Norwegian researchers develop new solar panel cleaning robot
The new robot may make manual cleaning of large-scale solar PV plants a thing of the past.
Recom acquires French module maker Sillia
The French manufacturer filed for insolvency in March. The Tribunal of Commerce of Lyon had received two bids for the acquisition of the company.
UGE completes acquisition of Carmanah Solar, secures contract for 17 MW solar facility in Alberta
The Canadian renewable energy company has taken full control of the joint venture that acquired the solar unit of Carmanah Technologies Inc. in April. Furthermore, the company has secured a contract to build a 17 MW ground-mounted solar plant near Calgary.
Construction begins on 596 MW of solar in Florida
The eight projects being built by Black & Veatch and Blattner for FPL will greatly increase the state’s solar capacity and could catapult it into a leading solar market.
Africa solar: competitive tenders or negotiated deals?
Given increasing activity in the solar PV sector in Africa, a critical question has emerged: should African states aim for competitive tenders or negotiated deals? This question was among those discussed at the Africa Energy Forum (AEF) that took place last week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
BNEF: Coal to fade as cost of renewables falls even faster
The latest long-term forecast from analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predicts solar energy costs to drop a further 66% by 2040, and onshore wind by 47%. Given these predictions, BNEF expect that renewables will undercut the majority of fossil based generation by 2030, even in India and China.
Losses mount for ReneSola as firm pivots further downstream
The Chinese vertically integrated solar firm posted a Q1 net loss of $23.2 million and revenues of $156.6 million – down 32.5% and 39.9% sequentially and year-on-year respectively.
French Development Agency finances solar project in Bolivia with €11.5 million
The 50 MW Planta Solar Fotovoltaica Oruro project is scheduled for completion in 2018. Bolivia’s power utility ENDE is currently reviewing 16 bids for the projects.
Deloitte says millennials are driving solar expansion
According to Deloitte’s annual “Resources 2017 Study – Energy Management: Sustainability & Progress,” grid parity, driven by technological advances and plunging prices, has allowed consumers and businesses to choose clean energy over more traditional fossil-fuel options, with increasing solar use being most consumers’ top priority.
NextEnergy Solar Fund heralds arrival of subsidy-free UK solar
Amid falling costs across the industry, Guernsey-based investment company NextEnergy Solar Fund is planning to develop four solar plants totaling 59.8 MW without the U.K. government’s financial backing.
