Policy

RE+ México 2025 drew more than 8,500 attendees to Expo Guadalajara, with optimism driven by pending energy reforms and a new storage ruling in the country.

European power purchase agreement (PPA) prices fell in February amid sliding energy commodity prices, but deal flow held steady, says Swiss energy consultancy Pexapark, noting that a “landmark” 40-year, 15 MW solar PPA was signed in Wales.

The innovative project located in a suburban district in the south of Shanghai will integrate five different energy storage technologies, including sodium-ion batteries. Its first phase will have a cumulative capacity of 40 MW/160 MWh.

German researchers have found that the majority of subsidies required to reach the country’s renewable energy targets have already been paid, with an estimated 80% to 90% of subsidies for units in operation covered. The costs of newer renewable energy sources have decreased and are often competitive with remunerations from the wholesale market.

The U.S. Department of Commerce dramatically increased tariffs on imports from Chinese solar producers operating in Vietnam after the agency concluded that China is subsidizing raw materials for its companies to use in their Vietnamese factories.

Israel is considering two new tariff rates for selling excess electricity from home solar installations back to the grid. The first will offer a higher rate for the first five years, before dropping beneath the current rate, while the second will link the tariff to inflation. A consultation is open until April 4.

Greece’s latest auction has awarded subsidies to 188.9 MW of standalone, front-of-the-meter, utility-scale battery energy storage. The auction was the third and final edition of a battery storage subsidy program launched in 2023, with the country now turning its focus towards a new 4.7 GW unsibsidized BESS scheme.

Developer Shannon LNG has obtained permission from the Irish planning authorities for a 600 MW regasification unit and a 120 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in County Kerry. It is unclear when the plant will be built. Renewable energy advocates and opposition politicians are calling on the state to overturn the permit, citing Shannon LNG’s separate plans to construct a controversial LNG terminal near the gas plant.

Japan has allocated 93 MW of PV capacity in its latest procurement exercise. The lowest bid came in at JPY 4.47 ($0.030)/kWh, while the average final price was JPY 5.06/kWh.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is tendering 14 solar power projects ranging in size from 105 MW to 250 MW.