Canada

Renewables firm BayWa r.e. looks set to bolster its digital technology services offering with the acquisition of Toronto-based PowerHub.

Mathematicians at Canada’s University of Waterloo who turned their attention to solar power have developed an algorithm they say offers better control over PV plant output. The researchers estimate the algorithm could improve the output of a 100 MW power plant by almost a million kilowatt-hours per year.

A solar project likely to become Canada's largest to date has received provincial approval, paving the way for construction of the 400MW operation to start next year.

With the anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed in November 2013 set to expire nine months ago, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal has extended them for another five years, ruling their expiry would harm the nation’s only domestic manufacturer.

Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member, Canadian Solar plans to increase module assembly capacity to 12,220MW in 2019, an increase of 1,000MW on strong demand.

Power Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada, has bought developer and asset manager Nautilus Solar Energy from management shareholders and minority shareholder Virgo Investment Group for an undisclosed sum.

Worldwide investments in clean energy projects have hit a six-year low. Global spending totaled $117.6 billion in the first half of 2019, down 14% from a year earlier and the least since 2013, according to a report by BloombergNEF. Investments slowed in all three major markets -- the U.S., Europe and China -- but China’s decline was especially pronounced as the country continued its shift away from subsidies for solar and wind power.