Policy

State-owned energy company Uzbekenergo has issued a request for pre-qualification for the projects, planned for the Navoiy region in southwestern Uzbekistan. The tender process is expected to be finalized by the end of June.

The Department for Transport has announced funding for research projects which could help decarbonize Britain’s railways and generate power from roads and footpaths. Previously explored with limited success, it is hoped the research will push the frontiers of the field and give a fresh impetus to Britain’s ailing solar sector.

The region’s climate, developing economies and demographic growth are driving increased electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa. However, as a hub of conventional energy supply, the region has been slow to embrace PV. To capture more of the value chain and deliver the full potential of solar, there are increasing calls for distributed generation deployment to play a bigger role.

After being “temporarily suspended” in early December, Mexico’s fourth long-term energy auction has been cancelled. The government said the action was taken in compliance with its legal framework and took into account technical, economic and energy planning considerations.

The thin-film manufacturer this week signed an agreement with a clothing brand to develop a $1 billion solar thin film industrial park. No details have emerged yet as to how it will be funded or where exactly it will be based.

A Teikoku Databank report says as many as 95 solar companies went bankrupt last year – seven more than in 2017. The company warns the negative trend that began in 2016 may escalate as FIT reductions for large-scale solar come into effect.

Federal and state governments need to do a whole lot more to help the transition to electric vehicles, says the senate, after poll results indicated strong popular backing for the switch from fossil fuel transport.

According to provisions approved in their first reading by the Ukrainian parliament, solar projects selected in future auctions will be awarded 20-year PPAs to encourage investors to steadily abandon the FIT scheme until it expires in 2030.

The Spanish government has proposed a Royal Decree with new self-consumption regulation which is expected to be approved in March or April. According to the new rules, power surpluses may be shared with other consumers or fed to the grid.

The plant, under development by Canadian Solar, has secured $80 million from Banco do Nordeste. The facility is scheduled to come online in mid-2020.