RES

In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.

The Ukrainian solar industry had hoped that a long-anticipated counter-offensive against the Russians would help reclaim PV assets on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The brutal reality is that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has likely severely damaged solar plants in the affected territories, reports Ian Skarytovsky.

Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with missile and drone strikes, has seen the country’s power cut by nearly one-third, triggering widespread outages across the nation. With winter coming, the Ukrainian authorities haven’t ruled out a worst-case scenario that would see much of Kyiv, with its population of almost 3 million, evacuated from the city, reports Ian Skarytovsky.

Panels will be installed at waste sites in five mining towns as part of the latest, €2.4 billion ($2.57 million) round of investment from a fund set up to help coal-dependent European member states with the energy transition.

A consortium of investors is evaluating a hydrogen production project on the Orkney Islands to the north of Scotland, that would transform the island into a hub for hydrogen production, taking advantage of abundant wind resources nearby in the North Sea.

Octopus Energy and RES have announced a new partnership under which they plan to invest GBP 3 billion in the construction of green hydrogen plants throughout the United Kingdom by 2030.

The 15 to 20-year power purchase agreement is expected to provide around 2% of the electricity consumption of all SNCF passenger trains.

Plus, Australia’s Greens want renewables front and center of the post Covid-19 economy and Mexican plant owners are overturning a politically-motivated ban on clean energy, however, Indian developer Acme solar says pandemic delays warrant it reneging on the terms of the record-low solar price agreement it signed.

Over the past few months, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global economic and social crisis. The pandemic has significantly affected all aspects of life, including the energy sector.

In January, the U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy opened consultation on its solar-plus-storage proposals. To date, systems with a capacity bigger than 50 MW are classed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.