Industry groups lash out at proposal to back minigrids in the Philippines
Heated opposition to a legislative bill in the Philippines has sparked debate over subsidies for renewables and the potential for battery-backed PV systems to expand rural electricity access.
Floating PV goes everywhere
While a large floating solar power plant is being planned in Ukraine, within a huge renewable energy complex at the water reservoir Kakhovka, the Asian Development Bank has targeted Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and the Kyrgyz Republic as three countries possessing strong potential for this emerging technology.
India: 40% electricity generation from non-fossils by 2030, up to $80 billion for PV manufacturing
India’s Prime Minister kick started the first Assembly of the ISA, the second IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting, and the 2nd Global RE-Invest yesterday in Greater Noida. The agenda of the day? Universal access to solar energy at affordable rates; securing 40% of India’s electricity generation from non-fossil fuels by 2030, and allocating up to US$80 billion to boost domestic PV manufacturing.
Study: High-risk through water use in solar sector
Though lauded at times as a water-saving technology, PV’s concentration in arid and remote regions, in conjunction with inefficient cleaning methods, can exacerbate water scarcity and prompt rising water tariffs for plant operators, according to a new report on Indian PV installations, published by analysts Bridge to India.
Developers’ alliance helps bring Egypt’s 1.8 GW Benban PV complex online
The realization of Egypt’s 1.8 GW Benban solar complex has posed a long series of challenges to its numerous developers. The creation of the Benban Solar Developers Association (BSDA) has helped move the project forward amid initial grid constraints and several logistical issues, among others. Although only one of the 33 projects has now reached completion, all are set to be grid-connected by June 2019 – the final deadline set by the Egyptian government, according to Assem Korayem, a member of the BSDA and the operating general manager at Access-Power Egypt. In a conversation with pv magazine, he provides an extensive update on the current status of the huge PV complex.
Turkey: 20 MW of new licensed PV capacity connects to the grid
Asunim Turkey has built and grid connected two new solar farms, thus boosting Turkey’s licensed PV market.
H1 2018 Inverter shipments: Utility-scale growth and China 31/5 fall-out
The global top three companies have not changed compared to the 2017 ranking. Still in the U.S., SMA has lost its pole position to Solaredge. Ingeteam, meanwhile, is capitalizing massively on stable growth in the utility-scale market, and jumps from rank 18 to fourth.
Official statistics confirm strong contraction of UK solar market
Overall, the United Kingdom reached a cumulative installed PV power capacity of 12.93 GW as of the end of August. Around 45% of this is represented by solar parks exceeding 5 MW in size, while another 20% come from residential installations up to 4 kW. Newly installed PV capacity for the first eight months of this year was just 155 MW.
Power generation from PV grew by 13% in Germany this year
From January to September 2018, solar PV systems generated 36.8 TWh in Germany, which is 13% more than they did in the first nine months of the previous year.
SunPower makes good on its promise to manufacture in America
The high-efficiency PV maker has closed on SolarWorld’s Oregon factory, which will transition from SolarWorld products to SunPower’s P-type shingled modules.
