Electricity access aims prompt fresh $120m in loans and grants for African off-grid solar
Benin has obtained a $21.1 million loan from the investment and development bank of the Economic Community of West African States and Burundi will benefit from a $160 million World Bank donation, $100 million of which will be dedicated to solar energy.
Incentives for small solar-plus-storage in Austria and Italy
Rebates are being offered to homeowners and businesses willing to couple small solar systems with energy storage.
Is green hydrogen necessary to balance a renewables grid?
A report by Norwegian energy consultant DNV GL has considered the opportunity for long-term energy storage to play a role in balancing annual supply and demand fluctuations in a renewables-led grid. Using 58 years of Dutch weather and energy consumption data, the study found long-term solutions such as green hydrogen could make a valuable contribution – but perhaps not as much as some analysts believe.
European industrial strategy makes no mention of solar
The move has been welcomed as a step in the right direction by lobby group SolarPower Europe nevertheless, particularly as it envisages bringing together EU low-carbon businesses. The outline ambition will now be considered by the European Parliament.
Duke Energy signs milestone power contract in North Carolina
Charlotte has become the first U.S. municipality to come to terms with Duke Energy on a solar contract through the new Green Source Advantage program.
Solar lobby group’s UK budget demands unlikely to be heeded
The UK Solar Trade Association has laid out its wish list ahead of new chancellor Rishi Sunak’s first budget speech tomorrow, with an exemption of solar from onerous tax valuations top of the agenda. COVID-19 measures, though, are likely to cast everything else into the shade.
Project developers can secure cash from new IRENA funding pot
The Climate Investment Platform launched by three multilateral bodies in September is now open for business and renewables companies in developing nations could qualify for help with clean energy facilities, renewables-related grid improvements and energy efficiency schemes.
Entso-E targeted in recent cyberattack
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity said on Monday that unidentified hackers recently targeted its computer networks.
EU climate law sets the stage for a green transformation
Although decried for lacking ambition and as an abdication of responsibility in some quarters, the climate law proposed by the European Commission may be more ambitious than it first appears, as Felicia Jackson, from the center for sustainable finance of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London – considers here.
DEWA opens new solar R&D center
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s new research facility at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will primarily focus on solar power, energy efficiency, and the integration of smart grids.
