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.
Akfen Renewables secures $52 million for 85 MW of PV in Turkey
Overall, the Turkish renewable energy company secured funds in the amount of €102 million, a sum that will be invested in wind and solar projects with a combined capacity of 327 MW. The lender was the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Egypt wants cheaper solar bids, lowers bar to $0.025/kWh
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) has informed all participants of a tender for the deployment of 600 MW of PV capacity in the West of Nile Area that it won’t accept bids exceeding US$0.025/kWh. In its tender for the 200 MW Kom Ombo solar project, the lowest bid, submitted by Saudi energy company ACWA, was $0.02752.
Nuclear power is being left behind, industry experts say
The 2018 edition of the Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) reveals that nuclear power capacity grew by only 1% in 2017, while wind and solar saw their share increase by 17% and 35%, respectively. The report also recognizes that solar and wind are now the cheapest grid-connected sources of energy. Investments in new nuclear plants, on the other hand, are only being driven by public support, and by nuclear weapon states.
PV Power Chile plans 118 MW of small solar parks
The Chilean subsidiary of the Czech Republic’s Solek Group and CarbonFree Chile SpA has signed a framework agreement for the development and construction of up to 118 MW of PV projects in Chile. These will have a power range of 3 MW to 9 MW, and will be developed under Chile’s PMGD Program for distributed generation.
Solar, wind power could increase rainfall in the Sahara
The Sahara Desert, and the Sahel region, could be set to take advantage of large-scale wind and solar power projects covering huge surfaces.
