Luxembourg bets on solar: additional 2.4 GW planned by 2050
The new energy strategy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg aims to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix from around 6% currently to 70% by 2050. About 4.8 GW of new renewable energy power generation capacity is expected to be installed in order to reach this target, and to reduce dependence from power imports.
Ukraine’s Lviv region sees 10 MW of solar come online
The solar plant was built by local developer LigAgro under Ukraine’s FIT program at a cost of $10 million.
Madagascar wants more off-grid solar for rural areas, preps to host first grid-connected PV plants
Madagascar’s Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons is increasing efforts to implement its rural electrification plan for 2015-2020. Meanwhile, the government is also seeking developers for the island’s first MW-sized grid-connected PV projects.
Sierra Leone’s first utility-scale PV project moves forward
The government of the West African country has signed an implementation agreement for a 6 MW solar project in Freetown. The country’s first MW-sized PV plant is being built with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
SolarEdge reports strong Q1 with $115 million in revenues
The company shipped 455 MW-AC of inverters from January through March and predicted revenues for Q2 to be within the range of $120 million to $130 million
SunPower’s losses continue during Q1
The high-efficiency solar manufacturer is still bleeding red ink, as it begins shipping its lower-cost P-Series modules and continues its restructuring.
Brazil: over 10,000 PV systems are now installed under net metering
The combined capacity of these installations has reached approximately 78 MW. The state with the highest number of PV systems under net metering is Minas Gerais.
Denmark: solar without incentives is possible, but bureaucracy is killing it
Interview: Denmark is planning a future without incentives for solar and renewables, after abruptly closing the “transitional” incentive program for PV installations up to 400 kW in December. The Danish PV market, meanwhile, has now come to a halt. pv magazine asked Peter Ahm, the CEO of PA Energy and Danish representative to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) PV Power Systems Programme, how the Danish solar market can further grow in the short and long term without subsidies.
Italy opens ancillary services market to pilot renewable energy and storage projects
The project is the initial stage of an organic reform of the Italian ancillary services market, which is expected to be implemented in accordance with the European balancing code.
African Development Bank supports 20 MW off-grid solar project in Zimbabwe
AFDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has agreed to provide Oxygen Energy with $1 million in financing to support the preliminary phase of a 20 MW off-grid rooftop solar project in the eastern African country.
