Malaysia mulls P2P energy trading and renewable energy certificates
Giving an update on the country’s renewable energy future, Malaysian Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said that the government is looking into P2P energy trading schemes and virtual net metering to expand solar uptake. On the residential side, a recent government-led communications push has lifted installation numbers over the last few months.
Victoria to require installers to sign CEC’s Code of Conduct for Solar Homes
The Victorian government is giving smaller solar installers eight months to sign up to the Clean Energy Council’s Solar Retailer Code of Conduct if they want to qualify for the Solar Homes program. For larger retailers, the deadline to become Approved Solar Retailers is July.
High-efficiency solar module upgrades from REC and Trina
REC Group has begun production of its residential N-Peak Black series, reaching up to 325 watts. Concurrently, Trina Solar has released four new modules within its Tallmax, Duomax, Duomax Twin and Honey series — some of which reach up to 415 watts.
EU call for energy infrastructure proposals backed by €750m of funding
Under its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the bloc has opened another call for applications to build cross-border energy infrastructure projects. It has already agreed to provide a grant of €323 million to synchronize the regional grid in the Baltic States.
NEC ES completes 18 MW, 7.5 MWh storage project for EKZ in Switzerland
NEC Energy Solutions has finished installing an 18 MW, 7.5 MWh grid storage system (GSS) in Switzerland for Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich.
Sunny prospects for the Netherlands
The exhibition halls of the Solar Solutions Int. trade fair near Amsterdam are full and visitors seem optimistic. And for good reason, as 2 GW of PV capacity could be built in the Netherlands this year — a solid 40% jump on last year’s installations.
Fossil fuel financing on upward trajectory with trillions invested since 2015
While some lenders and financiers have signaled plans to stop funding polluting power stations, a new report shows that 33 global banks have poured $1.9 trillion into financing the fossil fuel industry as a whole since the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Big U.S. banks led by JPMorgan have invested most heavily.
Volkswagen, Northvolt to set up battery research consortium
Automaker Volkswagen and Swedish lithium-ion battery producer Northvolt have announced plans to jointly form and lead a new organization, the European Battery Union (EBU), to conduct research on batteries used in transport and stationary energy storage applications.
IRENA, GGGI to jointly promote renewables
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) have agreed to collaborate on the promotion of renewable energy sources such as solar.
Motech posts record $220.5m net loss in 2018
Motech Industries revealed this week that its annual net loss widened by 124.19% year on year to NT$6.795 billion ($220.5 million), marking its biggest yearly net loss ever.
