Policy

The Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is to hold an auction for solar energy in August this year requiring a total investment of more than BRL1 billion (US$253 million), according to the state's government.

The extension of solar investment tax credits (ITC) will support steady growth in US PV deployment, according to a new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

India has released state-wide targets in order to achieve its newly revised Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) of 17% by 2022.

The “extraordinary amount” of money Germany has spent transitioning away from fossil fuels and nuclear is looking increasingly like an investment in the country’s future competitiveness, according to the chief economist of the US Underwriters’ Laboratory.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has now approved a total of 33 solar parks in 21 states with a total capacity of 19.9GW.

Indian state-owned utility NTPC is collaborating with two German institutions, DLR Cologne and the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy (ISE), on a number of solar research programmes.

French PV company EREN Renewable Energy and developer Access Infra Africa, a subsidiary of Access Power, have begun construction of a 10MW solar PV plant in Uganda, which will be the largest project in the Eastern region of Sub-Saharan Africa once complete.

December’s international climate deal in Paris offers PV a platform to become one of the world’s dominant energy sources. Now that the circus has left town, Ben Willis and John Parnell look at where the solar industry goes next to turn opportunity into reality.

The deregulated electricity market which Japan launches in April could be a long-term way for PV’s contribution to the country’s energy mix to exceed the industry and government target of 7% by 2030.

Chile’s cumulative installed solar capacity has surpassed 1GW, according to the latest figures from Chilean renewable energy research institute (CIFES).