solar pv

The Californian Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a proposal yesterday to alter its Net Energy Metering (NEM) tariff to encourage domestic battery storage systems alongside distributed rooftop solar. The new proposal reversed some of the measures in the poorly-received NEM 3.0 programme.

Corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) have hit record levels in the Asia Pacific region as fuel prices rise and the cost of renewables falls, according to Wood Mackenzie principal analyst, Kyeongho Lee.

Renewables developer ACEN Australia is poised to commence construction on its 400MW Stubbo solar project after having executed key contracts and reached a final investment decision, continuing its recent expansion in Australia’s renewables market.

The World Bank has approved funding for a US$497 million renewable energy project in South Africa that will see 150MW of solar and 70MW of wind capacity installed in place of the coal-fired Komati power plant.

Average construction costs for US utility-scale solar PV installations continued to drop in 2020, research from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has said, whilst onshore wind and natural gas costs rose.

Aspen Power Partners, a US distributed generation developer, has received a US$350 million investment from global investment firm Carlyle. It said that the funds will be used to fuel its growth and acquisitions strategy.

Canada’s government will introduce tax incentives for clean energy technologies, including solar PV, battery storage, and hydrogen.

EE North America, a subsidiary of Danish renewables developer European Energy, will develop a 2GW pipeline of solar power and energy storage in Arizona and surrounding states. The pipeline is part of an agreed partnership with Elio Energy, a utility-scale renewables developer, and is expected to commence construction between 2023-25. 

Rezolv Energy, backed by sustainable infrastructure investor Actis, has acquired rights to a 1,044MW PV plant in western Romania. Actis has said the project is “expected to be the largest solar PV plant in Europe”.