Solar Markets & Finance News

Bank OZK announced plans for a significant investment for the construction of a solar power plant which will provide enough renewable energy to power its new corporate headquarters and up to 40 other Arkansas locations, according to Tim Hicks, chief administrative officer and executive director of Investor Relations.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted to reject a request from the state’s investor-owned utilities to set two-year contract terms for renewable energy projects under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Instead, commissioners voted unanimously to set contract terms at 18 years, providing renewable energy developers the financial certainty they need to develop new clean energy projects in the state.

Global solar O&M provider Belectric has been awarded a 10-year service contract for more than 20 MW of projects across the United States.

The Australian state of Tasmania has approached international investors to present its unique potential for the production of hydrogen from renewable sources, as it aims to position itself at the forefront of the nation’s green hydrogen push.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has established a $15 million financing round to support projects aimed at reducing the cost and quantity of waste created by solar panels which have reached the end of the lives.

Innovative Solar Systems offers 2 Texas-based utility-scale solar projects for immediate acquisition. The first array is located in Fisher County and has a generation capacity of 125 megawatts. The second project with a 300-megawatt capacity is in Jones County.

Yet another solar pipeline is in the works in Spain, with hundreds of megawatts slated for deployment with backing from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The New South Wales government gave the go-ahead to an AU$188 million (US$128 million), grid-connected PV project in the state’s central-west on Monday, just weeks after it earmarked the region as its inaugural ‘renewable energy zone.'

The draft FIT program is expecting approval before the turn of the year. Payment for large-scale solar systems is likely to fall by 2.2 percent. As for small residential installations, the reduction will probably constitute 0.34 percent. Only solar solutions based on highly efficient modules and those located on isolated islands will be granted with some bonus.

The state-owned Rural Areas Electricity Company wants to build 11 Solar-diesel-storage projects in remote rural locations. Pre-qualified bidders in the tender comprise Engie, Canadian Solar, Akuo, Longi, Jinko, GCL, Abengoa, Total and Belectric.

The European Commission has approved use of capital given by seven member nations to back Europe-wide R&D projects across the lithium-ion battery value chain, with the purpose of possibly unlocking an extra $5 billion in private sector investment

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has introduced tenders for 1.2GW of PV projects and 1.2GW of solar-wind hybrid projects on 5 December.

The Portuguese unit of France's Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) has obtained solar energy firm Ikaros Hemero together with a project pipeline of over 50 MWp, local press reported Saturday.

British Gas and Oil supermajor BP announced it increases its stake in solar developer Lightsource BP in an effort to help accelerate the organization's growth and its aspirations to develop 10GW of renewable energy assets by the end of 2023.