Brazil’s January-March solar deployments hit 4 GW
Brazil’s cumulative installed PV capacity exceeded 41 GW at the end of March, with utility-scale plants accounting for 13 GW and distributed-generation resources representing 28 GW of the total.
IRENA says solar capacity rose by 345.5 GW in 2023
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says developers installed 345.5 GW of solar throughout the world in 2023. China mainly drove the surge, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all new renewable energy, but IRENA says more equitable growth will be needed to hit 2030 deployment targets.
Heat wave affects solar power generation in Brazil
A heat wave drove Brazil’s power demand up to a record high of 102 GW last week. However, it also affected solar power generation and pushed PV module operating temperatures to up to 60 C.
Solarpack closes financing on 300 MW of solar under PPA in Peru
Solarpack has closed financing for a 300 MW solar project in Peru, marking the country’s first solar farm to sell power through a bilateral power purchase agreement (PPA).
Dry Amazon delivers sunny start to 2024 for South America
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Chile, Uruguay and Argentina saw irradiance up 5% to 15% above normal in January and February. Responsible for the surplus sunlight across South America was the ongoing Amazon drought, and circulation changes that pushed weather fronts further south of the continent than usual.
PV and prices, the (not so fast) uptake of solar in Argentina and Chile
The Atacama Desert in Argentina and Chile is the sunniest region on earth. Despite the excellent solar radiation resource availability and plenty of room on rooftops and on the ground, solar PV is not as widespread in either country as would have been expected based on the initial deployment of large-scale PV power plants in both countries some ten years ago.
Engie turns on Latin America’s largest storage battery
Engie has deployed a 139 MW/638 MWh battery in northern Chile. The storage project is connected to the 181.2 MW Coya solar plant in the Antofagasta region.
Cuba addresses energy crisis with 2 GW of solar
Cuban Minister of Energy Vicente de la O Levy says 2 GW of planned solar capacity will come from 92 ground-mounted PV plants spread across the island.
The Hydrogen Stream: DNV launches hydrogen blending studies in North America
DNV has started working on blending feasibility studies in the Canadian province of British Columbia, while the US Department of Energy has announced $750 million in funding for 52 hydrogen projects across 24 states.
Mexico’s distributed solar installations hit 700 MW in 2023
Mexico had 3.33 GW of cumulative distributed solar capacity at the end of December 2023, on 700 MW of new additions for the full year.
