The Chinese government’s decision (531 New Deal) to curtail utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) PV deployments just after the SNEC trade show at the end of May, not only surprised the industry but has since fuelled a significant ASP decline of modules and inverters.

A trio of solar manufacturers have expressed strong confidence in the UK solar and storage markets as the country begins to realise post-subsidy opportunities.

Malaysia’s intent to progress its renewable energy sector was made clear in a number of announcements this week, including plans to install solar along a major highway, introducing both the first solar insurance scheme and monitoring system, as well as inking support agreements with powerful foreign organisations.

Dominion Energy is sampling the appetite for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) before it launches a 3GW tender in Virginia.

Akuo Energy and Norton Rose Fulbright reach financial close on 50MW Mali solar project, BayWa r.e. completes self-consumption solar project in Spain, Solar comes top in European survey, CDPQ increases stake in Azure Power.

D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments has signed off on an agreement to acquire the 100MW Willow Springs Solar Project in Kern County, California from First Solar.

The Bomen solar project will create over 200 construction jobs over the next year, and will power more than 30,000 homes once completed.

Total Eren has broken ground on the first stage of the Kiamal project in Victoria, Australia.

Trina Solar has delivered 123MW of PV modules to a solar project developed by DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine.

Duke Energy has released a proposal for a new program that will grow renewable energy options for both commercial and industrial customers in South Carolina.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member Hanwha Q CELLS has as expected confirmed it would de-list from NASDAQ as part of its planned acquisition by Hanwha Solar Holdings Co, a subsidiary of Hanwha Chemical Corporation.

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), which represents more than 3,000 major industrial members in Pakistan, has called upon the government to focus more on renewable energy due to the benefits this would bring to the national economy.

HSBC UK Pensions Scheme is to invest £250 million (US$329.9 million) in UK solar and wind farms under a new agreement with renewables investor Greencoat Capital.

A subsidiary of German developer Soventix has bagged a contract to build one of the largest solar PV projects in Zimbabwe standing at 22MW.

An agreement to buy 75% of Korean battery manufacturer Kokam gives SolarEdge a level of vertical integration that could make the PV company a ‘one-stop-shop’ for customers, while SolarEdge could diversify into areas outside solar energy.

The long-standing CEO of major PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology, Pierre-Pascal Urbon has suddenly stepped down from his executive role and plans to leave the company altogether at the end of December, 2018.

The small island nation of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean has moved a step closer to having what is said to be the largest ever microgrid spanning diesel, solar and battery energy storage.

Renewables firm AC Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Philippines-based industrial firm, Ayala Corporation has announced a further 80MW of solar projects in Vietnam, soon after detailing a 300MW pipeline in the country.

China-based polysilicon producer Daqo New Energy Corp said that its polysilicon production costs were targeted to reach US$6.80 per kilogram in 2020, once the capacity expansion to 70,000MT per annum had been completed.

Indian state-run power giant NTPC has issued a tender for 70MW of grid-connected floating solar at its Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) Kayamkulam in the southern state of Kerala.

Tunisia delays 70MW solar tender, Greenko completes acquisition of Orange Renewable and agrees to acquire Skeiron assets, Northern Territory approves 25MW solar project

Iberdrola has signed a power purchase agreement with Basque Country-based telecoms provider Euskaltel to supply electricity produced from a 391MW solar project, in what is said to be the first PPA signed between a power company and a telecoms operator in Spain.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has partnered with Monash University and technology provider Indra Australia to trial a microgrid as a first step to powering Monash’s Clayton campus entirely with renewable energy by 2030.

Indian state-run power giant NTPC has issued a tender for 60MW wind and 130MW solar hybrid energy project on a turnkey basis at its super thermal power station NTPC-Kudgi in Karnataka.

Smart energy and inverter company SolarEdge will acquire the South Korean battery manufacturer Kokam.

The majority of Indian solar is installed in water-stressed areas and the cost of water has doubled in many areas in three years, according to a new report from consultancy firm Bridge to India.

Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) tender for 3GW of solar manufacturing linked with 10GW of projects has been delayed for the second time in a month with the deadline for bid submissions now extended from 12 October to 12 November this year.

Thai firm B.Grimm Power has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Vietnamese utility EVN for a 257MW solar project, according to a Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) filing.

New York plans to incentivise commercial and industrial (C&I) solar-plus-storage projects, kicking off by making US$40 million funding available to support 50MW of storage paired with solar from early November.

Module technology is offering utility solar developers more choice than ever. Frank Faller, VP of technology at 8minutenergy talks to Lauren Cook ahead of his presentation at our PV ModuleTech 2018 event in Penang on 23-24 October.