Wallonia’s controversial residential PV fee may only apply to new systems
The energy regulator of Belgium’s French-speaking region has announced the fee for residential PV will come into force next year and may apply only to installations grid-connected after July 1 this year, as proposed by the regional government.
African commercial and industrial PV market grows on the back of outages and high tariffs
According to a new report from BloombergNEF, cheap solar energy could benefit many businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. However, regulatory and financial obstacles are causing concern.
64 MW project connected at Benban
Alcazar Energy has announced the start of commercial operation for a project at Benban, in Egypt. Alcazar says it is the first of more than 30 planned projects in the second round of the mammoth solar park to achieve grid connection, and one of four similar sized projects the company is working on at the site.
Western Canada’s first solar park secures financing – and will incorporate bifacial panels
The 23 MW Suffield Solar Project is under development by Chinese-Canadian company Canadian Solar in Alberta. The project received CA$15.3 million in funds from the federal government under the Emerging Renewable Power Program.
Bangladesh moves to register 100,000 rural electric vehicles
With electric three-wheelers operating in the nation’s rural areas, it is hoped registering them will help encourage wider adoption.
California rooftop legislation lifts order book for Swedish equipment supplier
CIGS thin-film production equipment company Midsummer posted record orders in 2018. With a U.S. partner, the company noted uptake was partly due to Californian requirements to integrate PV into all new (low-rise) buildings from next year.
African Development Bank’s $25 million for sub-Saharan renewables
The investment will be made into a larger equity fund which seeks to develop 533 MW in the market, which currently has the lowest rate of access to electricity in the world. Even small capacity additions can bring economic impacts to many people.
Abu Dhabi’s Masdar vies for stake in Indian developer Hero Future
State-owned Masdar Clean Energy is in talks to acquire a 30-35% stake in Hero Future Energies. With the stake sale, the renewable energy arm of Hero Group expects to raise $300-350 million for its expansion into global markets, according to reports.
China ready to set 3 GW quota for residential solar in 2019
Sources have told pv magazine the authorities are ready to restart the nation’s residential rooftop segment and have also agreed upon subsidy payments for other distributed generation and utility-scale projects.
100 MW Saran solar park commissioned in Kazakhstan
The SES Saran solar project is in the Karaganda region. The project was financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and built by German developer Goldbeck.
