Markets & Policy

A new hydrogen import strategy is expected to make Germany better prepared for increasing demand in the medium and long term. The Netherlands, meanwhile, saw its hydrogen market grow considerably across supply and demand between October and April.

The company opened an inverter factory in the Manaus Free Trade Zone with a capacity of 1.8 GW, or 300,000 units per year. In the second phase, it plans to bring in the production of hybrid inverters and lithium batteries as well as chargers for electric vehicles and motors for electric boats. The company will have distribution centers in Curitiba and Fortaleza to ensure rapid delivery of equipment to the domestic market, with a minimum warranty of 10 years.

The government will auction up to 127 GWh/year of hydrogen with a maximum price of €127/MWh, and up to 150 GWh/year of biomethane with a maximum price of €62/MWh.

This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Soledad Andrade, Business Development and Operations Specialist at Spain’s Youdera. She says, in its early days, she was often the only woman in meetings or on-site visits, making it harder to prove her value. However, as more women join the sector, it has become a more comfortable and supportive environment for development and growth.

Acceleration areas and shortened approval procedures are intended to ensure faster expansion of wind and solar parks as well as energy storage at the same locations. The move implements requirements from the EU Renewable Energy Directive of 2023. Approvals will also be facilitated for electrolyzers to ramp up hydrogen production.

The Indian manufacturer is expanding its solar panel production capacity to 4 GW annually, up from a current 1 GW. It is also setting up manufacturing capacities for 12,000 MT of aluminum framing and 1.4 GW of PV cells. The new capacities will be commissioned during fiscal year 2024-25.

According to the country’s Mining and Energy Planning Unit, of all the projects currently operating in Colombia that it is aware of, 10,672 MW are photovoltaic, followed by 8,452 MW of wind, 1,973.9 MW hydraulic, 672 MW thermal and 42.7 MW biomass.

The UAE’s Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) says 27 companies and consortiums that expressed interest in developing the project qualified for this stage of the tender.

Lightsource bp has announced its joint venture company Ameresco Sunel Energy SA as the EPC contractor and O&M provider for its 560 MW solar project in mainland Greece. The project has been billed as one of Europe’s largest solar sites.

Liberia Electricity Corporation is searching for consultants to support the construction of a 20 MW solar plant, to be located alongside an existing 88 MW hydropower facility.