Markets & Policy

European utilities with large exposure to renewable energy have performed well this year, despite a downturn in both energy demand and prices on the back of Covid-19.

Big brands will have to put their money where there mouth is on carbon commitments, though, and the EU will have to put its shoulder to the wheel, particularly in respect of the commonly-heard call to dispense with red tape. The prize could be a call for 280 GW more renewables capacity by 2030.

JA Solar has agreed to sell three solar farms to China Power Investment Corporation, while Tongwei announced lower prices on a number of cells and eight leading players are calling for the standardization of PV products with 210 mm wafers.

Better Energy is developing a new pilot project to demonstrate how future solar parks can be built on restored wetlands, not only reducing CO2 emissions by producing green power, but also by restoring carbon-rich lowland areas to wetlands.

A new report by Auroville Consulting highlights gaps and challenges existing today in financing rooftop solar based on its evaluation of the implementation of international lines of credit at the state level (for Tamil Nadu), and the availability and accessibility of financial support.

Egyptian energy services company Elsewedy Electric T&D (EETD) recently secured a contract to build a 20 MWp PV plant and 35 MWh storage system in South Sudan.

The latest edition of the accountant’s renewables attractiveness index has placed the nation in top spot for photovoltaics, helping it to fourth spot for overall clean energy investment. Mexico has been hammered by the government’s attitude to clean power and France has also slipped, four places.

Western Australian utility Horizon Power will build the nation’s first remote microgrid using renewable hydrogen generation at Denham, in the state’s northwest, having secured the support of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Low-cost batteries and novel perovskite materials are among the topics selected for joint research and development.

Analyst WoodMac says South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam will also join India and Australia next year, among the nations where clean energy projects are cheaper than new coal power plants.