Zambia issues tender for 500 MW of large-scale PV capacity
Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) has issued a Request for Prequalification for the construction of several large-scale solar plants across the country. Selected projects will be developed under the ‘Scaling Solar’ initiative.
Enel plans to start solar cell production, announces developments for 34 MW in Zambia and 238 MW in Mexico
The Italian utility is laying the foundations for solar cell production at its PV panel manufacturing facility. The final goal of the project is 1 GW commercial cell production. Meanwhile, Enel Green Power has secured the PPA for a 34 MW PV facility in Zambia, and has broken ground on a 238 MW solar park in Mexico.
Solar Show Africa 2017 exhibits diversification of South Africa PV market
As market participants in South Africa wait for the final results of the country’s fourth round of the successful REIPPP tender program for large-scale solar PV to be announced in early April, this week’s Solar Show Africa, part of the 20th Power & Electricity World Africa 2017 in Johannesburg, showed a growing diversification of solar PV in this leading African market.
Ghana’s new government relaunches solar program
The Ghanaian government has resumed plans to promote large-scale solar and wind projects, as well as distributed generation, in order to solve a crisis in Ghana’s power system. Competitive bidding for power capacity procurement will be introduced in the frame of a reviewed Renewable Energy Act.
Kenyans embrace d.light’s D30 Pay-Go solution
Since launching in October 2016, off-grid solar solution supplier d.light has sold over 120,000 units of its D30 Pay-Go home system. Most of the sales were made in East Africa, with the Kenyan market accounting for the majority of sales.
Strategic siting can boost solar development in Africa, says Berkeley Lab
A report from U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) assesses the wind and solar potential of Africa. According to the study, the two technologies can play a major role in the energy economy of the continent, especially if strategic siting and international interconnections are implemented.
Wärtsilä delivers 15 MW hybrid PV plant to Essakane Solar in Burkina Faso
The solar farm will be added and synchronized with an existing oil driven power plant. The hybrid power plant will serve a local gold mine, saving 18,500t CO2 emissions annually.
France supports South Africa grid improvement with $477 million
The French Development Agency (AFD) has provided South Africa’s power utility Eskom with a ZAR 6 billion ($477.7 million) credit facility. Eskom, which has delayed the development of several large-scale PV projects over the past years due to grid issues, will use the funds to improve its network and integrate more renewable energy power.
GreenWish Partners taps into Nigeria’s solar potential with $280m investment
The Paris-based private renewable power producer focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa has announced it is to invest $280 million in new PV power plants in Nigeria.
RMI calls for ‘action’ on Africa’s PV minigrid market
Solar-powered minigrids could account for a greater slice of sub-Saharan Africa’s $740 million off-grid market, but progress is still needed throughout the region in terms of policy, financing and commercial services, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) says in a new report.
