Africa & Middle East

Ethiopia will receive solar systems to connect rural areas to the grid, according to 2merkato reports. Chinese and British solar companies have signed agreements with the Ethiopian government to develop PV arrays ranging from 8kW to 130kW to power rural villages.

Conergy is collaborating with Ensunt for the construction of a 50MW PV project in Pakistan, the company has announced. The PV plant for the DACC Power Generation Company (DPGCL) will be the largest solar power plant in Pakistan. The project is located in Bahawalpur and is co-owned by DPGCL and the Pakistani government. Conergy will plan, design and engineer the project as well as providing the components while Ensunt is responsible for the construction of the plant.

Norwegian-based Scatec Solar and IFC InfraVentures have entered an agreement to develop a number of PV plants in West and Central Africa, the companies have announced. IFC will be financing the projects while Scatec will be responsible for designing, developing, constructing and operating PV plants with a capacity of 10MW or more in different African countries. Among the first countries in which Scatec and IFC are planning to develop solar power plants are Benin, Cameroon, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Episolar’s subsidiary, Siginik Energy, advised that it had signed a definitive PPA with the Electricity Company of Ghana for the construction of a 50MW ground-mounted tracking solar installation. The energy produced by the project will be bought by ECG for 25 years. The companies advised that this would be the largest solar installation in West Africa and one of the largest on the continent.

Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) and Energy City Qatar (ECQ) have signed an MOU, which will see ECQ implement solar panels and technologies into its upcoming developments. Trade Arabia noted that this agreement will help ECQ meet the national building standards, including QSAS and silver and gold LEED certifications. The MOU outlines that QSTec will start by manufacturing high quality, solar grade polysilicon.

Solea Renewables recently signed a turnkey contract with Cronimet Energy South Africa, a subsidiary of Cronimet Mining Energy, in which it will deliver the first off-grid utility scale PV system in South Africa. Solea will also be responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of the 1MW turnkey plant on CESA’s site, which will help power the company’s mining operations.

Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) has secured financing for the construction of its US$1 billion polysilicon manufacturing plant from local bank Masraf Al Rayan.

American-based company Petra Solar has announced that it will install 5MW solar energy across a number of locations in Bahrain. The company is collaborating with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), Caspian Energy Holding and the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

Qatar Solar Technologies and Qatar Electricity and Water have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop solar power in Qatar. QST is currently constructing a US$1.1 billion polysilicon manufacturing plant in the Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar.

Following Saudi Arabia’s revelation of a US$109 billion plan to create a solar industry in the country that will produce a third of its electricity within the next twenty years, Five Star Equities has released reports on the potential outlook for companies in the solar industry, including First Solar and SunPower.