Strategic Alliances

A report commissioned by EU lender the EIB has dismissed the role solar mini-grids can play in achieving universal electrification by 2030 and signaled distribution to individual households should be the way forward, including sales to the residents of UN refugee camps in East Africa.

Plus, as the European Commission prepares to present its ‘Fit for 55’ climate change package tomorrow, European companies are continuing to develop hydrogen plans, including Shell in Norway and Siemens in Germany.

Prodiel recently went from being a single entity to a holding company, comprised of three different businesses. Its project development division has created a 50% joint venture with Everwood, and now the EPC unit that is looking for a new partner to grow.

Corporate renewable energy purchases are at an all time high. In Europe alone, a record-breaking 4 GW of corporate power purchase agreements were signed in 2020, bringing the overall total to 15 GW. Globally, this figure is even higher. As part of the UP Initiative’s quarterly theme on ‘Sustainable electricity and corporates’ critical solar role’, pv magazine spoke to Hannah Hunt, Impact Director at RE-Source, a European alliance of stakeholders representing clean energy buyers and suppliers, about how the business model landscape for such purchases is evolving, and the challenges the sector faces, including shortages in renewable energy supply across Europe.

A consortium led by The Mobility House has installed its first storage facility comprising both used and new Renault ZOE batteries in France, thus growing the network of such storage facilities in Europe.

The ‘EBA250 Academy’ battery technician, engineer and researcher skills courses offered in Spain by EU body EIT InnoEnergy will also be rolled out in France, after approval from Paris.

Q Cells and Samsung have agreed to combine their hardware and software platforms to develop ‘zero energy homes,’ with on-site energy production and use.

An MIT-spawned company has teamed up with architects and an Italian frozen-desserts brand to design an origami-inspired umbrella to power fridges.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) and the Solar Industry Association of Zambia (SIAZ) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the transition to renewable energy sources in Zambia. One of the goals is to create at least five million green jobs globally.

The two solar manufacturers will get priority access to polysilicon produced at the planned fab in Inner Mongolia, which developer Xinte Energy has said will be fully operational by June 2023.