With several MENA region countries expected to become gigawatt solar markets in 2018 and beyond, global certification organization UL has teamed with Saudi Arabian-based government body, GCC Laboratories to provide a suite of services to the downstream PV project sector.
Canada-based Investment firm Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure (CC&L Infrastructure) and developer CarbonFree Technology have agreed to acquire 15 ground-mount solar PV projects currently under construction in Chile with a combined capacity of 65MW from an unnamed developer.
Renewable energy developers SkyPower and Renew Power are involved in legal disputes with the distribution company (Discom) of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh over solar project deadlines and PPAs, while SkyPower has also claimed to have successfully brought into operation its first ever project in the state.
DNV GL has launched the first control hardware in loop (CHIL) test facility for renewable energy generation plants. The facility connects physical power plant controllers to a real-time simulator, allowing the controller to be fully tested and validated without the need for an actual generation facility or power grid. This enables cost-effective, low-risk testing under realistic conditions for all forms of renewable energy control systems.
Photon Energy has provided details of two more major utility-scale projects that it is developing in New South Wales, Australia, as part of a 1GW pipeline in the state.
Ciel & Terre Brasil, a subsidiary of French floating PV specialist Ciel & Terre, has completed Brazil’s first floating solar project, standing at 304kW capacity on a rainwater accumulation pond at Fazenda Figueiredo, Cristalina, in the state of Goias.
Russian firm Hevel Group and Korean multinational automotive manufacturer Hyundai have signed a memorandum of understanding to invest around RUB8 billion (US$139 million) in 40MW of solar and diesel hybrid plants, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Taiwan-based PV cell and module manufacturer Motech Industries plans to deploy 400MW of solar in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, according to a company executive, while it is also in early talks with other cell makers about setting up a module factory.
