Legislative amendments pave way for Portugal’s 1.35 GW solar auction
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.
EBRD, Green Climate Fund to help finance 30 MW in Kazakhstan
The international financial institution and the South Korea-based fund have agreed to jointly lend $16.7 million to Chinese developer Universal Energy to build a 30 MWp solar project in the eastern part of the Central Asian country.
Rendeavour finishes first project of its 30 MW plan for Kenya
The African property developer has completed a 1 MW rooftop PV array at an industrial park in Nairobi. The installation is its first solar project in Kenya and part of a planned 30 MW rollout at Tatu City, its new mixed-use development in the capital.
Petronas jumps into PV market with Amplus acquisition
The Malaysian oil and gas group has purchased solar developer Amplus Energy Solutions from infrastructure investor I Squared Capital. No financial terms of the deal have been disclosed.
Global solar may reach 8,500 GW by 2050 – IRENA
Solar and wind could account for three-fifths of electricity generation in 2050, with more than 14.5 TW of installed power. Lumped together, renewables are expected to reach a power generation capacity of around 20 TW.
ING to lend $37m to Sunseap to build 50 MW in Asia
The Dutch banking group will serve as sole mandated lead arranger for the S$50 million ($36.98 million) loan. A unit of Singapore-based developer Sunseap will use the funds to build a 50 MW portfolio of rooftop PV projects.
Global cumulative PV capacity tops 480 GW, IRENA says
New global PV additions reached 94.2 GW in 2018, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Asia is the region with the largest share of cumulative PV capacity, with around 274.6 GW, followed by Europe and North America with 119.3 GW and 55.3 GW, respectively.
NDB to provide $180m to Eskom for grid development
The New Development Bank has agreed to offer a $180 million loan with sovereign guarantee to Eskom. The utility, which is based just outside of Johannesburg, plans to build new infrastructure to integrate 670 MW of unspecified renewables into the South African grid.
African Development Bank approves $20m to back minigrids in DRC
The board of the multilateral development finance institution has approved a $20 million facility to back the deployment of renewables-based minigrid projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
EBRD spearheads effort to auction off renewables in Azerbaijan
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has issued an open call to hire a consulting firm to help the government of Azerbaijan to design and launch auctions for renewable energy.
