Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi leapfrogs Jinko for first-half module shipments
There is also news of a 1.1 GW central inverter procurement contract, a pending IPO for solar cell player Runergy, and a $700 million-plus solar glass supply contract.
The Hydrogen Stream: GCL will use Ethiopian natural gas to feed its ammonia and blue hydrogen
Plus there is news this week of a green hydrogen tie-up in India, plans for another German production facility, and of new hydrogen transport networks for Switzerland and the U.S.
European Commission approves France’s €30bn renewables incentive program
Paris intends to secure 34 GW of solar, onshore wind and hydroelectric generation capacity by 2026 by offering generators premium payments – determined by competitive reverse-bidding among developers – to top-up the market electricity price.
Chinese poly maker moves to establish natural gas-fired hydrogen business
An announcement by GCL-Poly to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday about the company’s hydrogen plans made no mention of any intent to deploy carbon capture tech to mitigate the emissions of what would otherwise be considered a ‘grey’, fossil fuel version of the energy storage medium.
Maxeon secures EU cash to make its ‘stick-on’ solar panels in France
The TotalEnergies-controlled solar manufacturer will secure an, as yet undetermined chunk of a new €118.6 million low-carbon innovation fund to start producing its frameless, glass-free solar roofing products at Porcelette, in northeastern France.
Sonnedix begins construction of 50 MW Badajoz project
The developer secured a ten-year power purchase agreement from Statkraft in June last year for almost all of the power expected to be generated by the unsubsidized plant in southwestern Spain.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Trina, Longi and Guangdong Electric Power all have reason to celebrate
…but cell manufacturer Aikosolar is expecting a reversal in fortune for the first half of the year and has blamed rising solar panel material costs.
The Hydrogen Stream: Air Liquide eyes South Korea as Cummins announces fuel-cell truck plans
With Australia prepping plans for vast green hydrogen and ammonia production facilities, two of the country’s state governments are trying to drum up the end-user market as agreements are signed to drive use of the gas in Ukraine and Poland.
PowerGen and CrossBoundary to deploy solar to 55,000 people in rural Nigeria within a year
U.S.-owned, Nairobi-based mini-grid developer PowerGen has already rolled out seven local solar networks in the West African country, funded by equity investors who will recoup their cash when all 28 systems are sold to CrossBoundary Energy Access.
Eni continues rapid Spanish solar expansion with acquisition of Dhamma project pipeline
The decision of the Italian energy firm to acquire a 2.8 GW-plus solar pipeline in Spain and France has come on the same day it was announced Eni would assume 1 GW of solar capacity in Spain from another business. The value of neither deal, nor the form of finance involved, has been revealed.
