CleanTech Report 2021.03.11

Renewables accounted for 20.6% of US electricity in 2020.
DOE pumps $115 million into renewables R&D for small businesses.
Israel, Cyprus and Greece agree to link power grids via sub-sea cable.
New South Wales earmarks AU $750 for renewable projects.
India commissions 100 MW floating solar plant.

CleanTech Report March 11th 2021

NORTH AMERICA

Renewables Accounted For 20.6% Of US Electricity In 2020

Clean Technica

2020 US electricity generation data are in from the US Energy Information Administration. Crunching the numbers, renewable energy accounted for 20.6% of US electricity generation last year.

 

DOE Pumps $115 Million Into Clean Energy R&D For Small Businesses

PV-Magazine

The latest part of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better pledge, the funding will go to grid modernization, carbon removal, renewable energy and energy storage, among other technologies.

 

New York State Adopts Rules To Streamline Large Renewable Energy Project Reviews

PV-Magazine

New York State has finalized and adopted new rules designed to streamline the siting and construction of large-scale renewable energy facilities.

 

LATIN AMERICA

IDB And IRENA Team Up To Drive Energy Transition In Latin America And The Caribbean

Energy Global

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have signed a partnership that will help drive the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.


Green Hydrogen Projects Proliferate In Chile, Mexico, Uruguay

PV-Magazine

AES Gener wants to set up a hydrogen production facility in Chile that would require around 850 MW of renewable energy capacity. The Uruguayan government is planning a tender for a pilot hydrogen project for sustainable mobility and the Mexican authorities are reviewing a large scale PV project planned to power a 75 MW hydrogen plant.


LatAm Lags In Energy Transition Race

Reuters

As oil majors and developed nations push for a faster transition to clean energy, much of Latin America is struggling just to cover its basic supply needs for fossil fuels, which is forcing some countries to actually rely more on dirty energy sources.

 

EUROPE

NatWest Backs Statera Flexible Grid Plans With £110 Million Deal

Business Green

The fast-expanding UK energy storage sector received a further boost today, after Statera Energy and NatWest announced they had completed a major new financing deal worth £110m to support eight flexible grid projects. However, the funding is also set to support the development of new natural gas-power generation and as such will further fuel the debate over the role of gas power capacity in the UK’s grid.


Over £92 Million Government Funding To Power Green Technologies

Gov.uk

£92 million investment will enable green innovators to drive forward the next generation of technologies that will help the UK transition to clean, green energy and tackle climate change.


Israel, Cyprus And Greece Agree To Link Power Grids Via Subsea Cable

Daily Maverick

Cyprus, Greece and Israel on Monday signed an initial agreement to build the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable that will traverse the Mediterranean seabed at a cost of about $900 million and link their electricity grids.

 

ASIA

Malaysia’s Tenaga Bags Foothold In Vietnam’s Booming Solar Market

Energy Voice

TNB Renewables, a subsidiary of Malaysian national electricity provider Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), will buy a 39% share in five solar rooftop projects from Singapore’s Sunseap Group in Vietnam.


Singapore Builds Floating Solar Farms To Tackle Climate Crisis

Interesting Engineering

Thousands of solar panels have been installed off the coast of Singapore to help the island city-state do its part to tackle the global climate crisis. Though it is one of the world’s smallest countries (Singapore is less than half the size of London), the thriving financial hub is one of the biggest per capita carbon dioxide emitters in Asia, according to a report by AFP.


India’s Biggest Floating Solar Plant To Be Commissioned In Next Three Months

The Hindu

The country’s biggest floating solar power plant, by generation capacity, till date being developed by NTPC in the reservoir of its thermal plant at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana is set to be commissioned by May-June next. Work on the 100 megawatt plant is in the final stages of completion.

 

MENA

Wood Completes Solar Plant Project In Oman

Energy Voice

Work carried out by Aberdeen-based global consulting and engineering company Wood will help turn the hot desert sun of Oman into renewable energy for a ferrochrome production plant.


AfDB Approves Loan For 200 MW Solar Plant

Africa Oil & Power

The project will cost a total of $156.4 million and will be developed by Saudi energy firm ACWA Power. The electricity produced from the plant will be sold to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The project is expected to create approximately 800 jobs.


Egypt Plans To Launch All Energy Projects Via Auction Scheme

ZAWYA

A 7,650-square kilometre land has been allocated for the implementation of renewable energy projects with capacities of up to 35 gigawatts of wind power and 55 gigawatts of solar energy.

 

AFRICA

SA Climate Change Mitigation Projects Receive UK Funding Boost

ESI-Africa

UK PACT South Africa has announced a project portfolio of over £3 million ($4.16 million) to support the South African government’s climate change priorities.


Malawi To Receive First Commercial-Scale Solar+Storage Plant

Power Engineering

InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and its project partner, JCM Power, have committed to financing the construction of the 20MW Golomoti Solar project with a 5MW/10MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) in Malawi.


Africa Has More Than 59,000GW Wind Potential

Power Engineering

The latest data released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), states that Africa and the Middle East region installed 821MW of new wind power capacity in 2020, pushing the total capacity in the region to over 7GW.

 

AUSTRALIA

 

Snowy Signs Up New 90MW Solar Farm As Part Of Retailing Deal With BP

Renew Economy

The government owned energy generator and retailer Snowy Hydro has signed a deal with Lightsource bp for a new solar farm in western NSW that will help deliver a 100 per cent renewable energy product to the oil giant’s network of retail outlets in NSW.

 

New South Wales Could Establish ‘Clean Industrial Revolution’ With AU$750 Million Package

PV Tech

The government of New South Wales has earmarked AU$750 million (US$578.5 million) to invest in climate action projects in a bid to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

 

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