Projects

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is eyeing potential investments in solar generation assets after making its first foray into renewables infrastructure.

Energy technology company AES Corporation has secured a US$301 million debt facility to finance the development of a community solar power project portfolio totalling 215MWdc capacity.

Dutch energy firm Eneco is aiming to ramp up its solar energy portfolio in both the Netherlands and Belgium as part of an updated strategy aimed at accelerating the energy transition.

Facebook has signed a multi-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Sunseap to procure power from a floating solar project in Singapore, its first deal for power from a floating solar install.

Dubai-based Phanes Group has signed a deal with the government of Uzbekistan to develop a 200MWac PV project in the country.

Japanese power company J-Power is to convert a retired coal plant in the US into a 240MW solar-plus-storage facility through its local subsidiary.

A 12.9MW floating PV plant is set to be deployed at a hydropower reservoir in Albania thanks to a loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Indian solar power producer Azure Power has sold its rooftop solar business to Radiance Renewables as the company aims to focus more on projects with higher returns.

The International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) director-general has hailed the start of a “decade of renewables”, following a 2020 that saw China and the US drive global solar installations.

As the solar industry has matured and sustainable investment has moved up on the global market’s list of priorities, power purchase agreements (PPAs) have become a mutually beneficial arrangement between developers and the corporate world. But SMEs have remained difficult to cater for in comparison to larger, more bankable offtakers or utilities with permanent facilities. Edith Hancock explores how this might be changing.