The asia-pacific Sri Lanka launches tender for 100MW solar park The Ceylon Power Board (CEB), Sri Lanka's largest power supplier, has launched a tender for the development and construction of a 100MW solar power plant in Siabalandua, Uva Province. The selected developer will build the project on a build-Own-operate (BOO) basis in addition to installing a new 132 kV transmission line. The facility will sell electricity to CEB under a 20-year power purchase agreement. According to a recent joint study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank, Sri Lanka has the potential to deploy 16GW of solar energy. Sterling and Wilson won 1.57GW of solar capacity NTPC Renewable Energy LTD has emerged as the first bidder for the System Balancing (BOS) package in the NTPC Renewable Energy LTD 1.57GW DC solar capacity auction process. Including NTPC's proposed solar power plant in 4 blocks of Khavda RE Power Park in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. In a stock exchange announcement, the company said the total tender value including operation and maintenance (O&M) for three years would be INR 22 billion (US $275.6 million). Reliance Industries' 10GW solar cell and module plant is expected to start production in 2024 Reliance Industries' 10GW solar cell and module plant in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to come on stream in 2024; The group will expand its annual capacity to 20GW by 2026 and aims to achieve 50GWh of battery pack cell capacity per year by 2027. Reliance Industries said it will use REC Solar's Solar manufacturing technology at its Jamnagar plant. REIL seeks tender for 100MW Solar Pv Module production line Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd (REIL) is seeking interested bidders to build a 100MW automatic solar Pv Module production line, The production line is expected to produce Solar Cells in sizes of 156.75mm x 156.75mm or 158.75mm x 158.75mm with a power output of 5.67W per cell. The annual production capacity is 110MW. REIL has a state-of-the-art solar PV module manufacturing facility with an installed capacity of 19 MW, including a 12 MW automatic module production line. Now it wants to expand capacity by 100MW to further differentiate itself in the sector and achieve targets in line with government targets to make domestic manufacturers competitive with international manufacturers. Maharashtra Utilities launches tender for 600MW solar energy Maharashtra Power Generation Corporation (MAHAGENCO) has issued a tender for 600MW solar power capacity in six districts under Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojna (MSKVY) to supply electricity to agricultural consumers during daylight hours. It will allocate 100MW to each of the six districts, namely Nagpur, Amrawati, Aurangabad, Konkan, Nashik and Pune, and the capacity of individual solar projects needs to be between 2MW and 10MW, depending on the availability of substation connections. IRCON launches 600MW solar power tender in India Ircon International Limited (Ircon), a public sector infrastructure builder in India, is inviting tenders from interested EPC service providers for a 500MW AC /600MW DC grid-connected solar PV capacity in Pavagada, Karnataka. It wants to install double-sided Solar Panels with an average output of 540W. The modules provided need to meet the Domestic Category Requirements (DCR). Bangladesh completes 30MW solar project
On 25 August, the Bangladesh Electricity Development Board (BPDB) revealed that a 30MW Solar project owned by Intraco Solar Power Ltd. (ISPL) has started operation in northern Bangladesh. BPDB will buy electricity from power plants for 20 years at $0.16 / KWH. Bangladesh currently has about 910MW of renewable energy generation, and the government wants 40% of the country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2040.
Australia's "renewable energy zone" has attracted proposals for 17GW projects The Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) south of Sydney has attracted A $43 billion (US $29.4 billion) in potential investment in response to a call for expressions of interest for large-scale energy projects including wind, solar, storage, pumped storage and green hydrogen production with a total capacity of 17GW, the New South Wales state government said. There are five large solar projects, 16 energy storage projects and four pumped storage projects, while investors have also proposed two onshore wind projects and eight offshore facilities, as well as three new "load projects" including green steel manufacturing. The European Hybrid small-scale wind and solar systems in the Swiss Alps The Swiss Centre for Purchasing, Technology and Real Estate Competence (Armasuisse Immobilien) is seeking approval to build a small wind-wind complementary system, Switzerland's first, as a test facility in the country's alpine region to test its suitability for the region. Armasuisse, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Defence, Civil Defence and Sport (DDPS), submitted a planning application for the facility to be built in the area of La Stadera in the Swiss district of Surselva, above the city of Medel in the Canton of Graubunden. The area was selected for its wind and solar potential, and preparations for installation are planned for autumn 2022, while the actual test system in a mixed configuration will be installed and start commissioning in autumn 2023. Through this pilot, the government hopes to review the implementation of renewable energy for its future use. Q ENERGY 66MW floating solar ENERGY approved Q ENERGY has received approval to build a 66MW floating solar farm in France, and the Les Ilots Blandin Floating solar Farm has been fully licensed and secured tariffs for construction to begin in the first half of 2023. The capacity will be spread over several islands on the 127-hectare former gravel pit site, which has been unused since 2020. The buoy components will be fixed to the bank or bottom of the flooded pit. The project is scheduled to begin production in mid-2024. Ilmatar Energy will build a 450MW solar farm in Sweden Ilmatar Solar AB, a subsidiary of Finland's independent renewable Energy generator (IPP) Ilmatar Energy, plans to build a 450MW Solar park in Sweden, and the Tonnersjo project will be located in Tonnersjo in Halland County, outside the city of Halmstad. The company has signed a land lease agreement with Silvestica Green Forest Sverige AB to locate the facility in one of the company's forests. The americas GAF Energy begins construction on solar rooftop plant in US A groundbreaking ceremony was held for GAF Energy's roofing Products Manufacturing center in Georgetown, Texas, which will be GAF Energy's second manufacturing facility in the U.S. GAF Energy makes Timberline Solar, a nailable Solar shingle, The roof system, which integrates solar energy technology directly into traditional roofing processes and materials, is expected to be completed by summer 2023 and fully operational by the end of 2023. Timberline Solar is now manufactured at GAF Energy's SAN Jose, California, facility, which was built last year after the company moved production out of South Korea, and at the time the facility was expected to be able to produce 50MW
Amp Energy completes financing of solar and storage portfolio
Renewable Energy developer Amp Energy has completed financing for its 61MW of solarof Solar panels per year. Energy, with a 6.5WMH storage portfolio valued at $155 million. The 13 projects are located in Massachusetts and New York, and most facilities are scheduled to come online in 2022 and remain in use through the second quarter of 2023. Alliant Energy 50 MW solar project comes online Power company Alliant Energy has completed its first 50MW capacity utility-scale solar project in Wisconsin. The 50MW bear creek solar farm, located in richland county, is part of the utility's goal to build more than 1GW of utility-scale solar at 12 locations in the state. Bear Creek is the first of the projects to become operational, with three more expected later this year. The solar projects are part of the utility's goal to achieve coal-free power generation by 2040 and net zero generation by 2050 under its Clean Energy blueprint. SPI Energy plans to build 1.5 GW of wafer manufacturing capacity in the United States by 2023 SPI Energy recently announced that it has signed a letter of Intent to secure solar wafer manufacturing facilities. The company aims to deliver and produce solar wafer in the United States by 2023, with an initial capacity of 1.5GW of silicon wafer per year. SPI Energy hopes to increase its wafer capacity to 3GW by 2024, which would be the first new wafer plant to open in the U.S. in nearly a decade. First Solar plans to build a new 3.5GW component plant in the southeastern United States Thin-film Solar maker First Solar will spend up to $1.2 billion to expand its manufacturing operations in the United States, including building a vertically integrated plant in the Southeast with a capacity of 3.5GW per year. The U.S.-based company plans to invest $1 billion in the new plant, its fourth in the country, which is expected to be operational by 2025. First Solar will also invest $185 million to upgrade and expand its manufacturing base in Ohio. First Solar has two shipping plants in Ohio and is racing to build a third. These new investments are expected to increase First Solar's U.S. component capacity to more than 10GW by 2025. First Solar also has plants in Vietnam and Malaysia. It has also opened a 3.3GW plant in India, scheduled to open in the second half of 2023. After completing its expansion plans in the US and India, First Solar expects to have a global annual capacity of more than 20GW by 2025. Fuyao Glass expands production capacity in the United States Fuyao Glass announced plans to invest US $350 million in its US subsidiary Fuyao USA to expand projects such as float glass and solar backboard production lines to meet the growing demand for solar-backed glass. Proceeds will be used by Fuyao USA specifically to help Fuyao Illinois build one kiln and two float glass production lines and four solar back glass production lines. Fuyao Illinois currently has 2 float glass production lines. Backed by government-backed policies to promote clean energy in the United States, the investment is considering meeting the growing demand for solar-backed glass. The impetus also came from the U.S. government's liquidation of the largest climate investment bill in the country's history in the form of the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). tafiti Egypt plans to build 3.6GW green hydrogen energy project Globeleq, an independent power producer in Africa (IPP), has signed a memorandum of understanding with local authorities in Egypt to build a 3.6GW green hydrogen project in Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone, powered by about 9GW of solar PV and wind power. The project is planned to be completed in three phases. In the first phase, a 100MW green hydrogen pilot project will be built and power purchase agreements will be signed with local enterprises or international companies. Eksfin is providing a NOK 1.2 billion guarantee to support Scatec in South Africa Scatec ASA, a provider of renewable energy solutions, has secured NOK 1.2 billion (US $102 million) in financial risk reduction funding from state-backed export credit agency Eksfin for downscaling a joint solar/cell plant project in the Northern Cape Province. Scatec plans to build three power plants in the South African province with a total installed capacity of 540MW and a battery capacity of 225MW. Policy The cabinet of the German state of Brandenburg has approved the 2040 energy strategy, which aims to install 33GW of solar energy projects The cabinet of the state of Brandenburg in Germany has adopted its energy strategy to 2040, thereby setting the goal of increasing the installed solar pv capacity from about 4.5GW in 2021 to 18GW in 2030 and further to 33GW by 2040. In addition to ground-mounted solar systems, Brandenburg will also focus on rooftop solar systems, carsheds, and floating and agricultural photovoltaic power generation. It will help meet Germany's latest government coalition's cumulative target of 400GW by 2040. The state is also working on a climate law that aims to be climate-neutral by 2045, with a rollout in spring 2023. Eneco cut net metering tariffs, and the Dutch consumer association demanded a minimum threshold Dutch energy provider Eneco plans to reduce the net metered electricity price it pays owners of rooftop photovoltaic systems from 0.56 euros ($0.56) to 0.09 euros per kilowatt hour, consumer association Consumentenbond revealed. In contrast, Sweden's Vattenfall, which also operates in the country, has decided to increase its electricity price from €0.07 to €0.168 per KWH, in addition to the new rules that set new minimum standards, but the law will not come into force until 2025. A recent study by the association also showed that half of energy suppliers were offering too low rates for excess solar power, with five paying less than 15 per cent of the base price. Korea has lowered the size limit of the PPA market to 300 kW The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has announced that it will fully implement regulations that allow domestic electricity consumers to purchase electricity from renewable energy producers through power purchase agreements (PPA). First announced in January 2021, the South Korean government said it will now allow projects larger than 300kW to enter the PPA market to encourage building renewable energy trading, up from a previously stipulated minimum of 1MW. Under the so-called K-RE100 scheme, the state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) would act as an intermediary between buyers and sellers, and before the scheme was introduced, consumers could buy power exclusively from the national utility. France has issued 17 new specifications for renewable energy tenders The French energy regulator Commission de Regulation de L 'Energie (CRE) has published updated versions of all specifications for the "CRE4" and "PPE2" renewable energy tenders. The new specifications including government regulatory changes announced earlier this summer, they will promote the rapid deployment of renewable energy facilities across the country, in general, these changes involve different 17 specification of renewable energy, of which 13 items involving French or areas not connected solar tender, these changes apply to the ground and the roof project, And self-consumption arrays and storage-free devices, containing approximately 6.1GW of renewable energy capacity in various stages of development and operation, including 3.4GW of wind power and 2.7GW of solar power. The winner of the tender will be able to take advantage of these arrangements by applying to the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning from 1 September. Market analysis Germany installed 535MW of new photovoltaic power in July According to the latest data from the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), 535MW of new photovoltaic capacity was installed in Germany in July, and the cumulative installed capacity was also more than 60GW. About 470.7MW of new photovoltaic installations per month were built under the country's renewable energy incentive program. The rest of the capacity comes from photovoltaic systems built outside such incentive schemes. Italy added more than 1GW of solar power in the first half of 2022 According to local solar association Italia Solare, Italy's annual solar installations rose nearly 150% to 1.012GW in the first half of 2022, compared with 407MW installed in the previous year, bringing the country's cumulative deployed capacity to 23.577GW, According to data released by transmission system operator Terna, the industrial and commercial (C&I) sector contributed 12.92GW, followed by the residential sector at 5.486GW and the utility scale sector at 5.17GW. Despite the growth in data, both PV and storage systems show significant delays compared to the development projections set by Italy. The European PPA index exceeded 100 euros/MWH for the first time In a recent report on renewable electricity purchase (PPA) deals in Europe, Swiss energy consultancy Pexapark found that prices fell 9.3% in July and PPA activity remained at a relatively low level, despite an upturn in July in terms of both the number of deals (+50%) and contracted capacity (+57%), Particularly in the Spain, Germany, Italy and Greece regions, the strong upward trend is on the back of a rebound in underlying forward prices, which has allowed the PPA index to reach levels above €100 / MWH for the first time. In July, about 596 megawatts of capacity was built in Europe, involving 15 deals. In the first six months of this year, power-purchase agreements were down about 15%, Pexapark said. European PPA prices fell 11 percent in June, following a roughly 44 percent reduction in new capacity compared to the first half of 2021, which was the strongest period to date. Switzerland seeks rapid solar expansion to boost winter power supply Switzerland is preparing measures to support the spread of solar power, including solar roof requirements for new buildings, to avoid looming power supply bottlenecks in winter. The Energy Committee of the Federal State Council has decided to create a legal basis for the expansion of PV capacity across the country as soon as possible to ensure that the additional capacity needed to meet winter demand comes from renewable sources. To facilitate the deployment of solar power capacity, the Commission plans legal reforms to enable the rapid implementation of ground-installed solar projects, especially in the Alps. The regulations will apply to solar systems that produce more than 20 GWh a year and will exempt such projects from planning and environmental impact assessments. The projects will also receive investment subsidies from the state.
