Power Plants

With South Africa faced with ongoing power cuts, Jules Scully explores the how solar PV can help decarbonise the country’s coal-heavy grid while providing energy security.

South Africa’s solar sector has welcomed a new reform that will increase the country’s licensing exemption threshold for embedded generation projects from 1MW to 100MW.

Queensland will invest AU$2 billion (US$1.55 billion) on renewables and hydrogen jobs to support the Australian state’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and help it deliver on its 50% clean energy target by 2030.

A round-up of the latest news from the US solar market, including developments from Hecate Energy, BayWa r.e. and Orbital Solar Services.

Renewables group BayWa r.e. and its Dutch subsidiary GroenLeven have partnered with Netherlands energy network operator Alliander to build a pilot green hydrogen project powered with a 50MWp solar farm.

Italian utility A2A has said it will be able to accelerate its renewable generation growth plans thanks to a new partnership with investment house Ardian, as the partners establish what they claim will be Italy’s second-largest platform focused on the energy transition.

A round-up of the latest project news, as Mytilineos is chosen as EPC for a project in Uzbekistan, Clenergy forms a deal with the local Kongtong government for 150MW and CleanCapital teams up with CI Renewables for a 29MW portfolio.

Solar PV and wind will continue to be the cheapest sources of new electricity generation capacity in Australia, even when integration costs are included, according to new research from the country’s science agency, CSIRO, and the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Solar asset underperformance continues to worsen, with projects “chronically underperforming” P99 estimates and modules degrading faster than previously anticipated, risk management firm kWh Analytics has found.