Finance

While global coal mining companies are enjoying the highest prices in years on the back of boosted Asian demand, banks and financiers are increasingly ending their support for coal power. London-based Standard Chartered the latest to stop financing new coal-fired stations.

As the deployment of renewable energy continues to expand around the world, driven by various inputs, such as capital allocation and investment, falling capital costs, competitive LCOE and various policy mechanisms, we are now moving towards a new era for renewable energy. ‘Renewables 2.0’ will have significant, wide-ranging consequences for all market players, as regulators reduce their support and power producers seek new revenue models. In this article, Duncan Ritchie, partner at Apricum – The Cleantech Advisory, will look at the key market developments for renewables, explode the myth of grid parity, highlight the need for flexibility and explain the importance of new financing solutions that are capable of meeting the new complexities brought about by ‘Renewables 2.0’.

The car manufacturer is deploying its second island project this year. Smart EV charging – and second-life EV batteries for stationary storage – are expected to help increase self-consumption, reduce carbon footprints and improve energy independence. The news comes amid a rising uptake of EVs in Europe.

pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable at the 2018 Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, took place in front of a packed audience. It discussed current problem areas in the India solar industry; how solar developers and solution providers can improve the quality of PV installations; and innovative financial instruments to reduce the cost of debt and scale up infrastructure investment.

The independent power producer has closed on a US$499 million, investment grade, private placement financing representing approximately 650 MW of utility-scale wind and solar power projects.

The US$1.54 billion transaction will make Con Edison the 2nd-largest owner of operational solar assets in the United States, and is expected to close by the end of the year.

The subsidy free mega project is entering the next stage of its development. Funding is expected to be finalized in 4Q 2018 and commissioning in 2020. The project, funded by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) will retail its electricity on the spot market, but will be secured through a financial hedge.

Turkey’s Akfen Renewable Energies this week signed a new $363 million loan with six international and Turkish banks, to build 327 MW of new solar and wind power capacity.

Through the listing on the French stock market, the independent power producer hopes to raise enough capital to increase its renewable energy assets from 2 GW to 5 GW. Impala intends to subscribe to the offering and remain majority shareholder.

The world’s number one poly maker claims the worst of the fall-out after Beijing’s policy change has already occurred, and will press ahead with plans to expand production capacity – but its development business may need to find new sources of funding.