CleanTech Report 2020.01.07

Warren Buffett is betting big on solar. Siemens reaches $1.9 billion in Green Guarantee lines.
Record-breaking $13.6 billing solar park in Dubai.

CleanTech Report January 7th 2020

AFRICA

South Africa’s Eskom To End Power Cuts

US News

South Africa’s struggling state utility Eskom said on Sunday it would end power cuts at 11 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) and that it did not expect to implement power cuts on Monday. Eskom had planned to cut up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) from the national grid until 0300 GMT on Monday.

Malawi Solar Project Starts After Securing $67M

Power Engineering

One of the first solar projects in southeast African country Malawi has reached financial close after attracting investment totalling $67m. Initial site works have now begun in Nkhotakota and construction of the first phase is targeted for completion by March next year. Once complete, the project will add 46 MW of energy to the local power supply.

Nigeria To Adopt Standards For Renewable Energy

Punch

The Nigerian National Technical Committee on Electrical and Electronics has recommended 12 systems standards for renewable energy and hybrid systems. The standards according to a statement issued on Saturday by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria were carefully considered and found relevant to the nation’s needs.

ASIA

Taiwan Wind Project Gets Boost From Japan Government And Banks

Asian Review

The Japanese government and a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are working together on an offshore wind power project being planned in Taiwan. Japan’s three megabanks will extend loans for a contract under which MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy and Danish wind power giant Vestas Wind Systems, will export wind turbines.

Fukushima Unveils Plans To Become Renewable Energy Hub

The Guardian

The prefecture in north-east Japan will forever be associated with the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011, but in an ambitious project the local government has vowed to power the region with 100% renewable energy by 2040, compared with 40% today.

Azerbaijan To Introduce Floating Solar Panels

Today.az

Azerbaijan’s Energy Ministry, with financial and technical support from the Asian Development Bank, is implementing a pilot project on the exchange of knowledge and technical support for the development of floating solar panels, Zaur Mammadov, the head of the ministry’s office, told.

AUSTRALIA

Spanish Energy Company Invests $500M In South Australian Renewable Energy Park

The Rising

Recently, Spanish renewable energy company Iberdrola announced that it would invest $500 million in an Australian renewable energy park. Set to be located in Port Augusta, South Australia, the 320MW hybrid solar and wind farm will be operational as soon as 2021.

The ACT Is Now Running On 100 Renewable Electricity

SBS News

From 1 January 2020, the Australian Capital Territory achieves something no other Australian state or territory has. “The ACT will officially be powered by 100 percent renewable electricity,” the territory’s climate change minister Shane Rattenbury tells SBS News.

$511M Facility To Provide Renewable Energy And Reduce Landfill Waste 

Utility Magazine

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide $18 million in recoupable grant funding to develop Australia’s second large-scale energy-from-waste plant based in Western Australia. The $511 million plant will be located in the Rockingham Industrial Zone, 40km south of Perth, where it will reduce waste currently going to landfill and generate dispatchable electricity for the grid.

EUROPE

Iberdrola Completes Europe’s Largest Solar Plant

Green Tech Media

The 500-megawatt Núñez de Balboa project is part of Iberdrola’s plan to add 3 gigawatts of solar by 2022 in the rebounding Spanish market. Spanish renewable power giant Iberdrola has completed work on what it claims is the largest solar project ever built in Europe.

SGRE Reaches $1.9B Green Guarantee Lines

OE Digital

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has announced that in less than a year, and aligned to its commitment to sustainability it has accumulated €1.72 billion ($1.9B) in green guarantee lines. “SGRE is moving forward in its strategy of making sustainability a key element of all aspects of its business, including its funding strategy,” said a press statement.

Alternus Energy Closes Acquisition Of 11.75MW Solar Park In Rilland, Netherlands

GlobeNewsWire

Rilland becomes ALTN’s largest individual operational Solar PV park and enjoys a 15-year government counterparty ‘Feed-in-Tariff’ (“FiT”) contract at fixed sales prices, in addition to a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) with a local energy operator. The combined contracts provide long-term predictable positive cash flows to Alternus and as the park is already operational it will be immediately revenue and income accretive to Alternus.

LATIN AMERICA

Vestas Wins 30MW Mexican Order

reNews

Vestas has received a turbine order for a 30MW onshore wind farm in Mexico. The Danish manufacturer will supply 15 V120-2.0MW hardware (pictured) as well as an Active Output Management 5000 service agreement for the operation and maintenance of the project over the next 20 years.

Atlas Renewable Energy’s Brazilian Project Is Operational

Energy Global

Atlas Renewable Energy has announced that its fourth project in Brazil, the Sertão Solar Barreiras Complex, is fully operational. The plant has an installed capacity of 117 MW peak and will generate an estimated 275 GWh yearly, which will reduce the emissions of more than 34 000 tpy CO2, according to the company’s calculations.

MHPS And Shell To Build 565MW Gas Plant In Brazil

Power Engineering

A joint venture between Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Patria Investments and Shell is to build a new power plant in Brazil following the project securing $2bn in financing.

MENA

$13.6B Record-Breaking Solar Park Rises From Dubai Desert

NewsZetu

Under the Arabian sun, a monumental construction effort is making headway. Located deep within Dubai’s desert interior, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park — named after the emirate’s ruler and the UAE’s vice president and prime minister — continues to grow and has just passed another milestone.

Renewable Energy Shaping The Future Of Sustainability

ZAWYA

The UAE leads the efforts to adopt the latest innovations that address climate change, mitigate the effects of global warming, and plays a major role in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Saudi Acwa Power, Sabic Partner To Boost Local Energy Content

ZAWYA

Acwa Power, a leader in power generation and water desalination projects, has signed with an agreement with Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) for pursuing opportunities to enhance local content in Saudi Arabia.

NORTH AMERICA

A $1B Solar Plant Was Obsolete Before It Ever Went Online

Bloomberg

In 2011 the $1 billion project was to be the biggest solar plant of its kind, and it looked like the future of renewable power. Late last year, Crescent Dunes lost its only customer, NV Energy Inc., which cited the plant’s lack of reliability. It’s a victim, ironically, of the solar industry’s success over the past decade. The steam generators at Crescent Dunes require custom parts and a staff of dozens to keep things humming and to conduct regular maintenance.

Warren Buffett Is Making A Big Bet On Solar Power

Nasdaq

Warren Buffett is betting on solar power, with one of Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK.B) companies behind a project to build the largest solar power plant in the U.S.

The Top 10 Best Lighting Products From 2019

Edison Report

This year we chose products from LightFair (7), CES (1),  Strategies in Light(1) and for the first time, the LED Specifier Summit (1).  Receiving detailed access to much of the technology that powers our industry’s future is one of the most gratifying benefits of being your humble editor.

Dominate the CleanTech Industry by Creating Incredible Value