Markets

Australia’s PV module supply landscape could experience a supply shock as legislation emerges to stamp out the use of forced labor. Chris O’Brien, VP for the APAC region at Maxeon Solar Technologies, says that measures that have left modules stranded at the U.S. border could very well occur in Australia soon.

New documents reveal how renewables have improved publicly available power grid data in the United States, and show how solar and wind are footing the bill for U.S. power grid upgrades.

An investigation into the financier which promised to lend the polysilicon company’s solar project development arm $60 million two years ago, has turned up nothing more than an address in St Kitts and Nevis and allegations of fraud against one of its key personnel.

Adani Green Energy has completed the acquisition of 5 GW of solar and wind assets from SB Energy India for $3.5 billion, marking the largest renewables M&A deal in the country. The acquisition swells Adani’s operational capacity by 46%.

Iberdrola has revealed plans to halt new projects and renegotiate supply contracts in Spain, while companies and associations have asked the European Commission for help, amid warnings about investment risks and rising electricity prices.

A combination of booming demand for coal-fired power and a shortage of the black stuff – exacerbated by a political row with Australia – have forced up prices to the extent fossil fuel generators are making a loss on every unit of electricity they produce. pv magazine‘s Vincent Shaw considers the potential solutions.

Rooftop solar growth in India has largely been driven by a few big, creditworthy organizations in the commercial and industrial sector. However, if accessible financing options are made available, growth can also be replicated in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, according to a new report.

Wind power specialist Mingyang Smart Energy has revealed plans to build a 5 GW heterojunction module factory in China’s Jiangsu province, while TBEA has said it intends to raise its majority stake in Xinte Energy from 62% to 67%.

Closed-loop pumped-hydro storage offers more chances to minimize environmental effects on water sources and overcomes the problem of finding suitable sites. According to an Australian research team, closed-loop systems could prevail on open-loop systems in the future and this trend is confirmed by another group of scientists from the United States.

Australia’s clean energy transition is set to accelerate in the coming years with a new report suggesting that most Australian homes and businesses will have switched to PV modules paired with batteries by 2030, giving the nation the highest per capita penetration of renewables in the world.