Energy giant BP has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with JinkoSolar’s development and operations arm JinkoPower Technology to target China’s sizeable C&I power market.

German solar and wind firm Encavis AG has further cemented its position in the French market by acquiring the oustanding shares in a portfolio of assets it had invested in.

Solar investor and asset owner NextEnergy Capital (NEC) has completed its first project acquisition in India as it lines up a flurry of investments in Q3 2020.

Carrie Xiao speaks to Wen Zhou, president at Heraeus Photovoltaics, about how the paste manufacturer intends to grow alongside its customers and the wider solar manufacturing sector, with a staunch focus on R&D.

South Africa-based steel producer ArcelorMittal SA (AMSA) is inviting proposals from independent power producers (IPPs) to build two utility-scale solar projects as it seeks to reduce its energy costs.

Governments should focus on mini-grids as a means to enabling access to reliable electricity for hundreds of millions of people that don’t yet have it and mini-grids using solar and batteries have matured as a technology class, but financing such projects remains problematic, a new report has found.

French utility Engie has agreed to sell a minority 49% stake in a US-based renewables portfolio containing 500MW of utility-scale solar.

A bill which promises to revamp solar support frameworks and stimulate investment in grids in the US has cleared its first hurdle, passing the House of Representatives.

Solar projects in India with power purchase agreements signed prior to 1 August 2020 will be exempt from steeper customs duties on Chinese component imports, the country’s power minister has confirmed.

Visibility on the performance of almost all leading PV module suppliers to the end of the first quarter of 2020 (31 March 2020) is now known, providing a first glimpse of what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the sector, as most countries started to impose varying degrees of lockdown impacting businesses and ongoing operations.

Asset management firm Capital Dynamics has purchased a 353MW portfolio of North American solar projects from independent power product Coronal Energy.

Renewable energy companies operating in Mexico are to be formally accused of fraud in the latest twist in a simmering dispute between the country’s government and solar and wind developers.

German utility E.On has partnered with engineering major thyssenkrupp to plug large-scale hydrogen electrolysis plants into Germany’s grid using a renewables-backed virtual power plant (VPP).

Module manufacturer Trina Solar has sold around 1GW of solar PV projects to a newly-launched asset management vehicle, dubbed Matrix Renewables.

Spain’s Solarpack and Italy’s Enel are amongst the winners of Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) latest utility-scale solar tender, which has tempted record-low bids from parties involved.

Japanese telecoms giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) is plotting a major renewables play in the country, investing up to US$1 billion a year up to 2030.

An influx of renewables in Australia is driving thermal generation off the grid faster than expected, according to analysts Fitch Solutions.

An increasing number of banks are turning away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy financing. As Catherine Early reports, despite the chilling effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry, hopes are high that a tipping point is nearing.

A round-up of recent developments in the US solar market, including news of Vivint Solar sealing US$300 million of tax equity commitments and Bank of America signing a solar PPA in Texas.

LONGi Solar has introduced its next-generation series of large-area high-performance modules for utility-scale PV power plant markets globally, offering up to 540Wp performance.

PV Tech continues to chart the global solar industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this edition featuring news that the pandemic is driving down PV system costs.

Chinese module manufacturer JinkoSolar has confirmed a 100MW order with Australia-based distributor Blue Sun Group for its Cheetah Plus modules.

Module supplier Trina Solar is to supply 187.5MW of its double-glass Duomax modules to utility EnBW for the Weesow-Willmersdorf solar farm near Germany’s capital, Berlin.

Arizona utility Tucson Electric Power (TEP) has set out plans to provide 70% of its power from solar and wind by 2035, backed up with investment in new energy storage capacity.

French utility EDF is launching a major solar-plus-battery storage hybrid initiative in England and Wales as part of plans to double its installed renewable base.

China-based PV backsheet and high-efficiency PV manufacturer Jolywood (Suzhou) Sunwatt Co has been awarded Customer Testing Facility (CTF) status by TÜV Nord Group.

A total of seven China-based PV manufacturers have officially started efforts to establish a new ‘M10’ (182mm x 182mm p-type monocrystalline) large-area wafer size standard to reduce manufacturing costs throughout the entire solar industry supply chain as the number of large-area wafer sizes have emerged in the last few years.

Solar module imports into India face customs duties of as much as 40% by next year under plans outlined by the government, an apparent escalation of details released earlier this week.

Microinverter manufacturer Enphase and module producer Q CELLS are to join forces to develop an AC module (ACM) aimed at the US residential solar market.

Additions have been made to support action on climate change through federal tax incentives in the proposed Congress bill to invest US$1.5 trillion in infrastructure across the US.