Fortum to buy 35 MW of solar plants in Russia
The Finnish power utility has agreed to acquire three solar facilities, commissioned between 2016 and 2017 and located in Russia, from local solar module maker Hevel.
BNEF summit: Low solar prices spreading spending doubt among Tier-1 firms
Trina Solar may scrap planned Indian PV fab amid tumbling prices driven by solar auctions, reports Bloomberg New Energy Finance during its Shanghai summit. Demand for lithium, meanwhile, poised to reach record high on back of expected EV growth.
Spain’s Aragón region prepares to host Europe’s largest solar plant
The 549 MW PV facility will be built by Spanish industrial group ACS on 2,369 hectares of land, spread across the municipalities of Escatrón and Chiprana. The project was selected by the Spanish government in this year’s second renewable energy auction, in which around 3.9 GW of solar power was allocated.
Argentina allocates 556.8 MW of PV in third round of RenovAr program
The lowest bid among the selected solar projects was confirmed at US$40.44/MWh. The average price of all the 66 qualified offers for PV was $43.5/MWh.
Mexico: Third power auction likely to be more successful, despite too-low prices
In an interview with pv magazine, Santiago Barcón, columnist for Energía Hoy and advisor to Mexico’s Energy Regulatory Commission, talks positively about the results of Mexico’s third power auction, despite final prices coming in lower than expected.
ABB supplies inverters for 20 MW project in southern Egypt
The plant was installed in an area of Egypt’s Western Desert that is devoted to a governmental project to transform half a million acres of desert into arable land.
Australia’s North Territory backs 50% renewables plan, to boost home solar and batteries
The Northern Territory government has given broad support to a plan to transition the territory to 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, and announced new funding for rooftop solar and grid upgrades, after the release of a Roadmap to Renewables report on Monday.
Germany develops hybrid compensation plant system combined with storage, converter
In the system, the research team combined energy storage with a very powerful converter that can influence the signal flow in the power grid. This should help reduce the number of individual systems that are used for system services and expand the use of storage.
Wales urges UK Government to renew solar, wind support
The Welsh Government, together with a number of local organizations, is calling for the U.K. Government to renew its support for solar and onshore wind development. In addition to reducing costs, it says these industries will help it survive a post-Brexit world.
NASA develops new tool to measure total solar irradiance
NASA is on course to more accurately monitor the level of solar irradiance that reaches the earth, with the launch of a instrument for the International Space Station.
