Central & South America

pv magazine rounds up the latest Covid-19-related stories likely to affect the world of solar and energy storage.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has delayed auctions to procure new transmission as well as generation capacity and has not announced when they will resume.

The annual event, originally scheduled to take place on Aug. 25-27, has now been postponed to Nov. 16-18, 2020. The organizers claim that existing contracts will remain valid for the new dates, and the venue and all contractual conditions will remain unchanged.

Brazilian consultancy Greener has conducted a survey of more than 500 solar companies in Brazil to assess the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results show that demand has already started to slow down, and that PV system prices are on the rise.

Researchers in Brazil have suggested using solar radiation databases and simulator software to scale PV-diesel mini-grid generators. The profiles of PV generation and mini-grid load demand are critical to finding the right balance, according to the academics.

The airline industry has been among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic; carriers are in ‘freefall’ as Glen Peters, research director at the Center for International Climate and Environment Research in Oslo recently wrote, with governments mulling stimulus packages for airline bailouts. How we react to the coronavirus outbreak is crucial for society as a whole and the solar and energy storage industries can lead the charge in rewriting the status quo.

The Barbados Water Authority is seeking proposals for three PV plants for a total 4.5 MW of generation capacity plus a 2 MW micro turbine. The installations will power pumping stations.

Big clean energy supply contracts have been announced in Brazil, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

The Climate Investment Platform launched by three multilateral bodies in September is now open for business and renewables companies in developing nations could qualify for help with clean energy facilities, renewables-related grid improvements and energy efficiency schemes.

French developer Voltalia has contracted to supply solar power to Brazilian thermoplastic resin company Braskem. The solar plant which will generate the electricity is planned as an expansion of two facilities allocated by the Brazilian government in a public renewable energy auction.