Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has issued a tender to purchase power from 1GW of solar PV capacity, with certain projects under construction, not yet commissioned or that don't have a long-term PPA also eligible.
Kenya's government has launched a plan for total electrification in the country by 2022, which acknowledges the role that off-grid systems, mini-grids and stand-alone solar plants can have in complementing extensions to the grid and mitigating higher loads.
UPDATED: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has gone ahead with an auction for its 1.2GW hybrid tender, despite the tender being undersubscribed and attracting just two technical bids.
Chinese firm Shuangdeng Group has signed a contract with Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) to set up a 5MW solar PV project in the central Ghor Province.
UPDATED: A controversial House Bill granting private Filipino firm Solar Philippines a PV mini-grid and transmission franchise across the Philippines has all but passed through Congress, with only a procedural third step left to confirm the final draft of the Bill.
Zimbabwean mining firm RioZim has contracted Spanish-Japanese renewable energy company Univergy International and power firm RioEnergy to develop, build, operate and maintain four solar PV plants totalling more than 180MW capacity to supply cheaper power to four of the country's largest mines, according to a filing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE).
UPDATED: Winning bids in a 550MW solar auction in Uttar Pradesh, India, have come out between INR 3.02-3.08/kWh (US$0.0429-0.0437), a notable drop from 3.17-3.23 rupees in its most recent 500MW auction in October.
SMA to supply inverters to 50MW Mali solar plant, EIB to provide US$87 million to Mexican solar, Solkompaniet completes largest solar project in West Sweden.
