Unbelievable: Coal puts halt to South Africa’s renewables industry
In an unexpected turn of events, two unions representing coal interests have put a halt to the signing of 27 renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs), thus effectively stopping South Africa’s renewables industry in its tracks.
Italy to launch series of mixed wind-solar auctions totaling 4.8 GW
New auctions for wind and solar projects exceeding 1 MW in size will be part of a new incentive scheme for renewable energy for the period 2018-2020, which is now under review by local authorities. In the first auction, planned for November, around 500 MW of wind and solar projects over 1 MW are expected to be assigned. The incentive scheme will also support solar and renewables up to 1 MW through specific tenders.
pv magazine Storage Highlights’ ranking 1 to 24
Overall, 24 exhibitors from the upcoming Energy Storage Europe event in Germany’s Düsseldorf submitted proposals to the pv magazine Storage Highlights’ jury. They were ranked in the following categories: Relevance to industry; USP; Market impact; Contribution to the energy transition; and Innovation. Read on to discover how they fared.
South Africa: Date set for PPA signing, economic benefits highlighted
The South African Government has set a date of March 13 for the signing of 27 outstanding PPAs for solar and wind. It emphasized the economic benefits of the contracts, which are set to spur new energy investment of around US$4.7 billion and over 60,000 jobs.
Poland to tender 750 MW of solar projects up to 1 MW in 2018
The Polish government may also launch a mixed wind-solar auction for projects over 1 MW that, according to local analyst Piotr Pająk, would eventually conclude with a prevailing share of wind.
Shifting demand and pricing pressure main solar tracker challenges – GTM Research
Following its latest global solar PV tracker report, GTM Research speaks to pv magazine about what the sector can expect to see this year. Shifting demand and pricing pressures will be the main challenges. While Latin America continues to grow, the U.S. market will rebound. Bifacial and C&I growth confirmed as hot tracker trends.
Who is leading the Turkish PV module market?
Turkey recorded its best year to date for levels of solar PV installations, adding 1.79 GW of capacity in 2017. On the back of this, pv magazine takes a look at the most active players in the Turkish PV module market.
Solar trackers: Record 2017 shipments; up to 20 GW expected in 2018
Last year saw record levels of global solar tracker shipments, reports GTM Research. It forecasts even bigger growth in 2018, despite continued consolidation. NEXTracker held on to the top spot once again, while Latin America became the biggest market.
Sonnen to establish battery factory in South Australia
German battery and solar energy company, sonnen GmbH will move its Australian headquarters from Sydney to Adelaide, where it will also establish a manufacturing hub.
BNEF: Australia ties with Germany as fastest growing residential storage market
Australia is on the cusp of a residential battery storage boom. The Climate Council published the forecast last week in its Fully Charged: Renewables and Storage Powering Australia report. BNEF confirms with pv magazine that as a result of the rapid growth, Australia sits alongside Germany as the fastest growing market for residential battery storage.
