Installations

Utility-scale solar is stirring in the region, with support from development banks. Following a series of competitive auctions, PV projects have been commissioned and are under development in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the latter nation, corporate interest in distributed, small-scale renewables is growing but for further market uptake, additional incentives should be introduced, practitioners say.

Brazil’s energy agency has awarded 23.5 MW of solar capacity in its latest auction, at a price of BRL 0.176 ($0.033)/kWh. The auction ceiling price was BRL 0.28 ($0.0529)/kWh.

State-owned Coal India has signed a deal to set up a 1.19 GW solar project at Vidyut Utpadan Nigam’s 2 GW solar park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The estimated cost of the project is $974 million.

Aerocompact’s new CompactFLAT GS mounting structure can be installed 40 cm above rooftop surfaces, with tilt angles of 10 and 15 degrees. The company says the product is ideal for bifacial solar arrays and green rooftops.

Record energy prices, particularly in Europe, are driving demand for renewables and energy storage. That is changing the equation for utility solar and wind investment and shortening project payback times to under a year in some regions. Storage deployment, driven by recent policy developments around the world, is also expected to get a big boost through to 2030.

Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has published its annual report for the 2021-22 financial year. The regulator granted nine licenses for solar projects, totaling 44.74 MW of installed capacity, and 7,032 net-metering licenses for a total of 243.43 MW.

The first post-pandemic update on the state of the world’s off-grid solar industry has painted a picture of domination by European companies, but highlighted the potential for new startups in West Africa and an increasing use of PV as a backup to unreliable grid supplies.

Sprsun has developed a monobloc heat pump that is reportedly easier and faster to install. The product features a 3 kW/220 V electric heater, a water pump, an expansion tank measuring 5 liters, a three-way valve, and an 18 A AC contactor.

In the hot summer months, thousands of residents with solar-plus-battery systems networked together to reduce peak energy costs and provide grid stability for ISO-New England’s customers.

Endesa’s proposal for its Andorra energy hub in Spain is based on the hybridization of renewable technologies, storage and green hydrogen for the decarbonization of local companies.