CleanTech Report May 26th 2020 |
AFRICAThe Case For Turning South Africa’s Coal Fields Into A Renewable Energy Hub South Africa is currently one of the world’s largest carbon emitters. And it’s increasingly being viewed as a pariah that isn’t contributing as much as it could to the international fight against global warming and climate change. With a lot of other countries now moving away from fossil fuel-based electricity, there’s considerable pressure for South Africa to follow. Senegal Becoming Regional Renewable Leader Senegal has prioritized the development of its renewable energy sector, as the country has huge potential for solar and wind energy. The solar potential is partly being exploited by the introduction of photovoltaic (PV) technology and a number of projects have been directed using wind power for rural electrification. Scatec Solar Holds Over 2,000 MW Of Project Pipeline In Africa. The Norwegian Independent Power Producer (IPP) Scatec Solar has a strong presence in Africa and has recently started supplying containerised solar systems. In the following interview with Afrik 21, Jan Fourie, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Development for Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, discusses Scatec Solar’s strategy. |
ASIAIndia’s Solar Park Scheme Offers $700 Billion Opportunity For Investors According to the thinktank Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), India could attract investment worth $500-700 billion in its solar power park scheme. The investment is likely to come not only in power generation but also in development of transmission infrastructure. Kazakhstan Approves New Green Projects In A Bid To Cut Fossil Fuels In Half By 2050 Kazakhstan‘s new leadership, faced with concurrent challenges of volatile oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, has approved nineteen new renewable energy projects worth $1.1 billion in the country’s latest effort to go green and diversify its energy supply. To date, there are already 97 operating renewable energy facilities in Kazakhstan, with over half of the renewable power generated by solar power plants and another fourth from wind power plants. Power Ledger Expands Blockchain Energy Footprint In Thailand Power Ledger previously ran trials of its platform in Thailand with state controlled renewable energy company BPCG. The TDED is a joint venture between BPCG and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) of Thailand. It is working on transforming the power business in the country and decentralizing the market. Thailand aims to double renewable energy production to 30% by 2037. |
AUSTRALIAPlan To Send Solar Power From Australia To Singapore Moves Forward The Sun Cable project, which is backed by Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and Fortescue Metals’ founder Andrew Forrest, has awarded a contract to Perth-based Guardian Geomatics to conduct a route survey for the high voltage direct current cable. Cannon-Brookes has championed the “lighthouse” project as a demonstration of how Australia can harness its natural advantages in clean energy and wean off its reliance on coal and gas export revenues. Silverton Reaches Full Power In Australia AGL Energy and Powering Australian Renewables have reached full power at the 200MW Silverton wind farm in the state of New South Wales. The A$450m (€270m) project features 58 GE 3.4MW turbines with 130-metre-rotors and is expected to generate about 780,000 megawatt-hours. About 150 jobs were generated during construction and 10 full-time jobs created to cover operations. Amazon To Build Second 105MW Solar Farm In NSW Online retailing giant Amazon has announced plans to develop its second major renewable energy project in Australia, a 105MW solar farm in New South Wales. The new Australian solar farm was announced alongside four others across China and the US, as part of the massive company’s commitment to source 80 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2024, 100 percent by 2030, and net zero carbon by 2050. |
EUROPENew German Coalition Government Turbocharges Renewable Energy The German government has agreed to remove key hurdles to the rollout of renewable energies that had begun to slow the country’s landmark energy transition. The deal between chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and its coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), settles disputes over minimum distances between wind turbines and nearby settlements, as well as support payments for solar power installations. Britain’s Largest Solar Farm Poised To Begin Development In Kent Cleve Hill, the £450m project producing 350MW, expected to receive go-ahead this week. Britain’s largest solar farm, capable of generating enough clean electricity to power 91,000 homes, is poised to receive the greenlight from ministers this week. The subsidy-free renewables park is expected to reach a capacity of 350MW by installing 880,000 solar panels – some as tall as buses – across 364 hectares (900 acres) of farmland in the Kent countryside. Europe Set To Unveil Its $500 Billion ‘Green Deal’ As the world slips into a deep economic recession – and some indicators are as bad as the Great Depression – trillions of dollars are flowing in the form of government stimulus. To date, much of that has been aimed at re-inflating the pre-pandemic economy, particularly in the United States. In fact, the Trump administration has been going further, dealing out benefits to oil and gas while slapping fees retroactively on renewable energy. |
LATIN AMERICAMexico Pulls Plug On Renewables As Mexico is poised to plunge into its worst recession in recent-memory the leftist president is making cuts and pulling the plug on subsidy dependent intermittent power from wind and solar that has been driving up the cost of electricity for its financially challenged population. Latin American Power Giant Eyes ‘Aggressive’ Bet On Green Energy Electricity utility Interconexion Electrica SA is expanding its network of power transmission lines in Latin America to provide a backbone for the increase in renewable energy in the region. ISA, as the company is known, will be “aggressive” in bidding on lines connected to renewable generation, which can be funded by the sale of sustainable debt, Chief Executive Officer Bernardo Vargas said in an interview. The investment-grade company has no immediate plans to sell debt, but it is monitoring capital markets in case of opportunities, such as an acquisition, he said. Polaris Infrastructure ‘Sharpening’ Latam Project Pipeline Latin America-focused renewable energy company Polaris Infrastructure is honing its project development pipeline during the global health crisis, according to CEO Marc Murnaghan. In the region, the Toronto-based company operates Peruvian run of the river plants Canchayllo (5MW), El Carmen (8MW) and 8 de Agosto (20MW), and the 72MW San Jacinto geothermal plant in Nicaragua. |
MENAAlgeria’s Five-Year Solar Renewable Push To Power 4GW Algeria has laid the foundations for a solar boom, a roadmap that would see installed capacity explode ten-fold in the space of five years. Earlier this week, the government of prime minister Abdelaziz Djerad endorsed a plan to make solar the sole technology of a 4GW renewable push from 2020 to 2024, a jump on the 400-420MW of installed PV capacity the country has hovered at since 2017. MENA Region Remains Committed To Renewables Despite Market Challenges The Middle East and Africa (MENA) region remains committed to diversifying its energy sources and lowering its costs through renewables despite supply chain disruptions and upset caused to the commercial model for privately financed power plants. This is according to recent findings released by GlobalData, a global data and analytics company. Mena Countries Score High In G20 Low Carbon Project Investment According to a research report by Ashurst, G20 investors have shown a growing interest in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries, especially for renewable energy, energy transition and decarbonisation technologies, contrary to their regional counterparts. |
NORTH AMERICAPG&E’s Total Storage Procurements Pass 1 GW With Latest Round Of Projects Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is asking California regulators to approve five lithium-ion battery storage projects amounting to 423 MW/1,692 MWh, including a 60 MW/240 MWh battery co-located with a geothermal facility, the utility announced this week. Amazon Announces Five New Utility-Scale Solar Projects In China, Australia And USA The five projects include Amazon’s first renewable energy project in China, second in Australia, second and third in Ohio, and 12th in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with a combined 615 MW of additional renewable capacity and an expected generation of 1.2 million MWh of energy annually, or enough to power 113,000 average U.S. homes USA Tops EY List For Renewable Investments The US is the most attractive country in the world for renewable investment for the first time since 2016, leapfrogging China to take top spot in EY’s country attractiveness index. The most recent edition of the consultancy giant’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) highlights that the extension of the production tax credit (PTC) along with record wind and solar has helped push the US to become the leading destination for renewables investment worldwide. |
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