After years of not living up to its solar potential, Brazil is on the cusp of a solar boom. A confluence of factors has led to rapid investment and deployment in the country, but a few hurdles still need to be overcome, writes Sean Rai-Roche.
The drive to electrify Sub-Saharan Africa will require US$350 billion of investment and could reveal an alternative vision for the energy transition that focuses on a decentralised, bottom-up solar-and-storage rich grid that takes advantage of cheap solar power, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie.
Solar PV and other renewables accounted for a record share of electricity generation in Australia’s National Energy Market (NEM) in Q4 2021 at 34.9%, while average wholesale prices rose with the higher cost of fossil fuels despite their share of the energy mix shrinking.
Brazil has published its long-anticipated net metering laws that has introduced a new framework for distributed generation in the country and will see any solar PV systems below 5MW eligible for net metering tariffs until 2045.
Solar balance of system (BOS) solutions provider Shoals Technologies has formed a partnership with commercial and industrial PV project developer Luminace to pursue distributed renewables and electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions across the US.
Swiss fund manager SUSI Partners has acquired a 50% interest in Starling Energy Group, an Australian installer of integrated solar PV and energy storage systems for the residential sector.
The US and China will account for a combined 57% of total forecasted solar capacity additions through 2030, with the countries adding 151.3GW and 436.9GW of solar capacity, respectively. Both countries have risks to this development, however, with the US needing to overcome trade and tariff problems, while China needs to ensure the reliability of PV production
Hit by soaring electricity prices and widespread power outages during a severe cold weather event earlier this year, Texas homeowners have been ramping up rooftop solar and battery storage installs to protect against future blackouts and increase their energy independence.
