Solar

A report from U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) assesses the wind and solar potential of Africa. According to the study, the two technologies can play a major role in the energy economy of the continent, especially if strategic siting and international interconnections are implemented.

The French Energy Regulatory Authority has published the tender for the installation of renewable energy and PV projects for self-consumption ranging in size from 100 kW to 500 kW. Through the tender the French government aims to allocate 450 MW of renewable energy capacity over the next three years.

Parts of Algeria’s renewable energy sector is questioning the 4 GW solar tender recently announced by the Algerian government. Provisions on domestic content requirements and the large share that state-owned entities will have on the ambitious solar plan are seen as the major obstacles for its implementation.

A new renewable energy law will come into force in the Eastern European country on April 1. Solar and wind are expected to see their first development in the country after several years of almost zero-growth.

Video interview: prices for redox flow batteries are sinking, while installed capacity increases steadily. Lorenzo Grande, technology analyst at IDTechEx, explains here the opportunities and limitations of flow technologies, and how the related market will likely develop.

Greece’s first virtual net-metering PV system is installed on the rooftop of a school in Thessaloniki, the country’s second biggest city. The system is funded by Greenpeace Greece but is not yet connected to the grid, as it is waiting for a ministerial decision facilitating virtual net metering.

The Afghan government has approved a plan for the deployment of 100 MW of renewable energy capacity. The plan includes 65 MW of solar tendered by the government in 2016.

Between 750 MW and 800 MW of renewable energy generation capacity will be installed in Iran in the country’s current calender year. Most of this capacity will come from solar and wind. Meanwhile, the country has reached approximately 22 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity, as of the end of February 2017.

The Government of Uzbekistan announced that five 100 MW solar plants will be installed in the country in the period 2017-2021. Total investments for the plan are expected to reach $1.1 billion.

Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer, Adelaide-based company Tindo Solar, has been bought by a local insulation company turned solar installer, Cool or Cosy, as part of a plans to create the largest solar retailer in Australia.