UAE: Rooftop specialist Environmena acquired by UK investment firm
U.K. investment firm, Arjun Infrastructure Partners is expected to bring strategic support and access to capital to the UAE-based solar developer.
Solar PV 2018: Installs of 111 GW, a polysilicon factory boom and $0.30/W for modules
On the back of high solar PV installs, which will smash records this year at just under 100 GW, BNEF’s optimistic demand forecasts place growth at 111 GW in 2018, rising to 121 GW in 2019. It further sees a polysilicon factory boom, with production 10% up on 2017; and module prices dropping to as low as US$0.30/W for market leaders.
Argentina grants final approval for new distributed generation law
Under the new rules, which are expected to come into force in the first quarter of 2018, owners of residential and commercial PV systems will be allowed to sell excess power to the grid under a net metering mechanism.
Lithuania’s new energy strategy bets on wind and prosumers
Although the country’s new national energy independence strategy says wind will represent 65% of its total renewable energy share by 2050, the number of households that self-generate their power (predominantly from solar) is expected to increase from 34,000 in 2020, to 500,000 in 2030.
Switzerland’s solar power production could reach 19 TWh by 2050
A report from the Paul Scherrer Institute forecasts a bright future for PV technology in the Alpine country. Solar may even be able to grow by 18 TWh over the next 30 years from just 1 TWh currently.
Germany adds 150 MW of solar in October
In the first ten months of 2017, new PV additions totaled 1,465 MW, which is almost the same amount of installed solar capacity installed in the same period of last year.
Spain’s Aragón region prepares to host Europe’s largest solar plant
The 549 MW PV facility will be built by Spanish industrial group ACS on 2,369 hectares of land, spread across the municipalities of Escatrón and Chiprana. The project was selected by the Spanish government in this year’s second renewable energy auction, in which around 3.9 GW of solar power was allocated.
Argentina allocates 556.8 MW of PV in third round of RenovAr program
The lowest bid among the selected solar projects was confirmed at US$40.44/MWh. The average price of all the 66 qualified offers for PV was $43.5/MWh.
Mexico: Third power auction likely to be more successful, despite too-low prices
In an interview with pv magazine, Santiago Barcón, columnist for Energía Hoy and advisor to Mexico’s Energy Regulatory Commission, talks positively about the results of Mexico’s third power auction, despite final prices coming in lower than expected.
GCL-Poly sells stake to back new polysilicon plant
GCL-Poly Energy has revealed plans to sell off a stake in a subsidiary that is building a massive polysilicon plant in northwestern China, while injecting CNY 2.99 billion ($452.1 million) of fresh capital into another group unit to strengthen the competitiveness of its monocrystalline silicon business.
