CleanTech Report 2019.07.18

 

Nigeria is set to receive US $165m investment from the European Union (EU) for the country’s Renewable Energy Master Plan which will see the development of several projects.

 

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved an innovative multinational financing programme for Distributed Energy Service Companies (DESCOs), which will see 900,000 households in sub-Saharan Africa – about 4.5 million people – gain access to solar power by 2025.

 

Zimbabwe’s quest to improve economic development and reach a middle income economy by 2030, can be catalysed by improving energy access for rural communities.

 

Perth-based company ClearVue Technologies has inked a deal that will see it producing a key component of its transparent solar glass technology in an established PV factory in Taiwan.

 

Last week, China’s National Energy Administration announced the results of its first national solar auction for Feed-in Tariff (FiT)-approved projects, in which it awarded 22.78 gigawatts (GW) across 3,921 projects, all of which must be completed and grid-connected by the end of the year.

 

Come September, Singapore-based retail electricity marketplace—Electrify—is all set to launch a pilot to test the commercialisation of its blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of renewable energy in the city, which allows both utilities and consumers to produce and sell electricity.

 

Australia is at the forefront of a massive shift in the business models of traditional energy utilities, but countries like Italy and Spain may take the lead in the transition because consumers in those countries are more “tech aware,” a new study suggests.

 

Ambitious export plan could generate billions and make Australia the centre of low-cost energy in a future zero-carbon world.

 

The Australian Energy Market Operator, charged with keeping the lights on as it shepherds the country’s grid through a renewable energy revolution, has turned its focus once again on the needs for more storage and more and bigger links between the various state networks.

 

British firm National Grid also buying a 51% stake in a joint venture for wind and solar generation.

 

Data from WeatherEnergy shows that Scottish wind turbines generated just over 9.8 million megawatt-hours of electricity between January and June, or enough to power roughly 4.47 million homes — nearly twice as many homes as there are in Scotland.

 

The Netherlands-headquartered system integrator and technology provider Alfen has supplied a 2.5MWh battery energy storage system to the headquarters of Smappee, the energy management technology company which recently struck a deal to roll out its EV smart charging solutions globally.

 

Argentina plans to contract 1GW of renewable energy in a new tender round likely in November, according to reports there.

 

Northern Argentine province Jujuy’s unique rock formations that give rise to multi-coloured mountains will provide the backdrop for Latin America’s first solar-powered train.

 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested €23m in the French renewable energy producer Voltalia.

 

Dubai Airports, the world’s busiest international airport, and Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), a leading energy service company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), have announced the successful installation of a solar energy system comprising 15,000 photovoltaic panels at Dubai International’s Terminal 2 – the largest at any airport in the region.

 

Close to 87GW of generation capacity is currently under execution, driven by the UAE (19%), followed by Saudi Arabia (17%) and Egypt (16%)

 

The Alfanar Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest industrial conglomerates, has announced that it will set up a renewable energy office in the UK, through its subsidiary “Alfanar Energy UK Ltd.” The new subsidiary will be headquartered in London, tapping into the UK’s highly skilled workforce and creating up to 30 jobs.

 

NASA has issued a $73 million dollar contract to Made In Space to 3D print spacecraft parts in orbit using Archinaut One

 

Virginia is planning major changes to streetlights with a switch of thousands across the state to brighter LEDs.

 

The high-power LED market will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5% from $4.5bn in 2019 to $5.6bn by 2024, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets. The main factors fueling growth are the long life and continuous usage, small size, less power consumption and low voltage, as well as increasing high-brightness applications.