australia

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), responsible for regulating the energy market, has dropped a proposal to let power network companies charge rooftop solar owners for feeding their electricity to the grid in a form of ‘solar tax’, after facing resistance from communities.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is set to become a recognised multilateral agency by the end of this year, according to Indian energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal.

The latest phase of a AUS$55 million (US$43.8 million) programme giving remote communities in Australia’s Northern Territory reliable and clean power will see a 2MWh battery installed and paired with more than 3,000 solar PV panels.

Leading CdTe thin-film module manufacturer First Solar has secured a 241MW module supply contract with Australian EPC firm, RCR Tomlinson. The latest contract is for two major PV power plant projects, bringing its contracted business in the country to over 500MW in the next 12 months.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has provided a AU$90 million loan to two Edify Energy solar projects near Collinsville, north Queensland, Australia, which are soon to start construction.

Singapore-based renewable energy firm Equis Energy is to build a 1GW solar project in Queensland that would be the largest in Australia.

Australian energy firm Genex Power has received first-round board approval from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) for potential debt funding of its 270MW solar PV and 250MW pumped hydro projects, that are part of the Kidston Renewable Energy Hub, in Northern Queensland.

Spanish infrastructure, technology and renewable energy company Elecnor has secured a €117.4 million (US$139.2 million) EPC contract for a PV farm in Australia.

Downstream solar firm Conergy Asia has been acquired by two private equity funds, Tennenbaum Capital Partners (TCP) and Goldman Sachs BDC (GSBD).

Solar PV mounting systems specialist and project developer Clenergy has reported over 200MW of mounting system sales in Australia in the first half of 2017.