investment

After experiencing their own problems with potential induced degradation (PID), Belgium-based Edison Energy took matters into its own hands and developed the Pidbull solution in partnership with imec. Now it sells Pidbull to anyone experiencing issues with PID. As managing director Davy Verheyden explains, it is a problem solar asset owners cannot afford to ignore.

Having retroactively damaged its solar sector once before, Spain's latest renewable energy tender does little to repair the damage. While Saudi Arabia embraces a cost-based solar auction, Spain is tipping the scales in favour of the status quo.

Global clean energy investment in the first quarter of 2017 was down 17% compared to Q1 2016, as market leaders China and the US scaled back support for wind and solar farms.

Amaranto has launched an investment vehicle dedicated to acquiring PV projects in India and has secured exclusive rights to purchase a 110MW solar project in the West of the country for around US$80 million.

Despite a significant drop in global renewable energy investment last year, a corresponding rise in renewables deployment spelled encouraging news for the sector, according to a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report entitled ‘More Bang for the Buck’.

In this week's Movers & Shakers segment, PV Tech focuses in solar jobs in the US, with the UK's Lightsource embarking on its pilot expansion into North America, and Panasonic's Coronal Energy likewise strengthening its North American operations with new strategic leaders. An early-stage investor exits India's Azure Power and The Solar Foundation launches a new online career platform, in other news.

Hoda Atia Moustafa, Africa regional officer of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the political risk insurance and credit enhancement arm of the World Bank Group, caught up with PV Tech to discuss the challenges of investing in PV in Africa.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to supply State Bank of India with a €200 million (US$214 million) 20-year loan to support €650 million of investments in five utility-scale solar PV projects in India.

Nigeria is one of the most economically sound countries on the continent. Trailblazing in many ways including finance, infrastructure and employment, the country has up until very recently been a laggard when it comes to renewable energy. However, a newly-installed government is ensuring priorities are changing and frameworks are being put in place to exploit Nigeria’s clean energy prowess and close the gap between supply and demand. Segun Adaju, president of the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria, discussed with PV Tech how the country is getting to grips with clean energy.

Monica Maduekwe, coordinator of Gender Mainstreaming at the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) caught up with PV Tech to discuss ways in which the organisation is addressing existing barriers to equal participation, including utilising a US$1 million fund from the African Development Bank.