China shakes PV world
The solar superpower’s departure from its ambitious PV targets has shaken the industry and put a dampener on share prices. Analysts from U.S. investment bank Roth Capital expect a module oversupply mountain of more than 30 GW as a result of the policy change.
Russia pre-qualifies PV projects totaling 554.3 MW for pending RE auction
Only a third of the projects, however, will reach the auction’s final phase, as the Russian government announced last year it would allocate 829.94 MW of wind and only 150.2 MW of solar in this round of bids.
REN21 report: record PV growth but soaring energy demand leaves renewables playing catch-up
Renewable energy has made great strides in electricity generation but the integration of renewables in the heating, cooling and transport sectors is still in its infancy. With those sectors making up around two thirds of global energy demand, there is still enormous potential to harness PV and other technologies.
China: 2018 installations could drop by more than a third
On Friday, three Chinese government ministries issued a joint “2018 Solar PV Power Generation Notice.” Its impact has been hotly debated since, with two key conclusions: the largest market segment – utility-scale PV – will take a pounding and not come close to last year’s record installation figure of just under 34 GW; and the expanding distributed generation market segment, which rose 360% from 2016 to 2017, will also be severely impacted by a 10 GW cap on new projects.
Dubai has 43.7 MW under net metering
Most of the capacity, around 27 MW, was deployed in the emirate over the past eight months.
Gas Natural Fenosa launches power-to-gas project as advocates of the technology call for policy clarity
The Spanish power provider developed the pilot project with the Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya and German spin-off Ineratec. Meanwhile, the European Power to Gas Platform has issued a paper demanding more regulatory certainty for power-to-gas, and to include it as an alternative in the cost-benefit analysis for grid extensions.
The Weekend Read: Central Asia’s Green Horizons
Despite its huge potential in the region, solar PV has hitherto gained little traction in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, two utility-scale PV projects have been realized, and a few are in the pipeline for Uzbekistan as it begins to attract international investors. But many challenges on the policy level have yet to be overcome.
Engie commissions 24 MW PV park in south west France
The project will produce nearly 32 million kWh per year, covering the annual electricity consumption of more than 13,000 people. The total amount invested in the park was €28.6 million.
France looks to hydrogen to become 100% renewables
The French Environment & Energy Management Agency (ADEME) will allocate €100 million next year to support the nation’s hydrogen industry. The French government believes hydrogen – for storage of renewable power – can become a pillar of its energy transition.
Scatec wants to double size of project pipeline
Chief executive of Norwegian developer tells markets his company will deliver on 1.5 GW promise by the end of the year – by including any projects it has broken ground on.
