Policy

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has awarded 140 MW of solar capacity to eight companies across nine locations, with the lowest bid coming in at JPY 17.2 ($0.15)/kWh, according to a local media report.

Egypt’s feed-in tariff scheme expired in October, however recent regulatory updates on the net metering scheme are set to bear fruit for solar PV in Egypt. pv magazine explores the new policy and business landscape.

CPI has summarized the present rooftop sector of India, its economics, and the financial facilities to the industry from government and banks. The analyst and advisory firm has presented the solutions for the current financial obstacles to the growth of rooftop solar. The team has presented two Indo-U.S. collaborative initiatives, USICEF and USICFP, with which these solutions can be implemented.

The Australian government has agreed to provide AU$2.57 million (US$1.9 million) to support a two-year pilot project that will use blockchain technology to pair utility-scale and commercial rooftop PV with a battery, electric vehicle charging stations and water treatment systems in Western Australia.

Under proposed ‘rent a roof’ policy, solar developers will rent rooftop space to install a PV array and offer to lease to each household and then feed the solar power to the grid, said MNRE Secretary Anand Kumar.

Indian renewable analyst firm notes that anti-dumping comes at inopportune time with the industry already reeling from a slowdown in new project procurement, extra costs due to GST, import duties and increased module prices. It is expected to come by October 2018 and may affect all stakeholders and projects in the pipeline as well as those awaiting auction.

The government of the African country has issued an expression of interest in seeking consultancy companies for the environmental and social impact assessment of a 20 MW PV power project.

Gyanesh Chaudhary, the MD, and CEO of Vikram Solar, speaks to pv magazine about the international solar alliance event held in collaboration with MNRE and CII at COP23 in Bonn, Germany and more on the Indian solar manufacturing sector. He is a part of the Indian (CII) delegation to COP23, Bonn Germany.

Study carried out by Bloomberg New Energy Finance on behalf of Eaton and U.K.’s Renewable Energy Association finds economic drivers key to increased uptake in solar and wind, although back-up capacity required by 2040 likely to be similar to today’s levels.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and National Energy Administration (NEA) have revealed plans to start operating a wholesale market for distributed-generation (DG) electricity on a pilot basis from early February.