Markets & Finance

For the first time in two years, European solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) have dropped during the first quarter of 2023.

A solar-plus-storage project is being planned for the capital of South Africa, as the city looks to move “away from Eskom reliance and towards a load-shedding-free Cape Town”, its Mayor said.

The fund has already started to deploy capital in support of this programme, including its first asset acquisitions in January 2023.

The EU has announced a request for proposals (RFP) for a 400MW solar PV tender for projects in Finland, with financing for the tender voluntarily provided by Luxembourg. It is the first cross-border renewable energy tender ever proposed in Europe.

Ascent Solar can use the new European presence to provide in-region support for EU driven net zero initiatives after the acquisition.

Innovative power purchase agreement structures enable solar asset owners to boost returns and leverage their positions while providing offtakers with the opportunity to protect against increasing electricity prices and enhance their decarbonisation efforts.

Globally, 32% of business leaders estimated that their country will fully transition to renewables after 2050, while 8% said it would never happen.

The total corporate funding into the global solar sector increased by 55% in Q1 2023 compared with Q4 2022, and 11% year-on-year compared with the same period in Q1 last year.

US-based clean energy company Avangrid has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) with a view to developing 1GW of solar, wind and energy storage assets.

Over 400 US solar companies have sent a letter to Congress advising against the repeal of Joe Biden’s two-year waiver on solar import tariffs, led by trade body the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).