South Africa

In the face of actual and threatened tariffs in the US and India, the world’s biggest solar manufacturers may have to set up shop in the protectionist nations in question ahead of a predicted cooling in their home market

South Africa’s utility-scale solar industry is finally back on track following the signing of 27 renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Financing is the main bottleneck in the African solar industry, while private sector support is key for the deployment of PV projects. High quality products and solutions are also a focus. This is what came out of the recent Solar Show Africa event, held last week in Johannesburg.

Common sense appears to have prevailed in South Africa, with the Gauteng North High Court ruling against coal’s attempt to block the signing of 27 renewable energy PPAs.

The French multinational telecommunications corporation has announced a plan to begin providing off-grid solar solutions to Burkina Faso and, at a later stage, in Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast.

In an unexpected turn of events, two unions representing coal interests have put a halt to the signing of 27 renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs), thus effectively stopping South Africa’s renewables industry in its tracks.

The South African Government has set a date of March 13 for the signing of 27 outstanding PPAs for solar and wind. It emphasized the economic benefits of the contracts, which are set to spur new energy investment of around US$4.7 billion and over 60,000 jobs.

The announcement was made by the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA). The PPAs relate to 26 renewable energy projects, of which 12 totaling 813 MW are for large-scale PV plants selected in round 4 of the REIPPPP program.

GCL-Poly Energy has announced a handful of service deals among several of its subsidiaries dating back to 2016, in line with disclosure requirements related to a recent share subscription by its Hong Kong-listed solar O&M unit, GCL New Energy (GNE).

The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has called on the country’s government for more PV support. Energy specialist, Chris Ahlfeldt comments on the five point PV plan, which envisages 1.5 GW of new installs annually, and the creation of 55,000 jobs. He also discusses the ongoing issue of the 27 unsigned PPAs, and the bottlenecks in the market.