Auctions

Analysts at Fitch Solutions have published a report singling out Spain and Brazil as ‘outperformers’ in the global solar market and labelled Vietnam the “market to watch”. The analysts expect surging growth from the Southeast Asian nation to continue in the coming decade.

The Baltic nation is heavily dependent on energy imports. A plan for energy independence by 2050 foresees the large scale deployment of renewable energy resources.

Next up in pv magazine‘s unsung solar markets series is Brazil, where a new series of auctions for solar has provided much needed clarity to the sector, at least up until 2021.

The Solar Market Parity Italy 2019 event organized by Solarplaza in Milan last week gave an insight into the Italian large scale PV market by forecasting the trajectory of the segment and highlighting issues investors and developers may encounter.

The audit agency said at least half the EU member states will be unable to reach their 2020 renewable energy targets, including the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Poland and the U.K. It recommends citizen participation and more renewable energy auctions to increase investment and raise volume in the EU clean energy sector. Cross border renewables trade and grid improvements are also highlighted as necessary for a successful energy transition.

The Portuguese government has approved legislative amendments that it says will facilitate its plans to auction off 1.35 GW of solar capacity this summer. The Portuguese energy minister, meanwhile, said that the government hopes to see €6 billion of investment in solar by 2030.

Greece has run solar tenders on three different occasions in the past year, awarding a total of 546 MW of new PV capacity. In all three instances, Greek consumers were manipulated and the country’s institutions did little to protect them.

As Volodymyr Zelensky celebrates his victory in the Ukrainian presidential elections, stakeholders in the country remain uncertain about his intentions in the renewable energy space. With installation figures above 1 GW in the last 12 months, the market is hot — but for how much longer?

Only 36% of the 360 MW of capacity allocated in Poland’s first two solar auctions is grid connected, according to research institute the IEO. With the completion deadline for the first exercise having expired last year, there is also little time left for developers selected in the second auction to finalize projects. In three auctions held by the Polish government, a combined capacity of 870 MW has been allocated.