South Africa: Date set for PPA signing, economic benefits highlighted
The South African Government has set a date of March 13 for the signing of 27 outstanding PPAs for solar and wind. It emphasized the economic benefits of the contracts, which are set to spur new energy investment of around US$4.7 billion and over 60,000 jobs.
Libya resumes efforts to take advantage of its solar potential
Libya’s Misurata Free Zone is resorting to solar to increase its energy independence, with support being provided by U.S.-based energy consultancy, iQ Power.
Sungrow signs storage inverter supply agreement for 30 MWh storage project in Japan
The Chinese power electronics company will ship its turnkey energy systems comprising storage inverters, NCM lithium batteries and an energy management system to a 30 MWh storage project being built in Hokkaido, Japan.
Kazahkstan tenders 290 MW of solar
Overall, new auctions launched by the Kazakh government will allocate 1 GW of renewable energy generation capacity, including 620 MW of wind power plants.
Acciona secures solar PPA from Chilean mining company ENAMI
The National Mining Company of Chile (ENAMI) will be the first Chilean mining company that will have all of its electricity demand covered by clean energy sources. Supply of electricity under the long-term PPA will begin in April 2018.
Solar Ventures plans 1 GW of ‘grid-parity’ projects in Italy, Spain
The Italian solar plant operator has decided to re-enter the Italian PV market, as costs for large-scale solar are now under €1 million/MW and conditions for unsubsidized projects are improving. Overall, it plans to invest around €800 million in solar in the two southern European countries over the next five years.
Chinese breakthrough in harvesting energy from the sun and the rain
A team of scientists based at the Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices has integrated a silicon solar cell with a device that generates power from the motion of raindrops, an innovation which could greatly enhance performance in cloudier climates.
Manz returns to profitability
Thanks to a one-off effect in the solar segment, the company was able to achieve a record turnover of €325 million in 2017.
RE 100 signatories could spur 35 GW of solar opportunities
To meet their 2030 renewable energy targets, RE 100 signatories will need to procure around 172 TWh of additional energy generation, writes BNEF. Up to 35 GW of solar and 51 GW of wind could be deployed, if they met this demand through PPAs.
European Commission unveils sustainable financing roadmap
An estimated €100 billion in additional investment is needed, annually, to reach Europe’s 2030 energy goals, states the European Commission, which has today released a roadmap to create a financial system that is focused on sustainable investment.
