operations is the least of its concerns, as it struggles to cover losses from its bankrupt U.S. nuclear business and avoid being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).
Mitsubishi Electric completes 2.6 MW floating plant
Mitsubishi Electric and Tokyo-based Sumitomo Mitsui Construction have finished building a 2.6 MW floating solar plant on a pond in western Japan.
IEA: Solar, wind power rapid cost reduction may enable new options for greening industry
Highlighting the potential for greening the industrial sector amid rapid decline of solar PV and wind power costs, a newly published report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that generation directly serving companies and public is dominated by commercial-scale PV, which made up 10% of all new additions in 2016.
BayWa r.e. connects pilot PV+storage project in Zambia
German PV developer BayWa r.e. has completed an 86 kW PV + storage project, which will power irrigation equipment for farmers in Zambia. The project marks Baywa r.e.’s first entrance on to the African continent, where the company says it has significant plans for expansion.
AEP to invest $1.8 billion in renewables over the next three years
One of the United States’ largest power companies is looking to increase its renewable energy portfolio five-fold in value and has identified a 1.37 GW solar pipeline.
responsAbility and Cleantech Solar will develop rooftop solar in Asia
responsAbility and Cleantech Solar have signed an agreement for $20 million to finance rooftop solar energy for commercial and industrial customers in South-East Asia and India.
94,000 new solar jobs in Europe by 2021, says SolarPower Europe President
New Solar PV Jobs & Value Added in Europe report by SolarPower Europe and EY posits encouraging future for the continent’s solar industry. Positive political engagement by leading EU Member States will aid such growth, writes SolarPower Europe President Christian Westermeier exclusively for pv magazine.
India has installed 810 MW rooftop solar to date
The Indian government has achieved only 17% of the set targets for the 2017-18 financial year, which is just 2% of the goal of 40 GW grid-connected solar rooftops by 2022. MNRE will soon propose new schemes to improve the sector.
Tesla solar deployments plummet while energy storage rises
The nation’s largest residential PV installer deployed only 109 MW of solar during Q3, its lowest level in many years, but it did install 110 MWh of battery storage.
