Policy for Solar Energy News

Hundreds of mayors urge Congress to extend solar ITC
More than 200 mayors across the US have sent a letter urging Congress to pass a five-year extension of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) with a particular focus on creating jobs and drawing investment.
Oct 22, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Storage, Policy, USA, ITC, woodmac, North America, Abigail Ross Hopper, congress, mayors
France powers up Europe’s self-styled largest floating PV project
Top French state officials have helped cut the red ribbon of a floating solar plant that is being touted as Europe’s largest, a project delivered by Paris headquartered Akuo Energy.
Oct 21, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Policy, Floating PV, France, floating PV, Europe, Elisabeth Borne, akuo, Ciel & Terre, ciel et terre, Brune Poirson
Dept. of Energy Secretary Rick Perry to resign at end of year
Secretary Perry informed President Trump yesterday that he will resign from his position, effective later this year. Perry released a message to DOE employees stating that he had “the coolest job in the world” as Secretary of the department.
Oct 20, 2019 // Policy, USA, Trump, North America, Rick Perry, Dan Brouillette
Andhra Pradesh regulator approves solar power tariffs
The latest blow in the political battle between clean energy project developers and an anti-renewables state government has seen the electricity regulator order power distribution companies to honor PPAs signed after a public tender.
Oct 17, 2019 // Tariffs, Policy, PPAs, India, Asia, APERC, Andhra Pradesh
Skepticism hangs over Taiwan’s ambitious solar growth roadmap
Taiwan’s government risks failing to make good on solar growth pledges unless it acts to clear structural hurdles such as land shortages, industry operators have warned at Energy Taiwan 2019.
Oct 17, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Policy, Floating PV, Asia, Taiwan, energy taiwan, solar target, auo, tatung, ks terminals, tpvia, Daniel Lee, Alan Lin, Frank Lu
ACORE releases whitepaper on the need for a federal renewable energy standard
In a new white paper released today by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the organizations offer recommendations on how U.S. policymakers can most effectively design a federal high-penetration renewable energy standard (RES) that enhances grid reliability, creates American jobs, and increases American economic competitiveness globally.
Oct 16, 2019 // Policy, Gregory Wetstone, ACORE, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Tim Cronin
UK: Give more power to regulators, says report
A report published recently by the United Kingdom’s National Infrastructure says that the UK’s regulatory system must “adapt to meet the demands of the future” by providing new powers for regulators to ensure utility investments in sustainable infrastructure. The report notes that without such powers, the country will be unlikely to meet its target of zero emissions by 2050.
Oct 16, 2019 // Storage, Policy, UK, Europe, Solar Trade Association, Chair John Armitt, Chris Hewett
Top officials trumpet 20GW-by-2025 solar goal as Energy Taiwan kicks off
Taiwan will try and use its leverage as a global electronic and manufacturing hotspot to engineer a multi-gigawatt clean energy boom, government figures have said as they kickstarted this year’s edition of Energy Taiwan.
Oct 16, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, Policy, pv modules, Asia, policy and regulation, Taiwan, energy taiwan, module manufacturing, auo, Shen Jong-Chin, Tsai Ing-wen, TSEC
German report makes recommendations for private PPA adoption in China
The German Energy Agency has drawn up a list of proposed measures which it says could help the world’s biggest solar market accelerate its clean energy plans through the adoption of subsidy-free – private – power purchase agreements.
Oct 15, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Tariffs, Policy, PPAs, Germany, China, Europe, Asia, tariff, Dena, subsidy-free PPAs
Regulation, power prices to dictate success of corporate solar PPA push
The momentum around corporate renewable PPAs should not blind industry players from the fact the avenue remains too costly and complex for some businesses, three lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright have argued as part of a piece for PV Tech Power 20.
Oct 15, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Policy, PPA, norton rose fulbright, power prices, Andrew Hedges, Caileen Kateri Gamache, Lee Donovan
India rebukes analyst claims it will miss clean energy targets
Expert warnings that India will be falling short of its renewable deployment targets have sparked a strong-worded rebuke from the government, which has slammed them as “ill-founded”
Oct 10, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Tariffs, Policy, India, Asia, auction, tariff, Vinay Rustagi, CRISIL, narendra modi, mnre
Renewables and geopolitics: The United States
An accelerated transition to renewables could go either way, regarding the United States’ unique geopolitical strength. According to Indra Overland – head of the Center for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs – the U.S. could surrender a major advantage if it abandons fossil fuel. The nation could, however, remain dominant in the global energy sector if it continues to lead on innovation and clean energy tech-related intellectual property.
Oct 2, 2019 // Policy, USA, China, Trump, Asia, Israel, Africa, Egypt, North America, Indra Overland, Norwegian Institute for International Affairs
Hanwha Q Cells Dedicates Largest Solar Panel Factory In Western Hemisphere
Hanwha Q Cells officially opened its 300,000 square foot solar panel factory in Dalton, Georgia last week, claiming it is the largest such manufacturing facility in the western hemisphere.
Sep 30, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Tariffs, Policy, USA, Georgia, Jinko Solar, First Solar, Trump, Europe, North America, Hanwha Q Cells, Brian Kemp, Scott Moskowitz, LG
How will China’s electricity price reform affect solar?
The nation’s plan for grid-parity solar – brought forward to ease a mounting public PV subsidy debt burden – could be left in ruins by a newly-announced scheme to part liberalize the electricity price, itself motivated by a need to bail out financially stricken state-owned power companies.
Sep 30, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Policy, China, Asia, China Central Television, NDRC, Song Jie Cao
Greece and Hungary pledge to phase out coal
Athens-based policy group The Green Tank labelled Greece’s decision “historic” while Europe Beyond Coal, an alliance of civil society groups working to make Europe coal free by 2030 said Hungary should target a more ambitious 2025 phase-out.
Sep 27, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Policy, USA, Greece, Hungary, Trump, Europe, North America, coal, George Stassis, The Green Tank, János Áder, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’, Nikos Mantzaris