Global PV markets

27 bids with a total capacity of 163 MW won contracts in the tender, with the lowest bid as low as EUR 0.0626 per kWh. The tender was, however, largely oversubscribed.

Another week of ups and downs in the solar world saw sizable job losses at SunPower, a welcome hiring push for Tesla, Enphase offload its O&M arm and India announce details of a 1 GW rooftop solar tender.

With an approximate production capacity of 400 MW, it is the largest PV module fab in Brazil.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is boosting Turkey’s small-scale renewable energy and energy efficiency projects with a further EUR 400 million in funding. A significant portion of the new funds are expected to go towards new solar PV installations.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India will tomorrow issue a tender call for the installation of 1 GW of rooftop PV atop government buildings nationwide; buildings already identified, reserve price being assessed.

The Ten Merina 30 MW solar park is being financed by French private investment firm Meridiam, who has already financed a similar project in the country, as it looks to diversify its energy mix with all types of solar energy.

Bertrand Piccard, pilot and co-founder of groundbreaking Solar Impulse project, believes electric planes powered by solar energy can carry passengers within the next decade. SolarStratos project aims to become first solar-powered plane to penetrate stratosphere.

Seraphim and Huashun have now been added to a growing list of Chinese solar manufacturers that have either left, or been excluded from, the European Commission’s minimum import price (MIP) for PV modules and cells, inviting questions of the scheme’s continued viability.

The Chinese solar company cites weak demand in China and module oversupply for lower revenues, profit and margin; will pivot towards higher efficiency sales in 2017.

Finnish Evli Bank has become the majority shareholder in Finnish solar company Nordic Shine, as the two companies combine to create the country’s first ever solar investment fund, to expand the possibilities of distributed solar within the country.