Gas, CO2, Euro electricity market prices fall for second week
Prices in most European markets in the second week of December were lower than the previous week’s figures, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting. Less electricity demand, lower gas and CO2 futures prices, and increased solar energy production in most of the major European electricity markets caused the downward trend.
South Africa launches tender for 1.8 GW of solar
South Africa’s new auction is the first to be held under a December 2022 government plan to procure 14,771 MW of new generating capacity.
Fraunhofer ISE launches app to maximize consumption of renewables
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has launched a smartphone app to help consumers use more electricity at times of high renewable energy availability.
Sri Lanka launches 19 MW (AC) ground-mounted solar tender
Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is inviting proposals for the development of 1 MW (AC) to 5 MW (AC) solar projects across half a dozen locations in the South Asian country.
Poland allocates 494 MW of solar in 2023 auctions
Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office has awarded 494 MW of solar in largely unsubscribed auctions this year. It allocated 123 MW for installations smaller than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 284.95 ($71.28)/MWh, and 471 MW for projects larger than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 272.91/MWh.
Limited success for large-scale PV auctions in Austria
The Austrian authorities have only used 35% of their 2023 budget for large-scale solar auctions thus far.
Japan’s 18th solar auction concludes with lowest bid of $0.053/kWh
Japan’s latest procurement exercise was open to PV projects above 250 kW in size. The lowest price came in at JPY 7.94 ($0.053)/kWh, with 105 MW of allocated capacity.
Chad launches tender for engineer to oversee 30 MW PV plant construction
The Republic of Chad has started accepting applications for a consulting engineer to supervise the construction of a 30 MW (AC) ground-mounted solar power plant – with a 60 MWh storage system, 90 kV line and 90/33 kV substation – near the national capital, N’Djamena.
Kenya seeking consultants for 40 MW floating solar tender
State-owned Kenyan Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) is accepting feasibility study applications for the development of a 40 MW floating PV array, backed by German funding.
Only 3 Portuguese energy communities operating despite massive demand
The European Commission first set up the rules for energy sharing communities in 2018 and 2019, with Portugal rolling out its own legislation soon after. Despite these efforts, five years on there are only three energy sharing communities legally operating in the Mediterranean country, with hundreds more stuck in a year-long regulatory backlog, one local engineer tells pv magazine.
