Neoen begins work on 51 MW PV project in Jamaica
A loan of $64 million was awarded by French development bank Proparco and Dutch peer FMO. The facility will deliver electricity to the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited at a price of $85/MWh over 20 years.
Hanwha Q Cells opening 1.6 GW-plus module assembly facility in the US
The South Korean group will start construction of the factory, in Whitfield County, Georgia, this year, with completion slated for 2019
US Senate proposes business-as-usual energy budget
The upper chamber of Congress has called for stable funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in 2019, with an emphasis on electric vehicles as well as increasing the budget for ARPA-E by 6.5%
US solar power generation up 33% year-over-year in Q1
The 33% increase in Q1 2018 generation is more than the 25% year-over-year increase in capacity, suggesting that solar projects are generating more electricity per watt of installed capacity.
Sunpower secures a $300 million bridge to pay off loan certificates
The financially troubled PV maker has secured a last-minute line of credit to repay Total and other lenders, as it burns through cash.
University of Texas develops new solar system integrating energy generation and storage
Researchers at the University of Texas have been awarded $3 million by the Texan Department of Energy in a bid to accelerate research in battery storage technology to overcome the “Achilles heel” of solar power
Soltec to launch world’s first bifacial tracking evaluation center
Spanish manufacturer of horizontal single-axis solar trackers Soltec, together with Black & Veatch and the Renewable Energy Test Center, have created a new evaluation center in Livermore, California. The inauguration will take place on July 9
ADB finances its first utility-scale PV plant in $160 million deal
Asia’s largest IPP receives funds to develop renewable energy assets in line with Indonesia’s plans to increase renewable generation to 23% by 2025. The ADB’s support for PV at this scale is novel and could help overcome financing gaps that have hindered PV development in emerging nations
Solar quadruples in big US capacity auction as electricity price soars
Unit cost of power is set to almost double for around a fifth of the US population in three years’ time as abandonment of all-of-the-above Obama strategy sees fewer generators participate in PJM capacity auction
PV leading the charge to low-emission future says IEA
With 34 of the 38 key technologies needed to hit the Paris Agreement’s best-case scenario falling short, PV and electric vehicles are keeping hopes alive
