CleanTech Report April 21th 2020 |
AFRICAEnel Seeks 50% Financial Partner For Africa Renewable Unit Enel SpA is looking for a financial partner to buy as much as 50% of its African renewable business as the Italian energy giant looks to extend wind and solar power projects across the continent. AfDB Provides US$ 760,000 For Small-Scale Renewable Energy Projects The Sustainable Energy Facility for Africa (SEFA), managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), has granted US$760,000 to develop at least eight small renewable energy projects in countries south of the Sahara. The funds will be managed by Empower New Energy AS (EmNEW). They will finance the start-up and development phases of the projects. Eskom’s Magoro To Head Up South Africa’s IPP Office Last week, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) announced the appointment of Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro as the new Head of the Independent Power Producers Office (IPPO) in South Africa. The appointment is effective from 01 May 2020. Tshifhiwa is currently the General Manager of the Eskom System Operator and Eskom Telecommunications, responsible for ensuring the integrity of the South African electricity grid. |
ASIAChinese Manufacturing Killed Solyndra A politically-connected solar energy firm misled the feds to receive a loan guarantee worth upwards of a half-billion dollars, and two years later it was bankrupt. Every detail of the Solyndra saga was followed in the conservative media, and it was a big part of the Tea Party’s brief against government spending. More philosophical commentators made it into a libertarian fable about the dangers of the government picking winners and losers. Keppel Capital’s Asia Infrastructure Fund Hits Second Close At $570M Keppel Capital’s Keppel Asia Infrastructure Fund has achieved its second close with a total of $570 million in commitments, including planned investments from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Green Bonds Issued In Region Doubles To $11 Billion Last Year The amount of green bonds and loans issued in the region hit US$7.8 billion (S$11.1 billion) last year, almost double the US$4.1 billion in 2018. Singapore also rose as a regional leader in sustainable financing, contributing 55 per cent of Asean green debt issuance last year, up from 29 per cent in 2018. |
AUSTRALIASouth Australia Could Reach Stunning 87% Wind And Solar In Four Years South Australia – already leading the country, if not the world, with the amount of wind and solar in its electricity grid – could reach a level of 87 per cent renewables within four years, according to the latest scenarios published by the Australian Energy Market Operator. Five Big Solar Farms Set To Increase Energy Output After Tests Grid constraints that have forced the electricity regulator to deliberately halve the output of five big solar farms in Victoria and NSW could soon be lifted if tests on the utilities succeed this week. UPC/AC Scopes 400MW Solar Farm In NSW Renewable Energy Zone A 400MW solar farm has been proposed for the New South Wales central west tablelands region – the state’s first pilot Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) with an initial target of 3GW of new capacity by the mid-2020s. |
EUROPEAustria’s Last Coal-Fired Power Station Closes As The Country Pushes Renewables The Mellach facility, in the province of Styria, had generated electricity and heat for 34 years, according to Austrian utility Verbund. Its closure, announced Friday, comes as the Austrian government attempts to meet its target of producing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. Europe Can Reach Net-Zero By 2050 With 100% Renewables New modelling shows that Europe could reach climate neutrality before 2050 through a 100% renewable energy scenario which would also see solar technology generate 60% of the European Union’s electricity by the middle of the century. Partners Group Closes VSB acquisition Swiss private equity company Partners Group has completed the acquisition of German renewables developer VSB, following deal approval by banking supervisory and antitrust authorities. |
LATIN AMERICAAzelio Signs MOU With Partner In Chile For Energy Storage Supply To Mining Industry Swedish company, Azelio, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chilean company Industria Mecánica VOGT S.A. (VOGT) to assess energy storage projects for the mining industry in Latin America. The MoU outlines a collaboration over a 10 MW capacity of Azelio’s energy storage from 2021 until 2024. The parties expect to trigger further projects after this initial agreement. Solar Aspires To Capture Colombia’s Energy Future With 9.47GW Pipeline The campaign to drive solar growth in one of Latin America’s less-explored markets appears to be bearing fruit, with gigawatts’ worth of projects coming forward over the last year alone. New figures from Colombia’s planning body UPME show a 9.47GW pipeline of solar is currently registered as underway, following a surge in project proposals between 2018 (389MW), 2019 (7.85GW) and Q1 2020 (1.2GW). Brazil Provides PE Investors With Real Route To Latam Opportunities Some of the notable deals completed last year included: SoftBank acquiring shares worth USD344 million in Banco Inter; Brookfield Asset Management’s USD1.8 billion acquisition of Ascenty, a Brazilian data centre operator, in a joint venture with Digital Realty; and HIG Capital’s acquisition of glassware manufacturer Nadir Figueiredo for USD224 million. |
MENADesertec Project To Welcome Algeria To Its Renewable Energy Mission The Desertec project, which aims to supply North Africa and Europe with renewable energy, will soon see Algeria join its ranks. The project aims to advance a multitude of solar, wind, hydro and biomass power plants that will be installed around the Sahara, the world’s largest desert. MENA Is Pondering Its Energy Options Until not that long ago, the energy needs of most countries in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) were relatively modest. That’s no longer the case. Rapid economic development and robust population growth across this up-and-coming region have caused energy needs to increase greatly. Saudi Arabia Invites Bids For Solar Projects Totalling 1GW Saudi’s Ministry of Energy has invited proposals for the third round of renewable energy projects under the National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP), it was announced last week. |
NORTH AMERICAUS Solar Panel Maker SunPower Temporarily Stops Production At All Factories SunPower said it expected to bring the factories back online “in the coming weeks.” SunPower officials were not immediately able to say how many employees would be affected by the move. BlackRock Raises $5.1 Billion For Renewable Energy BlackRock’s Global Energy and Power Infrastructure Fund has achieved a $5.1 billion fundraise for Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund III (GEPIF III), making it the most substantial alternative fundraise in the company’s history. Green Mountain Energy Customers Avoid 9.3 Billion Pounds Of Carbon Dioxide In 2019 In 2019 alone, Green Mountain Energy customers prevented more than 9.3 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) by choosing cleaner electricity and carbon offset products. For perspective, this is equivalent to removing nearly one million cars from roadways or turning lights off in 11.9 million households for a year. |
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