UPDATED: A controversial House Bill granting private Filipino firm Solar Philippines a PV mini-grid and transmission franchise across the Philippines has all but passed through Congress, with only a procedural third step left to confirm the final draft of the Bill.
Zimbabwean mining firm RioZim has contracted Spanish-Japanese renewable energy company Univergy International and power firm RioEnergy to develop, build, operate and maintain four solar PV plants totalling more than 180MW capacity to supply cheaper power to four of the country's largest mines, according to a filing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE).
UPDATED: Winning bids in a 550MW solar auction in Uttar Pradesh, India, have come out between INR 3.02-3.08/kWh (US$0.0429-0.0437), a notable drop from 3.17-3.23 rupees in its most recent 500MW auction in October.
SMA to supply inverters to 50MW Mali solar plant, EIB to provide US$87 million to Mexican solar, Solkompaniet completes largest solar project in West Sweden.
The Filipino Department of Energy (DOE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Provincial Government of Palawan (PGP) to develop a new renewable energy scheme.
Vietnamese conglomerate TTC Group and Gia Lai Electricity JSC (GEC), a member of the TTC, have launched a 49MW solar PV project in Krong Pa District in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, which is the company's second plant, and the largest in the country.
India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is set to launch a highly ambitious plan to facilitate 23GW of grid-connected solar PV projects in Ladakh in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, which is a mountainous desert region in the far north of India.
Major certification body the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recognised TUV Rheinland's PV testing laboratory located in Bangalore, India, meaning the lab is now authorised to conduct testing of solar modules.
