Policy

The Portuguese government has announced a national energy-saving plan for the 2022-23 period. It expects to add 1,140 MW of new solar by the end of this year.

European Union energy ministers will meet in a special session in Brussels on Friday to discuss deep cuts to the gas and electricity markets. A non-public paper obtained by pv magazine shows the Commission’s proposal, which includes a triad of reduced prices, consumption reduction, and solidarity-based distribution of energy within the EU.

The European Commission’s merger and acquisitions body is running the rule over a plan by New York-based Blackstone Capital to take joint ownership of expansionary Esdec Solar, alongside private equity group Rivean.

The African Development Bank has announced that European and US donors will provide $20 million of concessional loans to support pay-as-you-go solar companies in sub-Saharan Africa.

South Korea’s Hanwha Q Cells is preparing to take joint control of LynqTech in Hanover, Germany.

The supply of PV modules to the United States has been challenged by potential tariffs on goods shipped from four Southeast Asian nations that provide 80% of US solar panels. The disruption stems from an ongoing investigation into allegations of antidumping violations. US President Joe Biden has halted tariffs related for two years, but challenges still loom, reports pv magazine USA’s Ryan Kennedy.

A recent report by the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVSP) reviews the current regulatory and industrial landscape for end-of-life PV management in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, and the United States.

The city authority wants a developer to construct a 7 MW solar project for it as part of a push to widen its sources of electricity, and says clean energy will be cheaper than – largely coal-fired – grid power from Eskom.

An Inter-ministerial committee of the Greek government last week labeled a photovoltaic project, combining lithium batteries and an electrolyzer, a strategic investment meaning it can take advantage of fast licensing processes.  

Indonesia will have to get to work installing more than 24 GW of solar this year – and every year – if the region is to achieve the 2.1 TW to 2.4 TW of photovoltaics Irena has estimated it will require to achieve a net zero carbon energy system by 2050.