The weekend read: Central Asian solar on the rise
Utility-scale solar is stirring in the region, with support from development banks. Following a series of competitive auctions, PV projects have been commissioned and are under development in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the latter nation, corporate interest in distributed, small-scale renewables is growing but for further market uptake, additional incentives should be introduced, practitioners say.
Rockefeller and Ikea foundations pledge $1bn for small scale renewables
With ‘shovel-ready’ projects across India, Africa and Latin America in line for a mix of grants, cheap loans, equity investment and financial guarantees from this year, the two bodies hope to trigger $20 billion in total funding and bring reliable power to a billion people.
Nairobi’s Sunfunder sets up $70m pot for solar and storage in Africa and Asia
The oversubscribed fund was closed with the help of a commitment by Austria’s national development bank. U.S. and Swedish state-owned lenders and impact investors dominate the pool of contributors to the debt finance, which will fund small-scale installations.
