Northern Africa

An Africa power sector scorecard shows that solar will make inroads into the African energy sector over the next two years, accounting for 9% of new capacity additions, as renewables uptake across the continent continues to grow.

The solar park is set to be built across three phases, and will be located in Tunisia’s southernmost region of Remana, in the Sahara Desert. The project was conceived by the Tunisian Goverment to support organic farming and improve security at the border with Libya.

National scheme reportedly aims to drive installation in segments including residential and commercial and industrial facilities.

As pv magazine has learnt, the Saudi energy giant lowered its offer to $0.02752/kWh at the last minute, beating the bid lodged by Spain’s Fotowatio, which offered $0.02791 per kWh.

The lowest bid was submitted by Spanish developer Fotowatio, which offered US$0.02791 per kWh. Slightly higher, at $0.02799 per kWh, was the offer of Saudi power company, ACWA.

A group of Russian researchers has found out that under resonance conditions, the Pyramid of Giza can concentrate electromagnetic energy in its internal chambers. This discovery, the scientists claim, may also be used to develop high efficient solar cells.

While Africa has emerged as a dynamic, fast-moving hub, Asia leads in capacity deployment with its total capacity more than tripling to nearly 4.3 GW in 2017 from 1.3 GW in 2008, finds IRENA. Particularly, in India, a strong policy has pushed deployment of off-grid solar for agriculture and public end-uses.

The EPC provider, which is active in the MENA region, announced that it expects a 900 MW pipeline shortly. The company was recently acquired by U.K.-based Arjun Investment Partners and reportedly has increased its staff size by 30% this year. The company cites an increasing interest in asset diversification and good economics as reasons for MENA’s investment in solar PV.