Grids

House Bill 8197 granting private firm Solar Philippines a 25-year PV mini-grid and transmission franchise across the Philippines passed through its third and final reading on Monday.

PV Tech looks behind last week's Indian government announcement that it would issue a 7.5GW solar tender in the high altitude mountain desert region of Ladakh.

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.

TNB completes Malaysia's largest solar project, EBRD supports transmission in Jordan, Canada opts for solar EV charging infrastructure.

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.

The US government has been urged to recognise the “critical role” energy storage can play in making the grid cleaner and able to accept more renewable energy, by increasing the eligibility of batteries and other technologies to receive the Investment Tax Credit (ITC).

A bill that is currently passing through the Philippines Senate would allow commercial and industrial (C&I) entities to optimise the use of their rooftops with solar power, while also helping reduce costs for housing initiatives for the underprivileged, according to the head of a Filipino trade association.

French renewable energy firm Neoen has started commercial operation at its 189MW Coleambally Solar Farm in New South Wales, Australia, which is said to be producing the highest energy output of any solar farm in the country’s National Electricity Market at present.

While Filipino policymakers ponder a controversial bill that would allow a solar company to set up a micro-grid and transmission franchise aiming to improve power supply across the country, a small town on the island of Mindoro is already enjoying round-the-clock electricity for the first time ever.

State-run utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is planning to facilitate 1GW of hybrid floating solar-hydro projects across eight dams throughout the country.

The global energy storage market will grow to a cumulative 942GW/2,857GWh capacity by 2040, attracting US$620 billion in investment, caused by sharply decreasing battery costs, according to a Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) report.

The cost of solar technology is no longer a barrier to PV reaching grid parity in China, according to manufacturer LONGi.

Australian utility Snowy Hydro has contracted eight wind and solar projects totalling 888MW in capacity across New South Wales and Victoria to reduce its exposure to high wholesale power prices, due to its current inability to supply power to all its customers via its own power generation.

Sembcorp has signed an agreement to build 6.2MW of rooftop solar projects on top of two Singapore facilities owned by a major provider of products and services to the energy industry, including one of Singapore's largest rooftop projects, standing at 4.7MW.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the major utility of the Philippines, plans to set up 1GW of solar and wind projects in the medium term, according to the head of the firm's power generation unit.