While Filipino policymakers ponder a controversial bill that would allow a solar company to set up a micro-grid and transmission franchise aiming to improve power supply across the country, a small town on the island of Mindoro is already enjoying round-the-clock electricity for the first time ever.
Solar modules and deep cycle batteries have been stolen from seven secondary public schools in two municipalities in southern Palawan, in the Philippines.
The European Union has provided a grant of roughly €60 million to the Philippines government for the implementation of a programme that would expand access to clean electricity services and promote new energy efficiency strategies in remote areas.
The distributed renewable energy (DRE) sector, necessary in a world with millions of people without power, is being held back by a chronic shortage of skilled workers. Indeed, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) has just 16,000 people working in renewable energy in a region with 600 million un-electrified people, according to the founders of a new campaign aiming to fill this skills gap.
Indian buildings are silent energy guzzlers, but the game-changing potential for making zero energy buildings (NZEBs) has not been explored extensively, according to think tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).
French power giant EDF has acquired a 50% stake in the Togo-focused unit of off-grid renewable energy specialist BBOXX, with EDF adding its financial clout to speed up solar home system deployments and its technical expertise to improve the energy storage offering.
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.
US government development finance institution Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has committed US$25 million in financing to a fund managed by off-grid solar firm SunFunder, which will provide loans to companies developing off-grid solar products and solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$40 million loan to support a 41MW hybrid distributed renewable energy system combining wind, solar, battery storage and a thermal heat pump in Mongolia.
Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco) has called for an expression of interest (EoI) for setting up 10MW of agricultural solar PV, involving the creation of green house and poly house sheds.
