Sustainable Development Goals

With installers who cater to African businesses making the headlines this year, Jasper Graf von Hardenberg – whose C&I solar business was recently bought by Shell – explains here how the story of the continent’s commercial and industrial (C&I) solar segment was far from an overnight success.

The tax and duty rate levied on imported inverters leapt 26% in July after the authorities in Dhaka removed a dispensation from full rates that had been applied to the products.

Some 15% of the finance disbursed must fit the wider definition of being ‘sustainable’ and banks and other lenders have been warned penalties will be applied for non compliance.

While the world’s climate negotiators dither, the post Covid-19 world could see their efforts overtaken – but only if policymakers are bold enough to take the opportunity to offer truly green fiscal stimulus packages to get us through the crisis. Felicia Jackson, from the center for sustainable finance of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, gives her thoughts here.

Indian company Mahindra Susten will provide engineering, procurement and construction services on a $1.7m, 3.1 MW array for a German-Bangladeshi knitwear company which will buy the power generated for $0.077/kWh.

The Japanese chemical company has supplied panels for a PV system on the roof of a 7-Eleven store in Kanagawa prefecture.

GE Power Grid Solutions has presented a new white paper detailing the opportunities and challenges of smart grid applications in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report says that updating the centrally designed grid to expand and improve resilience may not be the most economical way to ensure energy access to the households in the region.