Growing solar sales insufficient to stem cash burn at Singulus
German production equipment supplier Singulus is pursuing a debt-equity swap to tide the company over a difficult period in which its liquidity has been diminished due to weak sales to the optical disk industry. This is despite growth in its solar equipment booking and shipments.
Mexico to hold its first post-reform electricity auction
The contest will be resolved at the end of March 2016. Under the auction, clean energy certificates will be issued in addition to power and capacity contracts.
Despite rapid growth, yieldcos face money troubles
A new report by CohnReznick looks at the dramatic growth of yieldcos and the massive amount of cash they have raised, but also the difficulties that yieldcos are having due to depressed stock prices.
389 MW of solar comes online in Honduras in 2015 to date
This rapid pace makes Honduras the second-largest solar market in Latin America in 2015. Plants commissioned since the first of the year include one larger than 100 MW and another 61 MW.
Chinas GD Solar retires 640 MW manufacturing capacity
Guodian subsidiary, GD Solar will retire 640 MW of crystalline and thin film solar PV capacity due to low utilization rates, high production costs and market expansion difficulties.
Tata Steel plans 22 MW rooftop solar project in the Netherlands
Tata Steel has unveiled ambitious plans to install a 22 MW solar PV rooftop system atop factory roofs in the Netherlands. When complete in 2018, it will be one of the biggest projects of its kind.
Vivint Solar to introduce solar loans with Mosaic
One of the Americas biggest solar lease providers Vivint Solar will begin introducing solar loans in partnership with solar crowdfunder Mosaic. The loans will initially be introduced in Vivints home state of Utah with the goal to roll it out in other markets.
Astronergy to continue serving EU markets despite Chints censure
Chint Solar subsidiary Astronergy will continue supplying the EU market despite its parent company exiting the EU minimum import price (MIP), after the EU Commission found it to be in breach of the undertaking.
Tongweis cell plans deserve caution despite ambitious downstream pipeline
Chinese PV aspirant Tongweis 5 GW PV cell facilities may take several years to realize, analysts caution, while its downstream ambitions in China could see significant capacity realized. Fab fit out likely to lead to orders from Chinese and non-Chinese production equipment vendors alike.
Li-ion battery costs to fall 50% in next 5 years, driven by renewables
Capital costs for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are expected to come down by around 50% over the next five years, as a result of increased renewables generation, among other factors, finds Lazard in a new study looking at the levelised cost of storage (LCOS). Currently, energy storage is not cost-competitive with most applications, however. In a separate study, Lazard, analyzed LCOEs in the U.S. Utility-scale PV was found to be competitive against conventional energies, while rooftop solar still requires “significant” subsidization.
