Chinese PV Industry Brief: Stable wafer and cell prices and another 2.2 GW solar-plus-storage project
Solar manufacturers Longi and Tongwei have frozen next month’s prices.
World Bank offers $4.6m credit for off-grid solar panels and cook stoves in Kenya
Part of the development lender’s $150 million Kenya Off-grid Solar Access Program, the money will enable distributors to stock up and establish sales networks as well as offering affordable repayment terms to customers across 14 off-grid counties in the East African nation.
Fiji plans ‘Pacific’s largest solar project’
The island nation has agreed a deal with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation to develop at least 15 MW of generation capacity in a US$15 million project.
African governments doing too little to drive clean energy
Covid-19 rescue measures such as delaying electricity bill payments pile added pressure onto energy companies already hit by pandemic-related falls in demand in a continent which a new study suggests is too dependent on donor aid for the development of renewables.
Corporate funding for battery storage up 75%
Analysts at Mercom Capital Group have tallied up corporate funding, venture capital and debt and public market investment for battery storage, smart grids and energy efficiency companies. From a financial perspective, the industry appears resilient to the Covid-19 crisis and ready to grow further.
Tesla’s Musk: ‘Energy business will ultimately be as large as our vehicle business’
Tesla’s solar and battery businesses show signs of life in another profitable quarter for the EV manufacturer.
Scatec Solar completes shares issue to part fund hydropower acquisition
The Norwegian renewables company has already raised $300 million of the $700 million, one-year funding it has shouldered to acquire hydro business SN Power from state-owned Norfund.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Record residential solar installs and rumblings in the polysilicon market
The NEA has revealed more than 1.3 GW of solar capacity was added to Chinese rooftops last month, with more than 500 MW of it in Shandong province. While poly maker Daqo was forced to revise down its latest sales forecast it predicted a quick rebound in the current quarter.
UAE revises energy strategy in view of competitive PV prices
Falling solar prices are leading to a new energy strategy for the United Arab Emirates as local energy companies offer unbeatable prices that make green hydrogen increasingly affordable.
Fall in off-grid solar sales deprives 5m people of access to clean power
The latest edition of the Global Off-grid Solar Market Report by the World Bank and GOGLA has called for regulatory and financial support to help off-grid distributors create jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
