Finance

Urbasolar has been awarded 15 PV projects totaling 80 MW in France’s latest solar auction. It will invest around EUR100 million in rolling them out.

Like 2014, renewables are again the most important energy source in Germany, according to the latest figures. Furthermore, both solar PV and wind have reported increased shares in the country’s gross electricity generation mix. Despite this, CO2 emissions are set to increase in 2015.

A total of 6.5 GW of solar projects are expected to be up for auction in the next three months, says Bridge to India. In addition to intense competition, it forecasts a sharp reduction in tariffs, particularly for the upcoming auctions in Rajasthan and Karnataka.

In this exclusive interview with pv magazine, SunEdison founder and solar industry legend Jigar Shah gives his views on the recent extension of the U.S. ITC, why the phase-down was critical, and what the future holds.

Shortly after passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate has passed an omnibus spending bill which includes extension of the 30% federal ITC. This was the final vote before the bill is signed by U.S. President Obama.

The U.K. Government has set the new solar PV tariffs. Representing a partial victory, cuts will not be severe as anticipated – 64% instead of 87% for residential – however, fears are nearly 19,000 jobs could still be lost. Quarterly caps have also been imposed which, says STA, could be damaging. Solar can still be a “reasonable” investment, it concludes. The new rates will come into effect on February 8. Despite the limited success, harsh criticism has been aimed at the government, particularly in light of its decision to end ROCs and grandfathering.

Trina Solar Limited has announced it will split its downstream solar business in two, with one focused on China and one internationally. It aims to become a first tier global player in installing solar PV.

Off Grid Electric has secured US$45 million in investment to realize its aim of installing solar and battery storage in one million homes in Tanzania over the next three years.

Following the official announcement by the U.K. Government of the new FIT for renewables from 2016 onwards, there has been a backlash about the lack of support for ground-mounted systems. IHS tells pv magazine the sector is unviable post March, while it will be hard for solar to play a larger role in the country based on the changes. BNEF expects to see a Q1 2016 boom bigger than this year’s, and Lightsource is already planning large-scale projects sans subsidies.

With a six-month deadline for bringing its stock above US$1/share pending, the company that was formerly the world’s largest module maker is taking action.