Financial, Legal, Professional

With Europe’s energy crisis showing no sign of abating, Charlie Ward, head of renewables at New Stream Renewables, assesses the contributing factors to price volatility and PPA strategies for renewables moving forward.

In the midst of an energy crisis, both generators and offtakers are considering their next moves. Sean Rai-Roche speaks with analysts and experts across the continent to decipher what is expected to happen to prices and what that means for companies’ operations.

Identifying reliable module supply has become a huge challenge in the PV industry over the past couple of years. Moving forward, the industry needs to create a more globallydiversified manufacturing footprint, thereby avoiding any unexpected trade-related barriers that could be enforced. Understanding which module suppliers are going to prevail in this landscape will become of key importance over the next 12-18 months, Finlay Colville explains.

As energy systems the world over embrace renewables en masse, flexibility is quickly outpacing generation as the most valuable provision an asset has. Alexa Capital CEO Bruce Huber examines the rise of flexibility and the major economic opportunity it poses for the energy sector.

In September 2021 Lightsource bp set itself the target of reaching financial close on 25GW of solar by the end of 2025. Liam Stoker spoke to the developer’s leadership team to discover how it is expanding into new markets, securing financing deals and assembling a workforce capable of reaching that target.

Prior to 2019, there was an ample number of insurers willing to provide renewable energy insurance, leading to plentiful, affordable cover being available for solar power project finance transactions. However, with increased claims and risks, price rises and lower availability of cover is impacting the sector. Duncan Gordon, head of Renewable Energy at specialist energy insurance brokerage and risk management firm Gallagher, provides an overview of how solar power project owners can navigate a challenging insurance market.

Power purchase agreements are a constantly evolving sector, with new structures and styles emerging as the solar sector matures. Pexapark’s PPA transaction manager Amanda Niklaus takes a look at how these agreements are being tailors to fit the “new world”.

Finlay Colville, head of research at PV Tech, reviews the PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings two years after their initial launch, reflects on those manufacturers to have moved up and down the ratings hierarchy since its launch and ponders how the rankings will evolve in the coming quarters.

As special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, prove a popular route to public markets for private energy businesses in the US, Fieldfisher’s Jack Mason-Jebb and Brad Isaac consider whether the trend has enough momentum to take it across the Atlantic.

The broader decarbonisation agenda is driving interest from businesses in procuring renewable power, and now a whole host of solutions and market structures are coming forward to accommodate them. Edith Hancock explores the maturation of corporate power purchase agreements.