Construction begins on Sweden’s largest PV plant
The 5.5 MW facility was built by power company Göteborg Energi. The solar plant, in Säve, near Gothenburg, is intended to increase the utility’s generation capacity from renewable sources.
US southeastern states take the lead in utility-scale solar as interconnection queues swell to 188 GW (w/charts)
As a further sign that solar is going mainstream across the United States, a new report by Lawrence Berkeley National Labs finds that southeastern states hosted 40% of the utility-scale solar installed nationally in 2017. Interconnection queues have swelled to 188.5 GW of utility solar capacity, eight times more than installed capacity
Denmark issues tender for solar projects up to 1 MW
Through the exercise, the Danish Energy Agency will allocate around 35 MW of PV capacity. The $16.7m tender was originally scheduled for last year.
Zorlu Energy plans 50 MW solar project in Kazakhstan
The Turkish company has signed a framework agreement with the Kazakh Ministry of Energy and with the Turkestan district local authority for the large-scale project, which will be in the southernmost, sunniest part of the country.
US solar market slumps during second quarter
The impact of Section 201 tariffs is cited in a 9% year-over-year fall in installation volume during Q2. However, Wood Mackenzie and SEIA also show massive utility-scale procurement, which is expected to lead to a boom in the second half of the year.
Hanwha Q Cells to be merged with Hanwha Advanced Materials
The transaction, expected to be finalized next month, will be made through the purchase by the Advanced Materials business of the holdings of Q Cells’ three main stakeholders. The company told pv magazine the operation is intended to enhance the group’s solar growth strategy.
Suriname to pre-qualify contractors for three MW-sized PV projects
The process will be conducted by the Caribbean Development Bank for the government of Suriname with $33m of public funding making up the balance from a $65m line of financing provided by the bank.
Hungary to see record PV growth in 2018
The Eastern European country is expected to see between 300 and 400 MW of PV capacity deployed this year. This growth will be primarily driven by the FIT program, which closed in mid-2016. Net metered PV installations up to 50 kW represent another key market driver, while C&I projects between 50 kW to 500 kW have ground to a halt.
Repsol buys 264 MW solar project in southern Spain
After announcing its plan to invest in renewables in May, the Spanish oil group has now made its first move in the solar energy sector by acquiring a €210 project near Badajoz, in the southern Spanish region of Extremadura.
Australia’s Victoria State awards 254 MW of solar in RE auction
Although initially expected to deliver around 650 MW, Victoria’s first renewable energy auction has smashed the goal, delivering 928 MW of renewable capacity. Six projects will be developed in total, three wind and three solar, under the state’s renewable energy target. In a separate announcement, the Andrews government promised to provide half price solar batteries for 10,000 Victorian households, if re-elected.
