Acme Solar raises $334 million via offshore green bonds
Indian developer Acme Solar’s green bonds were oversubscribed by over three times, and will support it financing twelve projects for a combined 450MW (or 605 MWp) of its operational assets in India.
Spanish solar projects secure €68m credit lines
Seven PV plants being planned by Solaria have received direct backing from the European Investment Bank, with the EU lender also the source of a €14 million loan to Natixis which will be passed on to the Spanish developer.
UK power generation in 2020: Renewables up to 43%
Solar contributed 28% of the U.K.’s total renewable energy generation, which was dominated by wind power. The proportion of fossil fuels in the energy mix fell to a record low last year, at 37.7%.
CATL claims to have made sodium-ion batteries a commercial reality
The manufacturer has launched sodium-ion products online. Production has begun and will be easily scalable, according to the CATL chairman. Researchers have been keen to make the technology work as it offers a cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion products.
Plans for HJT gigafactory in Russia
The controlling shareholder of Russian PV manufacturer Hevel Solar says it has started construction on a gigafactory to manufacture solar ingots, wafers and heterojunction (HJT) cells in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia, between Lithuania and Poland.
Meyer Burger plans to launch solar PV roof tiles in 2022
The Swiss group has acquired an integrated solar roof system solution from an unidentified German engineering service provider for this purpose. The aim is grow this sector from a niche market.
Bboxx cottons on to pay-as-you-go potential of Burkina Faso
The PAYG solar start-up, which is a darling of impact investors, has formed a joint venture with French cotton farming giant Geocoton to establish a foothold in Burkina Faso and says it is aiming to offer its solar home systems to 2 million customers.
European Commission approves France’s €30bn renewables incentive program
Paris intends to secure 34 GW of solar, onshore wind and hydroelectric generation capacity by 2026 by offering generators premium payments – determined by competitive reverse-bidding among developers – to top-up the market electricity price.
Chinese poly maker moves to establish natural gas-fired hydrogen business
An announcement by GCL-Poly to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday about the company’s hydrogen plans made no mention of any intent to deploy carbon capture tech to mitigate the emissions of what would otherwise be considered a ‘grey’, fossil fuel version of the energy storage medium.
Spark welcomes takeover talks as buyout bid reaches almost $4bn
Australian electricity network part-owner Spark Infrastructure said it will welcome other bids if a $5.2 billion (USD$3.85) billion takeover bid by a consortium fails, implying a sale is on the cards.
