China-based PV energy provider (PVEP) United Photovoltaics Group reported a 58% increase in revenue for 2016, driven primarily by the addition of 415.4MW of new PV power plants under ownership.
Major PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology came through another tough year with unit volume sold a record 8.23GW in 2016 but ASP pressure ensured sales were down. The bright spot was its commercial solar business unit, which bucked lower sales in the residential and utility-scale sectors with 27% growth, year-on-year.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to supply State Bank of India with a €200 million (US$214 million) 20-year loan to support €650 million of investments in five utility-scale solar PV projects in India.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$175 million loan to India’s major network operator and utility Power Grid Corporation of India (Powergrid) relating to solar park transmission.
Asia Clean Capital (ACC) has partnered with LONGI Solar Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of mono specialist LONGI Green Energy Technology, to co-develop 300MW of rooftop solar in China.
Last month, Maryland achieved a clean energy victory when the legislature voted to override governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act in a 32-13 vote.
Brisbane-based renewable energy investor Lyon Group will soon start building a AU$1 billion (US$767 million) solar-plus-storage farm in South Australia - the world’s largest.
Enel Green Power México (EGPM), a subsidiary of Italian power giant Enel, has broken ground on the largest solar PV plant under construction in Latin America standing at 754MW in North Mexico.