Germany: New PV records in July
Energy Charts and Agora Energiewende both report a production of 10.3 TWh of solar power last month. Almost 9.5 TWh of this was fed into the grid. In addition, there were more than 80 hours in July with negative electricity prices.
India launches 2 GW solar, storage tender
Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) is accepting bids to set up 2 GW of solar PV power projects with 1 GW/4 GWh energy storage systems on a build-own-operate basis. The projects can be located anywhere in India and must be connected to the interstate transmission system.
Solar, wind capacity surpasses coal in China
Research consultancy Rystad Energy is predicting solar power will become China’s primary source of electricity by 2026, after the combined capacity of the country’s deployed solar and wind power overtook coal for the first time in June.
UK installs 647 MW of solar in H1
The UK government’s quarterly energy report finds solar leading the pack in new capacity terms. Meanwhile, provisional data to the end of June 2024 reveals the United Kingdom is on course to comfortably exceed 17 GW of recorded capacity during summer months.
IB Vogt secures PPA for 50 MW solar power plant in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has agreed to buy electricity from the power plant at a price of $0.1094/kWh for a 20-year period.
France finances 42.5 MW power plant in Kenya
The French Development Agency has provided a confidential amount of financing for the construction of a ground-mounted solar power plant to be operated by Kenya’s national electricity company, KenGen, at the site of the Seven Forks dams, which together have a combined 600 MW of hydro power capacity.
The evolving art and science of agrivoltaics
At Bluewave, integrating solar technology with traditional farming practices isn’t just a concept, it’s the new standard. Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable solar development, shares insights on the transformative journey of agrivoltaics within the industry.
UK government earmarks GBP1.5 billion for contracts for difference pot
The UK government has increased the budget for its sixth Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction by half. Extra allocation includes millions of pounds for technologies such as solar and onshore wind, but offshore wind enjoys the lion’s share of the budget.
Moldova sets new approval process for power plants above 20 MW
Moldova’s Energy Minister, Victor Parlicov, says the new regulation will facilitate the authorization of renewable energy capacities, in particular those on the free market and without a support scheme, while also providing predictability for investors.
India can leverage its solar and storage edge to avoid power shortages
Large-scale solar-plus-storage is the main option left to avoid power shortages as such systems can be deployed much faster than new thermal and hydro assets. Recent gigawatt-scale solar-plus-storage auction results, with a record low price of INR 3.40 ($0.04)/kWh, show that such deployment will be highly economical, according to a new study from the University of California’s India Energy and Climate Center.
