Shuangdeng Group wins Afghanistan’s tender for 40 MW hybrid solar project
The Chinese provider of storage and back-up power systems has been awarded the $59.7 million contract to build the facility, which will be located at an industrial area in the Nangarhar province. The tender had been issued in September 2017.
T Plus begins work on two solar facilities totaling 105 MW in Russia
The two solar plants, both located in the region of Orenburg, are scheduled for completion by early 2019.
Brazil now has 250 MW of solar under net metering
According to data from Brazilian association ABSOLAR, Brazil currently has 27,803 solar PV systems connected to the grid, which benefit 32,924 consumer units and total more than BRL 1.9 billion (around $515 million) in accumulated investments since 2012.
Panasonic to hire 80 workers at Tesla’s US gigafactory
The Tesla/Panasonic gigafactory is taking on more workers, as a sign of health. However many details remain unclear.
Water-stressed countries should resort to solar, World Resources Institute says
Unlike traditional power generation, wind and solar require zero, or a mimimum amount of, water for the operations of their respective technologies. This may help most Middle Eastern and North African countries solve their chronich water supply issues, as well as several more African, Asian, American and European countries.
Oman seeks to further implement rooftop PV plan
The country’s energy regulator is now seeking proposals for the supply of a risk management system to perform operational management and risk mitigation for the Sahim 2 rooftop PV initiative.
Spain’s oil giant Repsol turns to renewables
Repsol President Antonio Brufau has ratified the company’s commitment to fighting climate change, while acknowledging the high levels of competitiveness achieved by the renewable energy technologies. In Repsol’s view, however, gas is still considered one of the main pillars of the energy transition, said to ensure a safer power supply than intermittent renewables.
Angola plans to join Scaling Solar program
The Angolan government has invited representatives of the World Bank, which runs the program, to discuss ways of increasing the share of solar energy in the African country in the period up to 2022. Several sites for the construction of solar parks have already been identified.
Canadian Solar sees revenue more than double in Q1, reports slightly increasing ASPs
The Chinese-Canadian module manufacturer saw its quarterly revenue exceed its forecast, while posting a net profit of $43.8 million. Meanwhile, its portfolio of solar projects in development has reached 2.3 GW.
Italy: New Q1 PV additions total 89 MW, Sicily introduces moratorium on large-scale solar
The residential and commercial segments keep driving solar demand in the country. Meanwhile, the government of Sicily has decided to suspend all new permits for big solar parks, in order to verify their potential negative impact on the island’s landscape.
