Latvian plan to exempt big energy consumers from renewables surcharge approved by EU
The Baltic state has offered energy-intensive, international-facing industries up to an 85% discount on a surcharge levied on electricity consumers since May 2017 and made the scheme wider ranging this year, in a move approved by the European Commission.
Financial close for Mozambique’s first solar-plus-storage project
Anglo-Norwegian public funding body Globeleq has said the 19 MWp/2MW-7 MWh Cuamba project will be supplying electricity during the second half of next year.
Europe faces ‘new era of energy dependency’
The EU has been pouring money into European battery manufacturing and recycling projects but has, as yet, been unable to address the critical question of raw materials, according to analyst WoodMac.
‘Africa’s leaders need to walk the walk on solar’
Attendees at an online event dedicated to rooftop solar in Central Africa called for customer incentives, tax exemptions for solar kit, feed-in tariffs, installation standards, affordable finance, grid connections and recycling policies across the region.
Norwegian investor raises stake in company developing ‘perovskite-boosted’ solar cells
Swedish business Evolar is working on a bolt-on piece of production equipment which would upgrade the cell lines of conventional manufacturers with a perovskite lift in performance.
EU member states charging toward unambitious PV targets – SolarPower Europe
The national goals set by European countries two years ago already look hopelessly out of date thanks to the global PV boom. The Euro trade association for the industry has called for ambitions to be radically scaled up in 2023 if the world is to have any chance of capping temperature rises at 1.5C.
South African-owned miner confirms 185 MW solar plan for Zimbabwe
Platinum miner Zimplats will spend $200 million on 185 MW of solar plants to power operations to help seal approval for its capital spending plans by the Zimbabwean government and to make up for deficiencies in local electricity supply.
Plans for EV battery raw material supply in Iberia
The partners behind a JV aiming to develop a lithium conversion factory in Portugal say Iberia could supply enough geological feedstock spodumene to produce 700,000 EV batteries per year, starting in 2026.
The Hydrogen Stream: Longi wants to reach electrolyzer capacity of 2 GW by 2023
Elsewhere, Air Products is planning to build a 2 GW electrolysis plant in Saudi Arabia and Protium is deploying its first 100 kW electrolyzer in the U.K.
Shell buys US solar and storage company Savion
The transaction, for which Shell did not reveal the purchase price, will see the energy company pick up a U.S. project development pipeline which reportedly runs to more than 18 GW of solar generation and energy storage capacity across 26 states.
