CleanTech Report June 2nd 2020 |
NORTH AMERICAShell Turns To NextEnergy Capital For US Solar PPA NextEnergy Capital (NEC) has entered into two separate ten-year power purchase agreements with Shell Energy North America for the power from two US-based solar farms. The deal will see Shell Energy North America, the US and Canada-facing utility and energy solutions arm of the oil and gas major, procure around 62GWh of solar each year – equivalent to approximately 90% of the portfolio’s output – from two solar farms with a combined generation capacity of 45MW. Alliant Energy Announces ‘Smart Investment’ In 675MW Of Solar In Wisconsin Alliant Energy is to acquire and advance 675MW of solar across Wisconsin, US, as the utility moves forwards with its Clean Energy Blueprint. The sites sit across six rural areas of the state; Grant, Jefferson, Richland, Rock, Sheboygan and Wood. Together they will make the Wisconsin public utility the state’s largest owner-operator of solar. Global Energy Investment To Plunge $400B At the start of 2020, global energy investment was on track for growth of around 2 percent, which would have been the largest annual rise in spending in six years. But after the COVID-19 crisis brought large swathes of the world economy to a standstill in a matter of months, global investment is now expected to plummet by 20 percent, or almost $400 billion, compared with last year, according to the IEA’s World Energy Investment 2020 report. |
LATIN AMERICASterling And Wilson Looking To Expand Hybrid Energy Storage Business The Hybrid Energy Storage (HES) business of Sterling and Wilson is eyeing multi-million dollar projects in India, South East Asia, Africa and Latin America, as enterprises globally look to reduce their dependence on conventional energy. Colombia Enlists Ports In Quest To Equip Renewable Auction Winners Colombia is to mobilise private players to ensure solar and wind components from abroad can reach auction project winners, powering the renewable shift of a nation scaling positions in global energy transition rankings. The Latin American country will allow private ports to process imported green energy equipment even if the counterparty has no prior ties with the port operators, doing away with a legal obstacle for solar and wind firms looking to source components at the time of COVID-19. Innergex Renewable Energy And Energía Llaima’s $46 Million Acquisition Of Pv Salvador Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (TSX: INE) and Energía Llaima executed the acquisition of the 68 MW PV Salvador SpA solar photovoltaic farm in Chile, aswell as 11-year demand-based power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) covering a total electricity generation of 54,6GWh/year. Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. operates as an independent renewable power producer. The Company, led by Michel Letellier, Jean-Francois Neault and Jean Trudel develops, acquires, owns, and operates hydroelectric facilities, wind farms, and solar farms and in 2019 recorded C$557 million revenues. |
EUROPEEurope Pushing For Higher Standards On Climate At AIIB European countries had rushed to join the AIIB almost a year prior to its official launch. The UK’s decision to apply for membership upset relations with the United States, which publicly questioned whether a China-led institution would be able – or willing – to meet the high standards of other MDBs, such as the World Bank. Vulcan Energy Strengthens European Lithium Project Through Sustainability Initiatives Vulcan Energy Resources has doubled its share price since its low point in March, when COVID-19 struck global markets. The company’s recovery on the market is due to the work it is doing to help the world become a more sustainable place. A New 32GWh Gigafactory Will Build Sustainable Batteries In Norway The Norwegian company Morrow Batteries is going to establish a new gigafactory, which will be located in the strategic Agder county. Their aim is to “revolutionize battery production and establish a more sustainable supply to European car makers”. |
ASIATrina Solar Recognized As A “Top Performer” Module Manufacturer For Sixth Consecutive Time Trina Solar Co., Ltd (“Trina Solar” or the “Company”), the world’s leading PV and smart energy total solution provider, has been recognized as a “Top Performer” for outstanding product reliability and performance among global PV module manufacturers by PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), the leading independent test laboratory for the global downstream solar industry. The company is one of only two PV module manufacturers with worldwide reach to gain the recognition for the sixth consecutive time since the Top Performer designation was established. China To Restrict Expansion Of Solar Equipment Producers China intends to impose restrictions on expansion of solar equipment production to tackle overcapacity in the industry in the face of falling domestic installations, a draft plan issued by the country’s industrial ministry showed on Friday. Surging manufacturing capacity helped to spark grid price parity, where electricity from solar and coal are priced the same, but also led to a severe supply glut in the Chinese market and encouraged producers to dump cheap Chinese products abroad. Indonesia To Get $300 Million ADB Loan For Geothermal Electricity Generation The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$300 million loan for state-owned geothermal energy company PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE) to expand its geothermal power generation capacity. GDE will receive an additional $35 million loan from the Clean Technology Fund for the project managed also by the ADB, the bank announced on Thursday. |
MENAIsrael Unveils NIS 80B Plan To Boost Solar Energy The Energy Ministry unveiled a NIS 80 billion ($22.8 billion) plan to increase the use of solar power over the next decade as the country’s population and energy demand are set to surge. Though awash with sunlight, at the end of last year Israel was producing just 5% of its electricity from solar energy. About 64% came from natural gas and the rest from coal. Yellow Door Energy Looks To Raise $100M To Fund Renewables Projects Dubai-based Yellow Door Energy, which is backed by multilateral lenders including the International Finance Corporation, is looking to raise $100 million (Dh367m) in debt to finance renewable projects as it remains bullish on the sector’s prospects. The company, which already has a presence in Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is likely to take an 18 per cent hit to its revenues for 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, chief executive Jeremy Crane told The National in an interview, but expects demand for renewables to remain resilient. NREA Considers 3.17GW Power Projects The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) is considering implementing solar and wind energy projects with a total capacity of 3,170 MW. NREA Head Mohamed El-Khayyat told Daily News Egypt the projects being considered are wind farms with a total capacity of 2,200 MW, and solar plants with a total capacity of 970 MW. |
AFRICANew Africa-Focused IPP venture Emerges Following Buy-Out A new Africa-focused renewables independent power producer (IPP) has been formed following a buy-out of Building Energy’s Africa and Middle East business by a joint venture comprising Building Energy’s management and Inspired Evolution’s Evolution II Fund. Ethiopia-Morocco Fostering Partnerships In The Renewable Energy Sector The authorities of the two countries discussed the possibilities of accelerating the implementation of the Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access, in order to improve the capacity of the electricity sector. Ethiopia and Morocco formed the coalition at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 in New York, United States. The initiative aims to ensure 100 percent access to electricity in least developed and developing countries by 2030. AfDB Funds Madagascar’s Sahofika Hydropower Project The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €4 million loan with a grant component that will finance Madagascar’s €30 million equity investment in the Sahofika hydropower project. The hydropower project – located on the Onive River, 100Km southeast of the capital Antananarivo – is expected to generate affordable, clean energy that will benefit approximately 8 million people. |
AUSTRALIASolar Leads Australia’s Energy Transition As Renewables Set New Record Last year, renewable energy set new records in Australia as a surge in wind and solar generation pushed the share of electricity generated from coal to an all-time low. Providing a combined 21% of electricity generation, renewables have also surpassed gas generation for the first time ever. Australia’s New South Wales On The Lookout For Projects For 3GW Renewable Zone Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) has launched a two-week window for green energy projects to come forward for a special zone west of capital Sydney, the first of three stages of a 17GW-plus plan. Solar, wind and storage developers will have until Friday 5 June 2020 to register their interest with the 3GW Central-West hub, the first of three renewable energy zones the NSW government wants to set up across the state. Juwi To Build Renewable Energy Hub In Regional Western Australia The German-headquartered project developer has signed a deal with Pacific Energy’s subsidiary Contract Power to build a hybrid renewable energy project that will power the town of Esperance. |
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