grid-parity solar

In a recent conversation with pv magazine, Virginia Canazza, the CEO of Italian consultancy REF-E, outlined future scenarios for PV in the Italian PPA market. Projects will be delayed, as prices for gas and CO2 certificates are already low. Unsubsidized PV projects via PPAs might still be bankable, but it is unlikely that investors will risk dealing with small margins. Current capture prices do not justify investments and new entrants may wait for market stability.

The solar plant was built with fixed structures on a 400-hectare water surface at a fishery in Anhui province. The project was the first unsubsidized plant approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2019 and is selling power at a price of RMB 0.3844 ($0.054) per kWh.

Antonio Delgado Rigal, chief executive of energy forecasting service Aleasoft, has told pv magazine all unsubsidized solar project financing will be postponed until it is possible to make reliable price predictions again. Projects could change hands in the meantime though, thanks to deep-pocketed investment funds on the lookout for bargains.

Analysts from German energy advisory Enervis have told pv magazine power purchase agreement-linked solar projects which are under development in Europe may be delayed by the Covid-19 outbreak and new unsubsidized projects appear unlikely any time soon, thanks to the current economics.

Chinese-Canadian module manufacturer Canadian Solar and Italy’s Manni Energy have sold five PV plants with a total generation capacity of 17 MW to Dutch independent power producer Sonnedix. The Sicilian projects are among Italy’s first operational unsubsidized PV facilities.

The utility will build the project this year on 164 hectares of land just outside of Berlin. It will be the largest solar park to be constructed outside of Germany’s incentive scheme for solar and renewables.

Chinese PV heavyweight Canadian Solar has announced an offtake deal for its Gunnedah solar project with e-commerce giant Amazon in the Australian state of New South Wales. The e-commerce giant also plans to build a 50 MW solar plant near Zaragoza, in eastern Spain.

Big clean energy supply contracts have been announced in Brazil, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Dubai-based PV developer Enerwhere has come up with a new business model for solar projects at construction sites. Its approach, which is based on short-duration PPAs, involves moving mobile PV installations from one building site to another.

French developer Voltalia has contracted to supply solar power to Brazilian thermoplastic resin company Braskem. The solar plant which will generate the electricity is planned as an expansion of two facilities allocated by the Brazilian government in a public renewable energy auction.