China set to mandate solar on at least 20% of residential roofs in pilot counties
State body the NEA has given its provincial offices until July 15th to suggest counties where a solar mandate – which rises to at least half of all government roofspace – can be rolled out. Selected companies will be awarded whole-county contracts.
Finance platform targets underserved small-scale solar projects
A spin-off of the Connecticut Green Bank, IPC is a not-for-profit investment fund that scales clean energy financing and channels investment capital to communities that need it most.
Another 11 solar mini-grids for Mozambique
The public body responsible for expanding access to electricity is seeking consultants to prepare a tender for rural PV mini-grids.
Indian energy efficiency body pledges 1.5 GW of distributed solar within 13 months
Energy Efficiency Services Limited, which has already bagged orders for 800 MW of distributed solar installations in the state of Maharashtra and 113 MW in Rajasthan, says it will roll out the generation facilities by the end of the next fiscal year.
Mitsui to buy 49% of Mahindra solar subsidiary
Mahindra Susten will retain a majority 51% stake in its Marvel Solren unit, which operates 16 MW of solar at four sites in India. It aims to jointly build up to 150 MW of capacity with the Japanese trading house by 2023.
MENA: Opportunity in diversity
MENA countries have made significant strides in recent years in the fostering of both large-scale and distributed solar market segments. However, some investors and developers may turn elsewhere for opportunities if there remains a predominance of large utility-scale projects dominated by a small number of players, writes Iwan Walters, a partner in the corporate practice of Eversheds Sutherland.
Brazil: DGPV system prices keep falling
According to a new report published by the consultancy Greener, PV system prices for distributed generation projects fell by 24% last year in Brazil. Total turnover of DG solar, meanwhile, was R $1.47 billion (approximately US$462 million). In other news, the country has joined IRENA.
China’s cumulative PV capacity hits 130 GW, to reach 250 GW by 2020
According to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the country installed a total of 52.83 GW of solar PV in 2017, with cumulative capacity now sitting at 130.25 GW. Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Co. Ltd (AECEA) forecasts this to reach 250 GW by 2020.
Potential for PV to snap significant share of $40 billion distributed energy industry in frontier markets – BNEF
There is potential for solar PV and storage to snap a significant share of the distributed energy industry in frontier markets, says BNEF. Both telecoms and agriculture present interesting opportunities; SE Asia is an emerging micro grid hotspot; pay-as-you-go solar is seeing strong growth; and China is recording substantial business.
Sweden’s Infranode invests $11.3 million in distributed solar energy
The Swedish investment firm is also ready to commit a further $56.7 million to solar and geothermal heat pump energy assets.
