Solar Grids News

Huaneng Renewables secured permits for just 50 MW of grid parity solar in first half
The wind power generator also has a 930 MW solar portfolio but did not take big steps in unsubsidized PV during the first six months of the year.
Aug 29, 2019 // Plants, Grids, Tariffs, China Power, Huaneng Renewables
Maharashtra eyes tariff cap of around US$0.040/kWh for new PV tender
India’s Maharashtra state has launched a process to procure a major slice of grid-linked solar power, pushing for low prices in line with earlier tenders this year.
Aug 29, 2019 // Plants, Markets & Finance News, Grids, Tariffs, India, tender, Asia, tariff, prices, maharashtra, Vinay Rustagi
IndianOil to invest $3.7bn in green energy projects
The fossil fuel giant announced the plan in its latest annual results. The company envisages rolling out electric vehicle chargers at its petrol and diesel stations.
Aug 22, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, India, Asia, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Sanjiv Singh
Zimbabwe mine eyes solar amid national power crisis
Caledonia Mining wants to build a solar power plant at its Blanket gold mine in southern Zimbabwe to ward off the worst from the country's increasingly volatile power supply.
Aug 21, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, Africa, Zimbabwe, caledonia, blanket mine, zesa, South Africa, escom, mining
NTPC reveals plan to build 5 GW in Gujarat, opens global bids for 1.2 GW
The utility has revealed plans to invest roughly $3 billion in the construction of a 5 GW solar park across two to three locations in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat. In a separate announcement, the New Delhi-based group opened global bidding to build 1.2 GW of grid-connected solar capacity throughout India.
Aug 21, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, India, NTPC, Asia
Is a California solar+storage boom about to happen?
The California Independent System Operator has warned state regulators that there could be a 4.7 GW capacity shortfall in 2022, in the early evening hours of the annual peak demand events of September. The grid operator has suggested the alteration of water cooling laws, as well as increased procurement of resources.
Aug 21, 2019 // Storage, Grids, Solar, California, USA, California Independent System Operator, grid operator, California Public Utilities Commission
Commercial solar at grid parity in China but a hard line is needed on soft costs
Deploying commercial and industrial PV in China without subsidy is already profitable in some areas, according to a new study, but prohibitive soft costs and cheap electricity are the main barriers for such installations in areas where grid parity remains out of reach.
Aug 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Residential, Grids, Tariffs, China, PV module, solar rooftops, subsidy
Botswana, Cameroon issue tender, sign contracts for combined 125MW of PV capacity
The African countries of Botswana and Cameroon have taken steps to add a combined 125MW of installed PV capacity to their respective national grids.
Aug 16, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, Scatec Solar, tender, Africa, Cameroon, Botswana, Eneo, Izuba Energy, Sphynx Energy
USTDA backs 150MW solar-plus-wind-plus-storage project in Zambia
The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has agreed to finance a feasibility study for a 150MW hybrid solar, wind and battery plant in northern Zambia.
Aug 13, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Storage, Grids, First Solar, hybrid, solar-plus-wind-plus-storage, grid, Africa, upepo energy partners, zambia, east africa, ustda, wsp usa
Ethiopia aims to set up formula for the calculation of mini-grid tariffs
Ethiopia is currently trying to set up a methodology for the calculation of electricity tariffs for mini-grid systems. Should the government’s work come to fruition, it can provide much-needed certainty to mini-grid investors.
Aug 12, 2019 // Grids, Tariffs, mini-grid systems, Ethiopia, Africa, Hizkyas Dufera, Scaling Solar
Ib Vogt kickstarts EPC work for Aussie solar-plus-storage project
German EPC Ib vogt has started construction on a utility-scale project in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW).
Aug 12, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, EPC, Australia, solar pv, plants, solar-plus-storage, ib vogt, new south wales
Sonnedix breaks ground on 171MW PV plant in Chile’s Atacama
Sonnedix has marked the launch of construction works for a large-scale solar installation in Chile’s Atacama desert, with a view to power up the plant late next year.
Aug 12, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, IPP, Sonnedix, Chile, solar pv, utility-scale PV, plants, South america, Latin america, ground-breaking, atacama, atacama desert
Solar electricity is now CHEAPER than grid electricity in China — with one in five cities finding renewable energy lower cost than coal
Electricity produced from commercial and industrial solar energy systems is now cheaper in Chinese cities than that supplied by the national grid.
Aug 12, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, Solar, China, Asia, Jinyue Yan, grid
Residential storage in Europe to grow 500% by 2024
A new report from analysts at Wood Mackenzie forecasts 6.6 GWh of residential energy storage to be installed across Europe by 2024. The economics of the technology are at a tipping point, increasingly reaching grid parity in European markets. With rising electricity demand and falling battery system costs, the trend will further spread across the continent and fuel an uptick in demand.
Aug 9, 2019 // Residential, Storage, Grids, storage, Spain, Germany, Italy, Wood Mackenzie, Europe, Rory McCarthy
IFC: Papua New Guinea becomes global off-grid solar hotspot
A mixture of development support, market economics and awareness programmes have propelled Papua New Guinea to the forefront of global off-grid solar, according to a new report.
Aug 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Grids, China, solar pv, Papua New Guinea, png, world bank, off-grid solar, solar lamp, solar lighting, Oceania, international finance corporation, ifc