CleanTech Report October 13th 2020 |
M&AKenon’s Subsidiary OPC Announces Agreement To Acquire CPV Power Business In The United States Kenon Holdings subsidiary OPC Energy announced the execution of an agreement by CPV Group, an entity in which OPC holds a 70% stake, for the acquisition of Competitive Power Ventures group from Global Infrastructure Management. CPV is engaged in the development, construction and management of renewable energy and conventional energy (natural gas-fired) power plants in the United States. BlackRock Real Asset To Acquire Taiwan’s New Green Power For $237M BlackRock Real Estate, the realty investment management arm of private equity major BlackRock, has agreed to acquire a majority stake in New Green Power Co, a Taiwanese solar energy firm, the company announced. An SWFI report said BlackRock has agreed to pay about 6.8 billion New Taiwan dollars ($237 million) in the deal that marks BlackRock Real Assets; third investment associated or in New Green Power. Solar Tracker Builder Array Technologies Sets Its Terms In Largest Solar IPO Of 2020 Solar tracker builder Array Technologies is going public on the Nasdaq exchange and has set its IPO terms. The world’s No. 2 tracker builder plans to raise $675 million by offering 33.8 million shares at a price range of $19 to $21 — giving it a fully-diluted market value of $2.5 billion, were it to price at the midpoint of the range. |
NORTH AMERICAIf Illinois Could Get Its Act Together, Clean Tech Investments Would Add $350 Billion To Economy National business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released results of a report that quantified significant economic benefits associated with investments in advanced energy deployment for the state of Illinois. The report, which was produced by international economics consultant Analysis Group for AEE, used an industry-standard modeling tool to estimate the impact of investing state or federal stimulus funds in advanced energy technologies, products, and services to boost economic activity in the wake of the COVID-19 slowdown. New Mexico Allocates $75 Million To Renewable Energy Sidecar Fund New Mexico State Investment Council, Santa Fe, committed up to $75 million to Brookfield Infrastructure Fund IV Renewable Power Sidecar Fund, managed by Brookfield Asset Management, said Charles Wollmann, spokesman for the $27.7 billion endowments. Floating Solar Nearing Price Parity With Land-Based US Solar Floating solar may have slightly higher capital costs, but it has lower operation and management (O&M) costs, no land costs, and the increased efficiency of the panels. “These factors over the system’s lifetime make floating solar as cost-effective and, in some cases less expensive, than land-based systems,” said Stetson Tchividjian, director of business development at D3Energy, a floating solar developer. |
LATIN AMERICALarge Wind Project To Double Renewable Energy Capacity In Brazil Statkraft is ready to start construction of its Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project in northeastern Brazil, after closing a turbine supply contract with German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex. Statkraft’s largest wind project in South America will more than double its renewable energy capacity in Brazil. Nextenergy Acquires Portuguese Solar Project NextEnergy Capital has acquired its first asset in Portugal, a solar PV project. Purchased through its NextPower III from the developers Azimuth Molecule and Cardinal Flexivel, the 17.4MWp plant has a 10-year PPA. Enel Green Power Announces Plans For First Green Hydrogen Project In Chile Italian energy group Enel has announced plans to build the first green hydrogen project in Chile, in collaboration with local power company AME and prospective partners ENAP, Siemens Energy, and Porsche. Enel Green Power Chile, a subsidiary of Enel Chile, is developing studies to install a hydrogen production plant in Chile’s southern region of Magallanes. The plant would mark the first time that green hydrogen is produced in Chile by electrolyser-fuelled wind energy. |
EUROPEBifacial Panels In Germany, Grazing Sheep In Austria Agrophotovoltaics is a fancy word that means it is possible to combine solar power with farming in a way that benefits both. In theory, it would be possible to meet all the world’s electrical needs with solar panels but they can’t be mounted on the permafrost in Siberia, which is rapidly melting, or high atop the world’s mountains. Largest Rooftop Solar System In Europe Goes Online Audi Hungaria has just turned on the largest solar roof in Europe. The solar PV roof is the size of 22.4 football fields (soccer fields), includes 36,400 solar cells, and has a power capacity of 12 megawatts (MW). Alfons Dintner, CEO of Audi Hungaria, called it “a symbol of our commitment to sustainability.” But it’s far more than a symbol. It’s expected to generate 9.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity a year, enough energy for approximately 9,800 average homes. Oil Group To Build Greece’s Largest Renewable Energy Plant Oil group Hellenic Petroleum said it will build Greece’s largest renewable energy project so far after securing €75m ($88m) of backing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Hellenic – which is part-owned by the Greek government – will construct 204MW of solar in northern Greece that it’s also billing as southeast Europe’s biggest PV project to date with a 350GWh annual output that can power 75,000 homes. |
ASIAA Ridiculously Huge New Solar Farm Just Came Online In China The project is a collaboration between Chinese company Sungrow, which specializes in inverters for renewable energy sources, and the state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development. Its 2.2 gigawatt capacity makes it second only to India’s Bhadla solar park, which opened late last year and has a capacity of 2.5 gigawatts. India Surpasses Renewable Goals But Still Struggles To Meet Demand As the rest of the world moves away from coal, leaving the notoriously dirty fossil fuel in the ground, the twin industrial giants of Asia – China and India – have clung to coal as a key part of their energy mix, and even seen a rise in consumption. But things are now changing rapidly in the Asian energy landscape. Beijing has just announced in its most recent five-year plan that China will be aiming for complete carbon neutrality by 2060 – a lofty but not impossible goal – and India now has the “fastest-growing renewable energy capacity addition in the world.” India, in particular, is working to wean itself off coal and replace that capacity with renewable energy as part of its ambitious energy plans. Facebook To Buy 100 MW Of Solar Energy From Sunseap To Power Operations In Singapore Sunseap Group, a Singapore-based solar energy company, announced that it signed a virtual power purchase agreement with Facebook to supply around 100 MW of solar energy from over 1,200 rooftop installations across Singapore. The generated renewable energy will be utilized to support Facebook’s operations in Singapore, including its first custom-built data center in Asia. |
MENAADFD-Funded Renewable Energy Project In Maldives Receives Global Recognition For Innovation A renewable-energy project in the Maldives, financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, has received a certification from Global Innovation Institute, GINI, an international professional certification, accreditation and membership association in the field of innovation. Actis Eyeing $4.5 Billion Fund For MENA Renewable Energy Projects Actis, an emerging markets investment firm based in London, UK, is eyeing finance worth $4 billion to $4.5 billion for launching its new international fund Actis 5, which aims to invest in renewable energy and infrastructure projects in the Middle East and North Africa, said a report. ABCK-AmCham Kuwait Signs MoU With SEEDS Platform Co We are pleased to announce that the American Business Council- AmCham Kuwait (ABCKAmCham Kuwait) has signed a MoU with SEEDS Platform Co, an innovative online networking community with a mission to drive sustainability. Sustainable Environmental and Energy Design Solutions (SEEDS), is a platform focused on integrating and embedding leading edge sustainability into current practice to provide appropriate dynamic solutions that inspire communities to coexist and grow with the environment. |
AFRICAEritrea’s Renewable Energy Supply And Youth Empowerment Strategy The power plant also serves as training centers, agricultural laboratories and a myriad of workshops, which all require adequate provision of energy. Mr. Aklilu Teklemariam, who is in charge of E-Tech (a computer assembly plant which also oversees solar energy plants) said, in 2017 renewable energy was introduced at a site near the Logo Dam, which was then under construction. How Green Innovation Can Transform African Agriculture For sub-Saharan Africa, the negative impact of climate change has made thinking about better farming practices more important than ever. Massive shifts in rainfall patterns over the years have forced countries in this region to be net food importers, meaning that the continent imports more food than it exports. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa spent USD64.5 billion importing food, and this is projected to rise to over USD110 billion by 2025, should there be no interventions. Financial Close For 82 MW Solar PV Projects The Danish investment firm, dubbed Frontier Investment Management ApS, which participates in the financing of numerous renewable energy projects in East Africa has agreed to provide an undisclosed amount of financing for three Solar PV projects which are being developed by Clean Power Generation in Guinea. |
AUSTRALIANet Zero Emissions Target For Australia Could Launch $63 Billion Investment Boom Modelling shows moving towards a net zero emissions economy would unlock financial prospects in sectors including renewables and manufacturing. Australia could unlock an investment boom of $63bn over the next five years if it aligns its climate policies with a target of net zero emissions by 2050, according to new economic modelling. Rooftop Solar And Battery Storage Take Centre Stage In W.A Energy Transition Western Australia has unveiled its first 20-year blueprint into how the clean energy transition may evolve in its uniquely isolated grid, and it seems clear that rooftop solar PV and battery storage will take centre stage. The Whole of System Plan – an 18-month piece of work led by a specially formed task-force, with input from the Australian Energy Market Operator, the state government and the state’s main utilities – is similar to AEMO’s Integrated System Plan for Australia’s main grid, but it applies only to WA’s South West Interconnected System, possibly the world’s biggest isolated grid. Up To 20,000 New Clean Energy Jobs Up For Grabs As Queensland Readies To Vote As many as 20,000 new clean energy jobs could be created in Queensland over the next three years, if political parties embraced policies supporting the sector, according to a new report from the Climate Council released ahead of the Queensland election. The Climate Council has identified 12 clean energy policy areas, that could create more than a four-fold increase in the number of clean energy workers in the state, as well as unlocking massive reserves of precious metals used in solar panels wind turbines and batteries. |
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