CleanTech Report December 1st 2020 |
M&AReNew Power, Greenko Keen To Buy Out Chandigarh Discom Two of India’s largest green energy firms, ReNew Power Ventures Pvt Ltd and Greenko Energy Holdings are among 10 companies that have shown interest in buying out Chandigarh’s electricity distribution company (discom). Their interest in discom business comes under the backdrop of their strategy to capture value across the electricity business chain. Earlier also sovereign funds GIC holdings and ADIA-backed Greenko submitted binding offers to buy Reliance Infrastructure’s Delhi electricity distribution business. Singapore’s Solar Developer BlueLeaf Enters India With Majority Stake In Vibrant Energy Blueleaf Energy, a Singapore-based renewable energy company, announced that it acquired a majority stake in an Indian clean energy solutions provider, Vibrate Energy Holdings, from ATN International. Blueleaf Energy specializes in the development, finance, construction, and operation of both commercial and industrial (C&I) and utility-scale solar systems across the Asia Pacific region. Blueleaf Energy also actively acquires and develops onshore wind and battery storage projects. Enel Powers Up €190 Billion Green Energy Investment Blitz Through To 2030 European energy giant unveils investment strategy that will see it invest €160bn directly in green infrastructure, while leveraging a further €30bn from other parties Italian energy giant Enel has outlined plans to invest €160bn in decarbonisation and electrification efforts over the next decade, as it works to become a net zero power producer by 2050. |
NORTH AMERICAREC Solar Sues Rival Hanwha Over Split-cell Solar Panel Technology International solar-panel maker REC Solar sued its rival Hanwha Solutions Corp in Wilmington, Delaware federal court on Monday, accusing it and its U.S. affiliate of infringing a patent on technology involving an arrangement of solar cells and bypass diodes. The Norway-based company accuses South Korea-based Hanwha and Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc of infringing REC’s U.S. patented split-solar cell technology with two products they have been distributing throughout the United States, the best-selling Q.Peak Duo and Q.Plus Duo panels. ReneSola Power Inks Solar-Plus-Storage Power Purchase Agreement With Valley Clean Energy ReneSola Ltd, a leading fully integrated solar project developer, announced today that it signed a power purchase agreement (“PPA”) for a solar and battery system with Northern California-based Valley Clean Energy, a public electricity provider serving over 125,000 customers in cities of Woodland and Davis, and Unincorporated Yolo County. The project is located in Madison, Yolo County, California. It will add 20 MW of solar power and 6.5 MW/26 MWh (4-hour) of battery energy storage to the Northern California grid to serve VCE’s customers. The PPA has a duration of 20 years. The project is expected to reach commercial operation by the third quarter of 2022. Aurora Solar Raises $50M For Remote Photovoltaic Sales And Design Aurora Solar, a SaaS startup developing software that enables solar installers and financiers to design and sell residential solar remotely, raised $50 million in a Series B led by Iconiq Growth, along with existing investors Energize Ventures, Fifth Wall, and Pear VC. This brings the company’s total investment to over $70 million. |
LATIN AMERICAChile’s National Energy Commission Will Tender for 2,310GWh Of Renewables And Energy Storage Chilean authorities have announced plans to carry out an auction next year, looking to procure 2,310GWh of renewable power from generation and storage. Preliminary bidding terms published the country’s National Energy Commission (CNE) say selected projects must start delivering power from 2026 and sign up to 15-year power purchase agreements. Ecuador Could Achieve 400MW Solar PV Capacity By 2030 Ecuador is laying the foundation for 15% solar PV growth over the coming decade, data and analytics company GlobalData reports. The country is currently taking its nascent steps into non-traditional renewable energies, particularly solar PV deployment. The 14.8MW Conolophus solar PV venture and the 200MW El Aromo PV plant, which will be the country’s largest, are set to come online in the coming years. Colombia Stepping Up Energy Transition With New Solar Plant The press release reveals that on 24th November the President of the Republic, Iván Duque visited the Self-Generation Solar Energy Farm of Compañía Energética de Occidente (CEO) and the Colombina Business Group, both committed to clean energy and the energy transition in Colombia. |
EUROPEGreencells Gmbh Completes 3 Solar Projects In The Netherlands With A Total Capacity Of Around52 MWp Greencells GmbH, a globally active EPC and O&M service provider for utility-scale solar power plants, continues its success story in the Netherlands. On behalf of its long-standing customer Chint Solar, three solar projects with a total capacity of around 152 MWp were successfully completed as part of EPC cooperations with different partners such as Goldbeck Solar GmbH. This also includes the country’s second largest solar power plant in Stadskanaal with 101 MWp, where in future green electricity will be produced on an area of 83 hectares for around 31,000 households. In addition, 45 MWp were successfully installed in Buinerveen and 5.7 MWp in Ommelanderwijk. European Space Agency Is Up For Funding Space-Based Solar Power Stations For The Growth Of Clean Energy The European Space Agency has acknowledged the potential of the concept and decided to fund such projects. The officials from the agency expect that this will be the first industrial resource fetched from space in the form of beamed power. They have said that climate change has been one of the biggest challenges of recent times. The impacts of rising global temperature and changing weather patterns have affected everyone around the globe. Therefore, it is important to have some radical changes in how we generate and consume energy to rise above such challenges, said the experts. Europe On Track To Smash Its 2020 Climate Goal Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union dropped by 3.7% last year, bringing the bloc on track to smash its 2020 emission goals by 4 percentage points, according to the European Environment Agency. Emissions have been steadily declining in the EU, falling to 24% below 1990 levels in 2019, according to the EEA trends and projections report 2020, which tracks progress towards the EU’s climate and energy goals. |
ASIADaqo New Energy Announces Long-Term High-Purity Polysilicon Supply Agreement With Trina Solar Daqo New Energy Corp., a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry, today announced that it signed a long-term high-purity polysilicon supply agreement with Trina Solar, a global leading solar PV system integrator. Under the supply agreement, Daqo New Energy will provide Trina with high-purity mono-grade polysilicon in a total amount of 30,000 MT ~ 37,600 MT between November 2020 and December 2023. Actual prices will be negotiated by both parties monthly according to market conditions. As part of the supply agreement, Trina will make an advance payment to Daqo New Energy. Modi Sees $20 Billion Annual Investment In Green Energy Sector Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he expects the energy-hungry country’s burgeoning renewable energy sector to require an annual investment of $20 billion a year. “Demand for energy in India will keep growing. There are huge renewable energy deployment plans for the next decade,” Modi told the third global RE-Invest conference. India’s green energy capacity, which encompasses solar, wind, bio-power, and small and large hydropower, is currently at 136 GW. That is expected to increase to 220 GW by 2022, Modi said. Going Green Will Mean $1.35 Trillion In Opportunities For Asean Economies Going green could bring up to US$1 trillion in annual economic benefits to Southeast Asian economies by 2030, a report by global management consulting firm Bain and Company said last Thursday (Nov 26). Greater investments in renewable energy, reduced consumption and better waste management, less damaging crop-growing practices and improved urban planning are among the areas that could bring new growth opportunities for economies and greater efficiencies and savings, the authors say. |
MENAEcoppia Announces IPO After Successfully Completing Its Public Tender Phase Ecoppia Scientific LTD., (TASE: ECPA), the pioneer and world leader in robotic solutions for photovoltaic solar, launched an initial public offering (IPO) on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), after successfully completed the public tender phase. Ecoppia secured $82.5 million from leading institutional investors with a company valuation of $300 million. UAE Clean Energy Firm Gets $50M Financing For Solar Projects The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) has announced that it has signed $50 million revolving construction facility with Yellow Door Energy Limited, a UAE-based sustainable energy provider for businesses. The faciility will be used to develop solar energy plants, with key emphasis on Jordan and Pakistan. Yellow Door Energy currently has over 110 megawatts of solar assets operating and under construction in the UAE, Jordan, and Pakistan, with recent expansions into Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman. Agreement Signed To Finance Household Solar Systems In Jordan Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati and CEO of Housing Bank Ammar Safadi on Sunday signed a memorandum of cooperation regarding the installation of solar electric and water heating systems, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Zawati said that the memorandum comes in light of the Kingdom’s 2020-2030 Energy Strategy, which aims at increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and bringing down energy costs. |
AFRICASouth Africa’s Cities Opt For Clean Energy The organisation’s new South African Cities 2020 report features 20 of the country’s most energy-intensive cities and towns, tracking their energy use since 2007, presenting emerging trends in energy efficiency and renewable energy uptake, and examining the governance of transition. 25 Million Nigerians To Own Solar Systems At N4,000 Monthly The federal government will on Tuesday unveil the five million Solar Home System (SHS) with users paying N4,000 monthly and becoming owners after three years payment. The programme is under the Economic Sustainability Plan and will benefit about 25 million Nigerians not served by the national grid, who will outrightly own solar panels in their residences. The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) which is one the implementing agencies, said it will be unveiled on Tuesday. ECOWAS Energy Forum 2020 Calls For Acceleration Of Decentralised Renewable Energy In West Africa The fourth annual Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2020) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has highlighted the collective progress in achieving the ECOWAS regional sustainable energy targets.The forum held virtually under the high-patronage of Mr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission from November 24 to 26, emphasized the remaining challenges faced by stakeholders in building a robust renewable energy and energy efficiency market. The ESEF 2020, which coincided with ECREEE’s 10-year anniversary as a specialised institution with the mandate of promoting sustainable energy, raised awareness on the progress made by ECOWAS member states towards achieving sustainable energy targets for 2030. |
AUSTRALIAOnslow DER Project Wins Prestigious National Industry Award Horizon Power’s Onslow Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Project was announced State winner of the 2020 Australian Institute of Project Management Achievement Awards, in the category of Regional Projects. The joint submission was prepared with professional services company GHD, for the delivery of centralised assets as part of stages 1 and 2 of the $80 million project. Victoria Funds Renewable Energy Zones The Victorian Budget 2020/21 will invest an unprecedented $1.6 billion to create renewable energy hubs across the state, improve crucial grid infrastructure, decarbonise the energy system, drive down emissions and support more Solar Homes – the largest investment in clean energy of any Australian state, ever. The Budget provides: – $540 million to establish six Renewable Energy Zones including a zone in the windy east coast in Gippsland. – $108 million to prepare Victoria for innovative and transformational renewable energy and hydrogen projects – such as the Star of the South. Tasmania Reaches 100% Renewable Electricity Goal Two Years Ahead Of Schedule Australia’s island state Tasmania has announced it is now powered with 100% renewable electricity, two years ahead of schedule. The announcement came after one additional wind turbine, at Granville Harbour wind farm on the state’s West Coast, was connected to the grid. When the project will have the last two wind turbines commissioned, Tasmania is predicted to generate 10,741GWh, which is above the region’s average annual electricity demand of 10,500GWh. |
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