Total expands solar business in Asia

The TEESS joint venture created by French oil giant Total and Chinese energy software company Envision Group has started operations in China. The JV will offer industrial and commercial clients a “unique combination” of solar systems and digital energy management solutions based on the Eno AIoT operating system developed by Envision.

Total said AIoT is the world’s largest artificial intelligence platform and Shanghai-based Envision manages more than 100 GW of solar and wind power generation assets.

For Julien Pouget, Total’s renewables director, the alliance with Envision – which was ranked among the 50 smartest companies in China by this year’s MIT Technology Review – enables the French power company “to position itself in the booming market of next-generation distributed solar energy in China”. Pouget said Total is committed to increasing its low-carbon electricity business in China and enabling industry to reduce its carbon footprint.

Uzbek power deal

In a separate development, Total’s renewable energy arm Total Eren secured a 25-year power purchase agreement with the National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan for the sale of electricity from a 100 MW power plant in the Samarkand region.

“This is Total Eren’s first project in the country, the first renewable energy project in Uzbekistan and the first project by an independent power producer,” a Total Eren spokesperson told pv magazine. The plant is expected to open in the second quarter of 2021 and provide power to around 150,000 people.

In early July, Total took its first steps into neighboring Kazakhstan’s renewable energy market by building 100 MW and 28 MW power plants. The oil major has also commissioned two power plants in Japan and, together with EDF Renewables, has 716 MW of project capacity in India, developed by joint venture EDEN Renewables India.