Markets & Policy

According to Korean government, around 18,000 unlicensed projects up to 1 MW in size are being developed in the area. Restrictions on such projects, which are driving this year’s strong solar growth in the country, are being introduced to reduce their environmental impact.

With the region of Styria considering making PV mandatory on all new buildings, the nation’s Climate Fund will support PV and storage projects in agriculture and forestry. Applications can be submitted by November 2020 – or until the pot is empty.

AleaSoft analyses fuel market prices, carbon emission rights, European electricity markets and renewable energy production. Last week most prices rose on the previous reporting period as solar and wind power production varied by country.

Polysilicon manufacturer Daqo has announced the start of pilot production in Xinjiang and expects to ramp up to full output by the end of the year, doubling the company’s annual capacity to 70,000 MT. Some 90% of its poly will be mono by that stage and Daqo expects 40% to be suitable for n-type products next year.

Co-location of solar and storage may accelerate the deployment of profitable merchant renewable energy projects in the United Kingdom, according to a report by Aurora Energy Research. The study predicts installed solar capacity in the U.K. may increase from around 13 GW next year to 19 GW in 2030 and 32 GW in 2040.

A report by Germany’s Energy Watch Group thinktank has said we would be better off sticking to coal and oil than switching to gas because emissions of methane, the most potent greenhouse gas, caused by gas extraction render any related carbon savings irrelevant.

The African Development Bank last year disclosed a plan to install 10 GW of solar in the deserts of the Sahel. A recent summit held in Burkina Faso may have brought the ambitious project a step closer.

Enel Green Power has plugged in the 85 MW Totana solar plant, the first project to come online from the renewables auction held by the Spanish government in July 2017. Elsewhere, Solarcentury and Encavis announced their 300 MW Talayuela project has secured a 10-year power purchase agreement.

The South Sudan Electricity Corporation is seeking consultants to define the nation’s Renewable Energy Development Program and its related tender mechanism. The plan could put the world’s youngest country – which is in the grip of a long, brutal civil war – on a path to sustainability.

It took a while, but now the energy giants can finalize the mega deal. Rival energy companies have criticized approval of the deal amid fears Eon could dominate the German market.