Sierra Leone’s first utility-scale PV project moves forward
The government of the West African country has signed an implementation agreement for a 6 MW solar project in Freetown. The country’s first MW-sized PV plant is being built with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
Mexico publishes bidding rules for November’s renewable energy auction
The auction will be held in November. Under the auction’s new dispostions, solar projects will be able to sell power to more entities, while prior to these new rules the only buyer was state-owned electric utility CFE.
Denmark: solar without incentives is possible, but bureaucracy is killing it
Interview: Denmark is planning a future without incentives for solar and renewables, after abruptly closing the “transitional” incentive program for PV installations up to 400 kW in December. The Danish PV market, meanwhile, has now come to a halt. pv magazine asked Peter Ahm, the CEO of PA Energy and Danish representative to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) PV Power Systems Programme, how the Danish solar market can further grow in the short and long term without subsidies.
Italy opens ancillary services market to pilot renewable energy and storage projects
The project is the initial stage of an organic reform of the Italian ancillary services market, which is expected to be implemented in accordance with the European balancing code.
African Development Bank supports 20 MW off-grid solar project in Zimbabwe
AFDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has agreed to provide Oxygen Energy with $1 million in financing to support the preliminary phase of a 20 MW off-grid rooftop solar project in the eastern African country.
RCR wins EPC contract for 110 MW in Australia
Sydney-based energy infrastructure specialist APA Group has selected RCR Tomlinson as the EPC contractor for a 110 MW solar project in the town of Dalby, Queensland. The contract is valued at roughly A$175 million ($129.3 million).
CEFC offers $44.5 million of financing for 43 MW in Australia
The Clean Energy Finance Corp. (CEFC) will provide AU$60 million ($44.5 million) in financing to RATCH-Australia to turn an idled coal-fired plant in Collinsville, Queensland, into a 42.5 MW solar array.
SMA holds firm as inverter revenue leader, with Huawei topping shipment charts, says IHS Markit
Latest market data from analysts shows that Huawei shipped the most inverters last year, followed by Sungrow, while SMA, Huawei and SolarEdge pulled in the most revenue worldwide.
Armenia publishes tender for 55 MW solar project
All pre-qualified bidders are invited to submit project proposals by June 16. The project is part of 110 MW pipeline that the government is supporting through a recently created ad hoc commission.
China installs 7.2 GW of solar in Q1
The 7.21 GW of fresh capacity that was completed in the January-March period marks an increase of just 70 MW from the first three months of 2016, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).
