Markets

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Rio de Janeiro recorded the sunniest June in over 18 years, with solar irradiance 15% above the long-term average. This was part of a band of higher than average sunshine extending through Bolivia, Paraguay, and parts of Brazil. Conversely, southern Argentina saw an irradiance drop of up to 30% below the long-term average as it experienced its cloudiest June in the same period.

Abu Dhabi-based Masdar has raised $1 billion through a new bond issuance. It says the investment will fund equity commitments on new greenfield projects, several of which are in developing economies.

A research group has examined the potential for PV on building walls and rooftops across Norway. It says that up to 36% of the feasible solar energy, or approximately 31 GW, could be integrated into the national power system to match generation and consumption patterns.

LevelTen Energy says in its latest quarterly report that prices for power purchase agreements (PPAs) increased in the second quarter, following a modest decline in the first three months of the year.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Current market conditions are propelling grid-scale project deployment in a more diversified European energy storage market. Anna Darmani, principal analyst – energy storage EMEA, at Wood Mackenzie, examines revenue streams in different parts of Europe and emerging routes to the market.

Signs of a UK government that’s prepared to back solar have emerged within a fortnight of the Labour Party securing victory in the General Election. The government has already signed off on more than 1 GW of new solar capacity.

Czechia’s Solární Asociace says that the country installed 484 MW of solar in the first half of this year, nearly matching the 487 MW added in the same first six months of 2023. It notes that the residential PV market has cooled, but the corporate segment has grown.

Yang Meng, Sungrow’s director of distribution in Europe, says that despite signs of slowing demand in parts of the residential segment, Europe’s overall solar and storage markets are on a stable path, with potential for growth in the commercial and industrial storage space.

Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) says the country installed 115.5 MW of new solar capacity in the first half of 2024, bringing the nation’s total installed PV capacity to around 400 MW.