The weekend read: Unsteady progress of a potential MENA solar superpower
With a combination of scale, a growing population, outstanding irradiation, and available capital, solar PV should be a ‘no brainer’ for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But early explorations of the technology have soured expectations, and progress has come in fits and starts.
Singyes finally publishes details of last year’s annus horribilis
The collapse in business for the solar EPC provider after last year’s 5/31 policy announcement by Beijing has left the company’s future depending on the progress of a Chinese state bail-out. Provided that is, the business does not end up being wound up by Deutsche Bank first.
Solargiga issues profit warning
The manufacturer has been unable to get its new mono ingot and wafer making facilities up to full speed and says the delay in confirming Beijing’s new solar policy this year also affected its bottom line.
Algerian diesel-solar tender concludes with lowest bid of 11 cents
State-owned gas and power provider Sonegalz intends to develop five hybrid projects in off-grid areas in the south of the country. The highest bid came in at the equivalent of $0.13/kWh.
Commercial solar at grid parity in China but a hard line is needed on soft costs
Deploying commercial and industrial PV in China without subsidy is already profitable in some areas, according to a new study, but prohibitive soft costs and cheap electricity are the main barriers for such installations in areas where grid parity remains out of reach.
Thinktank says India must prioritize a vertically integrated solar supply chain
To develop cost-competitive solar modules the nation must adopt a phased program and set up 15 GW of silicon-ingot-to-solar-module manufacturing capacity by 2024, according to The Energy and Resources Institute.
UK energy company loses license over unpaid renewables obligations
URE Energy repeatedly missed deadlines to settle a £209,000 bill after it failed to source enough of the electricity it supplied two years ago from renewable generation.
The tide is changing for ground-mounted PV in Ireland
Ireland appears ready to embrace PV after years of failed announcements. Globaldata predicts the EU member state will deploy around 1.3 GW of solar by 2030, with renewables potentially meeting 65% of electricity demand. Furthermore, Irish Water has announced it wants to deploy solar at its water treatment plants.
Lithium-ion batteries still set for US tariffs on September 1
The energy storage market is set to be the latest affected by Trump’s trade war as lithium-ion batteries were excluded from the group of Chinese imports for which the U.S. president announced tariffs would be delayed until December 15.
China holds key to corporate solar take-up but lags way behind Texas at present
The Lone Star State accounted for almost half of the activity witnessed in the world’s biggest corporate clean energy marketplace but analysts are excited about the prospect of Beijing mandating companies to purchase minimum levels of green electricity.
