Covid-19 weekly round-up: US job losses raise concern but France and China continued to add new solar
Cell supply shortages could kick-start manufacturing activity in India, EV car sales are braced for a fall while still gaining market share and a new date has been set for the world’s biggest solar trade show.
Sunny regions could see one-cent solar within a decade
The solar learning curve usually applied to panel costs has been extrapolated to the larger, non-module element of the price of solar electricity generated by big projects, leading one commentator to predict new solar projects could be cheaper than legacy fossil fuel plants within 10-15 years in certain markets.
Panda Green owners look to lease developer out of onerous capital requirements
Beijing Energy, which is among a bevy of public entities holding stakes in the developer, is proposing one of its subsidiaries offer $211 million of leasing options to debt-saddled Panda Green.
Bangladeshi solar installers call for waiver of state loans
Installers which took advantage of cheaply-priced government finance say customers affected by the Covid-19 crisis cannot afford to pay for the solar home systems they have rolled out while expanding renewables programs.
SunPower sells off its O&M business, gets regulatory approval for Maxeon spinoff
SunPower has had to make fundamental changes to continue to be relevant in a solar industry very different from that of its roots. The company aims to become an energy service provider and is leaving low-cost manufacturing to its Chinese partner.
SMA sold 4.4 GW of inverters in the first quarter
The German manufacturer secured around 60% of the turnover expected this year in the first three months alone but still posted a net loss for a company relying on strong pre-Covid-19 activity in the U.S. and European markets.
The challenges and tricks of tacking on battery storage to solar projects
Specialist Alencon Systems teamed up with U.S. utility Duke Energy to look at some of the challenges faced by energy companies when adding battery storage to operational solar installations. Do you go for DC-coupled or AC-coupled? And with what sort of grounding scheme?
Covid-19 weekly briefing: US residents ponder solar during lockdown, Aussie installers wonder what might have been and the Indian EV industry calls for help
Plus, Italian developers continue to dig deep for their health service, the pandemic piles on problems for a debt-saddled Chinese company and analysts consider whether there will be any money left for a green economic recovery after the dust settles.
Auditor blocks solar developer accounts over missing deposits
State-owned solar company Panda Green will miss Friday’s deadline for publishing its audited figures for last year and new owners Beijing Energy have announced the formation of a committee to investigate the payment of $144 million in deposits to secure development rights for projects which never happened.
India’s 1 GW-plus ‘ultra-mega’ solar parks driving the energy transition
The nation hosts numerous gigawatt scale sites, two of which are the largest commissioned in the world. The huge PV parks have been instrumental in driving economies of scale and continue to attract global capital and some of the most recognized renewables developers.
