Markets

The polysilicon giant has extended the repayment date for a loan to an EPC subsidiary by 10 months and, with its share price rising sharply, should investors prepare themselves for some as yet unannounced good news?

U.K. developer Lightsource BP – in which oil and gas giant BP has a significant minority stake – and its Singapore fund partner EverSource Capital are reportedly ready to take up all the $100 million slice of Ayana Renewable Power which is being put up for sale.

Selected projects will range from 1-100 MW in capacity. The procurement exercise is the third round of Malaysia’s LSS program for large-scale renewables.

PI Berlin analysis has suggested the quality of modules is particularly high in Asian factories with a large throughput. However, just 2% of the 67 GW of production capacity audited for the study originated in Europe. The audits for the white paper were mostly carried out by Solarbuyer between 2012 and 2018.

Black Sea and European lenders have loaned €19.1 million each to a 57 MW solar plant in southern Ukraine, as the country scrambles to renew its electricity sector. The EBRD is committed to lending €250 million to renewables projects in Ukraine to help the country to meet its 11% clean energy target for 2020.

The Energy Storage Europe conference is nearing and pv magazine is featuring the top ten developments in the field as our Energy Storage Highlights, selected by an independent jury of experts. Having kicked off with a hydrogen fuel cell based approach to self-sufficient living in Switzerland, we continue our ranking with DNV GL’s bid to map the vast battery storage landscape, helping buyers make decisions.

In May, oil giant Shell invested in German manufacturer Sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business, subject to Germany’s monopoly authorities. Sonnen said it hopes the deal will accelerate its growth by expanding its market reach and capacity.

The rise of renewables may have hogged the headlines but there is, nevertheless, a reassuring underlying message to investors with their money in fossil fuels. However there may be hope in meeting the Paris Agreement goals, if only we could encourage a few more trade wars…

France is set to have a near-3 GW annual solar market for the next six years from tenders alone and energy giant EDF wants a 30% piece of the action. To do so, the utility has entered negotiations with Luxel shareholders to acquire the PV developer.

The companies have entered a 15-year agreement for the plant, probably the first PPA for a project that size in Germany. Last week, EnBW said it was considering constructing a subsidy-free solar park in Brandenburg.