Energy giant Shell has increased its global solar footprint with the acquisition of a 49% stake in Cleantech Solar, a Southeast Asia and India-focused solar company.
Australian renewables and storage developer Edify Energy has secured a power purchase agreement for part of the output of its 275MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in New South Wales.
The government of Afghanistan is inviting expressions of interest from developers to bid for up to 2GW of solar as part of an effort by the Central Asian country to boost its energy self-reliance and meet growing electricity demand.
The New South Wales Department of Planning & Environment has approved three separate solar projects amounting to 492MW capacity, including one project with 100MWh of battery storage.
Australia's Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has made its largest equity investment in renewable energy, with AU$100 million (US$72 million) in the Australian Renewables Income Fund (ARIF), aiming to encourage institutional investors to further expand their reach into clean energy.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will no longer finance thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation and will focus instead on renewable energy as part of its new five-year decarbonisation energy strategy.
PV inverter supplier SMA Solar is to lay off 425 full-time staff and discontinue China as a location as part of a restructuring plan announced in September in order to return the company to profitability quickly.
After a solar risk mitigation plan was announced at the first International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit in March 2018, the World Bank and French development bank AFD are now working together on a scheme to help remove barriers to solar in developing countries, which is held back by perceived risk.
