Oman tenders another 1.1 GW of PV
Through a new procuremente exercise, the Oman Power and Water Procurement company (OPWP) is now seeking developers for the Manah Solar I IPP and Manah Solar II IPP projects with a capacity of 500 MW and 600 MW, respectively. Both plants will be located at Manah which is around 150 km southwest of Muscat.
Scatec Solar finalizes 197 MW portfolio in Malaysia
Scatec Solar moved into the Malaysian Solar market in late-2016. The company sealed financing for 197 MW of capacity with the help of the country’s green bonds, the year after. Malaysia is continuing on its solar trajectory and will hold the third iteration of its tenders for the allocation of an addition 500 MW in generation capacity.
10 GW of utility-scale PV+storage by 2023
In 2019, the United States will become the world’s largest market for grid-connected battery energy storage, writes IHS Markit’s Camron Barati, as solar-plus-storage and peaking capacity requirements drive increased procurement.
Africa added 556 MW of on-grid solar in Q1 2019
According to new statistics released by African Energy Live Data, solar represents more than half of total new power generation capacity for the first three months of this year.
Scientists set new efficiency record for single crystal perovskite
Scientists at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science Technology have set a new efficiency record of 21.09% for a single crystal perovskite. The researchers say this highlights a place for the technology to develop alongside the multicrystalline versions which are progressing toward commercialization.
Masdar inks MoU to develop 300 MW of solar in Armenia
The Armenian solar market has been somewhat slow to take off, but it could be experiencing a serious push, following an announcement that Abu Dhabi-based energy company Masdar plans to deploy 500 MW of solar and wind capacity in the country.
Italy to hold first 500 MW renewables auction on September 30
According to the new auction schedule approved by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, three more renewables procurement exercises will be held each year in 2020 and 2021. Through the seven bidding rounds, the Italian authorities seek to allocate approximately 4.8 GW of new power generation capacity.
REC Silicon lays off 100 workers at U.S. facility
Norwegian headquartered polysilicon manufacturer REC Silicon has announced that it will lay off another 100 workers at its Moses Lake facility in the western United States, as the factory heads into long term shutdown.
Cambodia approves four PV projects totaling 140 MW
The country’s government has decided to approve the four new projects, ranging in size from 20 MW to 60 MW, in response to rising energy demand. It further announced that the 60 MW project that it tendered at the beginning of the year is planned to start commercial operations in August.
Togo joins Scaling Solar program for 90 MW
The government of the African country has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Finance Corporation for the development and construction of several solar parks. The projects are expected to be finalized over the next two years.
