India’s solar module manufacturing capacity on track to soar 400% in four years
Ratings agency Crisil estimates India will have 38-43GW of annual solar module manufacturing capacity by the end of March 2025. Production capacity will be driven by strong domestic demand, favorable government policy, raised module conversion efficiency, and price competitiveness, according to the ratings agency.
Shanghai Electric sounds death knell for CIGS manufacturing project backed by $197m of public money
With five public entities having committed RMB1.25 billion into a project to produce copper, indium, gallium, selenide solar modules five years ago, the joint venture has been abandoned at an estimated impairment cost of RMB1.42 billion.
Nhimbe Fresh’s solar-powered blueberries
Cape Town-based solar crowdfunding platform The Sun Exchange in April announced completion of its largest funding call, for US$1.4 million to finance what it described as a 510kW solar-plus-storage facility for Zimbawean food company Nhimbe Fresh. With the first part of a planned three-phase “going solar” transformation of the business complete, pv magazine spoke to The Sun Exchange founder and CEO Abraham Cambridge, and to Nhimbe Fresh chairman Edwin Masimba Moyo.
Energy crisis drives up European clean power PPA prices
A worsening price shock, felt to different degrees across Europe, has now seen renewable power purchase agreement tariffs climb for three consecutive quarters. Despite that, however, developers and energy buyers are still signing contracts, with non-standard agreements on the rise, according to renewable transaction infrastructure provider LevelTen Energy.
Eni moves into Greek renewables via its gas and light business
The Italian energy major this morning announced it had acquired German-owned clean power developer Solar Konzept Greece.
Backing for solar-plus-storage mini grids in Lesotho
The 11 planned off-grid networks will offer clean power to around 20,000 people for €0.28/kWh, according to one of the EU bodies which is backing the project.
LG Energy Solution IPO attracts $80bn in bids
LG Chem’s energy storage and battery division’s $10.7 billion initial public offering received a staggering response from institutional investors, Reuters has reported.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: construction begins on world’s largest PV project
State-owned power generation company China Huadian Corporation has begun work on a 3.3GW solar site in Sichuan province. The project is one of nine renewable energy plants listed in China’s latest national five-year plan.
Solar supply chain trouble to ease this year, according to analyst
Wood Mackenzie has predicted solar equipment cost increases will ease back after last year saw the average cost of solar electricity rise for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region.
Korea Zinc invests in gravity storage developer Energy Vault
Korea Zinc, non-ferrous metal smelting company, has agreed to invest $50 million in Energy Vault, a Switzerland-based gravity storage specialist, in order to use its tech to decarbonize its refining and smelting operations in Australia.
