Installations

Only three bidders have come forward for huge manufacturing-linked solar and solar-wind hybrid procurement exercises. The separate auctions – originally intended to drive 12.5 GW of new generation and 5 GW of manufacturing capacity – prompted figures of just 3.05 GW and 600 MW, respectively.

The Spanish government’s zeal in reducing electricity market prices can hit investment in renewable projects, which need stability. pv magazine interviewed Antonio Delgado Rigal, a doctor in artificial intelligence and founding Partner and CEO of AleaSoft, to discuss market equilibrium, the impact on electricity prices of the measures applied and announced by the government, and the appropriate transformation of the energy model.

The subsidy for solar schemes approved between 2012 and 2014, and that will be not completed by March, may be reduced to ¥21/kWh. The proposal is expected to affect projects with a combined capacity of more than 20 GW.

Only three consortia are now competing to build huge solar park: one formed by Masdar, Total and Jinko; another led by Saudi energy company ACWA; and a third group of companies led by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and the Oman Gas Company (OGC). The tender is expected to be finalized early next year.

The Internet giant began construction on what will be its fifth datacenter in Europe. The €600 million facility will be powered exclusively by clean energy sources, the company said.

The U.K. is helping islands in Scotland and the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian oceans, make the switch from dirty diesel generators to renewables. In the former, community-owned renewable systems are ensuring 24 hour energy supply, while in the latter, a new renewable energy analytics platform is set to help identify the optimum energy mix for six islands.

Four projects – “Cerrado Cabrera”, “El primo Aleman”, “Hazas de los sesenta” and “Los Gonzalez” – each totaling 50 MW will be located in Alcalá de Guadaíra, near Seville. Work on the plants is expected to commence in April 2019.

With declining costs, and increasing amounts of solar+storage added to electrical grids across the globe, there is a growing need to understand how to build bankable projects. In a recent pv magazine webinar, we discussed just this.

Wirsol Energy Ltd and Hive Energy Ltd are developing an over 50 MW solar + storage project which, when completed, will represent the United Kingdom’s first Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

Caught in a confusion of canceled auctions, tariff wars, safeguard duties and missed targets, the Indian government is now fast tracking solar power, having asked the Solar Power Corporation of India (SECI) to float 4 GW worth of tenders in four months.