Finance

A competition backed by public funding from the governments of the two nations is seeking proposals for projects that will help electricity grids transition to clean and flexible energy.

BloombergNEF figures show financial vehicles linked to environmental and/or social benefits amounted to $247bn worldwide in 2018. The US led the way, almost entirely because state-backed mortgage provider Fannie Mae issued $19.8bn worth of green home loans.

The Dutch PV sector is expected to have grown by 1.3-1.5 GW in 2018. The growth, which marks the Netherlands’ entry into Europe’s gigawatt club, was mainly due to the connection of large-scale projects under the SDE+ program. The nation’s cumulative installed PV capacity should have surpassed 4 GW as the Dutch government prepares to reduce the SDE+ budget.

In the wake of a COP24 climate change conference which emphasized the need to wind down fossil fuel exploitation rapidly, Kuwait is turning to PV as a sustainable solution – of ramping up its oil production.

Including 80 MW of additional capacity at the testing stage, the country’s deployed PV capacity from large-scale solar auctions reached around 2.3 GW last year, according to a report by consultancy Greener. The study reveals a further 962 MW may be connected this year. Jinko, Canadian Solar and BYD are the largest module suppliers for the segment.

The redevelopment of a coal mine site is aimed to catalyze the decarbonization of the Macedonian power sector after reports have highlighted the negative impacts of the brown coal industry in the Balkans.

Europe’s new breed of grid parity projects is mushrooming on the southern fringes of the continent. With governments’ flexible attitude towards remuneration, to the detriment of reliable planning, the desire to make grid parity projects work is strong, and its progress will likely spread north.

The biggest crash in the U.S. stock market in the last 10 years has hit solar stocks, but for the solar coaster this is nothing new.

A new report suggests that better guarantee mechanisms and securities could unlock more investments from Scandinavia for renewable energy projects in developing countries. Overall, however, it finds that Norway, Sweden and Denmark have comprehensive mechanisms in place for bringing together industry and public support schemes.

According to a new report from Rocky Mountain Institute, corporations have signed contracts for 2.8 GW of solar in the United States this year, a gigawatt more than the deals signed in all previous years combined.