SPONSORED: Having been selected as a supplier of complete monitoring solutions for new large-scale solar plants in Egypt and in other regions during the past year, Gantner has repeatedly confirmed its position as a leading global player in the utility-scale PV industry.

While at Intersolar Europe/ees Europe this week, we caught up with Detlef Neuhaus, CEO of the Dresden-headquartered Solarwatt who told us more about his company's strategy, as well as offering up some candid views on the industry.

Indian PV manufacturer Waaree has started commercial production at a 1GW solar module assembly factory in the state of Gujarat, and despite a lull in local demand due to a lack of tenders in H2 2017, several large tenders coming to fruition soon will counter that lull, according to a company official.

Wallace Cosgrow, Seychelles’ Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, has launched a tender for the right to develop, finance, own and operate a 4MW floating PV project in le Rocher Lagoon, Mahé.

The Enel Group and Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) signed off on a financing agreement for around US$34 million for the construction of the 34MW Ngonye solar plant in Zambia.

Sonnedix Japan K.K. has reached financial close on a US$126 million non-recourse debt facility with MUFG Bank for the 46.6MW Tono PV project.

Not-for-profit association Global Solar Alliance has signed an agreement with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an India-led venture hoping to spur investment in solar across developing countries, to promote solar worldwide.

Inverter manufacturer GoodWe has launched a trio of new products on the show floor at Intersolar Europe in Munich, particularly taking aim at the bifacial module market.

Texas IPP Vistra Energy has contracted energy storage integrator FlexGen to install a 10MW / 42MWh energy storage system (ESS) at the 180MW Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Texas.

Huawei launched a suite of 1500V string inverters at Intersolar Europe.

Genex Power has announced that the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) Board has supported a financing structure for Genex’ Kidston State 2 Project through the provision of an indicative term sheet for a long-term concession debt facility of up to US$382 million.

India is to provide US$20 million of financing to Suriname to help support the South American country’s fledgling solar plans.

Sembcorp Solar Singapore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, has signed off on a deal to acquire a 40MW grid-tied rooftop solar power project that is currently under construction in Singapore.

Silicon Module Super League (SMSL) member JinkoSolar has supplied 275.4MW of high efficiency modules to a solar project in South Australia owned by a joint venture between Enel Green Power and Dutch Infrastructure Fund.

Madrid-headquartered PV developer Dhamma Energy has closed the sale of a 37MW ready-to-build solar project located in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi to asset manager Balam Fund.

Saturn Power to build first large-scale solar plant in Canada, Green Power EMC and Silicon Ranch plan another 194MW of solar in Georgia, Hanwha Q CELLS constructs 9.8MW solar power plant in Brandenburg.

India has given the option to solar power procurers to extend the timelines for land acquisition, financial close and PV project commissioning, which should help developers working on interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected plants.

As an investor from a matured solar market in the West looking at India, Jonathan Selwyn, chairman of the UK retail investor-backed Downing Indian Solar EIS, discusses the experience of investing in Indian solar.

PV project developer and operator ReneSola announced that Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund has agreed to extend senior debt facility to US$41.6 million for ReneSola’s 55MW pipeline of PV plants in Poland.

Scatec Solar and Equinor have signed off on an agreement with Portuguese company Martifer Renewables to acquire the 117MW PV project Guanizuil IIA, located in the San Juan province in Argentina.

Ohio-based racking manufacturer Solar FlexRack has delivered steel racking solutions for the 71MW Brantley solar farm, an installation owned by Cypress Creek Renewables that is 30 miles east of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Wind and solar could provide half of the world’s energy generation by 2050 on the back of continually declining technology costs, particularly in battery energy storage, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Increasingly, solar energy and behind-the-meter battery storage assets are being deployed on an ‘as-a-service’ basis and system integrator Younicos has decided to replicate the strategy for microgrids.

UK-based off-grid clean energy specialist BBOXX is partnering on projects in southern Africa with DC Go, a provider of affordable off-grid electrification.

The French independent power producer (IPP) REDEN Solar has refinanced the bulk of its domestic assets raising €270 million (US$312 million) in the process.

The world installed 99.1GW of solar in 2017 and is expected to breach the 100GW level this year, according to SolarPower Europe global report.

Thailand’s B.Grimm Power has signed a cooperation agreement with Vietnam’s Xuan Cau to develop the largest solar PV project in Southeast Asia, standing at 420MW capacity in Tay Ninh, southwest Vietnam.

Talasol Solar, a subsidiary of Ellomay Capital, has contracted Greek firm Metka to perform EPC services on a 300MW unsubsidised solar PV project in the municipality of Talaván, Cáceres, Spain.

SolarEdge is seeking damages, an injunction and a recall of products it claims have been built using its intellectual property.

India announces new benchmark costs for off-grid, rooftop PV, SunEQ Namibia and DBN reach financial close on 6.5MW solar project in Namibia, Pöyry awarded EPC contract for 16MW Brazil project