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Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments (REIL) has invited bids to set up 1.7 MW (AC) of grid-connected PV projects with battery storage in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The projects — to be implemented on a turnkey basis on Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) — will be awarded through competitive bids, followed by a reverse auction.

In a recent briefing on Australia’s renewables investment boom, BIS Oxford Economics estimates that solar and wind will attract AUD $20 billion ($14.2 billion) of private investment in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019, spread across more than 70 projects. But the consultants warn that investment will slow beyond 2020, pointing to the upcoming Australian federal election as critically important for the future of the country’s renewables pipeline.

The Rome-based power and water utility said it plans to build new projects and acquire existing facilities in the secondary market. The move is part of the company’s €4 billion investment plan for the 2019-22 period.

French renewables developer Arkolia Energies is planning to build a 313 MW solar power project near Larzac, in southern France. The facility should be connected to a power-to-gas plant, but the project has already raised concerns among locals and environmentalist activists, which have started a petition on Avaaz to prevent its construction.

Germany set a new record in March as more than half of its power was generated from wind, PV and other renewables. In the first quarter, renewables accounted for 45.4% of net electricity generation, according to Energy Charts from Fraunhofer ISE.

Amid the hubbub surrounding India’s renewable energy ambitions, few people have likely heard the last wails of a critically endangered great Indian bustard as it chars to death on a power transmission line or fatally collides with a wind turbine.

The Japanese CIS solar module maker has been acquired — along with its parent company, Showa Shell Sekiyu — through a share exchange by Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu. The transaction was announced in mid-October, while the preliminary agreement was signed in July.

New global PV additions reached 94.2 GW in 2018, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Asia is the region with the largest share of cumulative PV capacity, with around 274.6 GW, followed by Europe and North America with 119.3 GW and 55.3 GW, respectively.

The company has received financial support of PLN 50 million ($13 million) for the project from the Polish national development bank. The facility will produce BIPV cells and panels based on ML System’s quantum dots technology.

The two German PV equipment suppliers registered revenue increases last year and both expect positive business development in 2019.