Max Hall
Polish solar developer bought by Norwegian state-owned energy company
Buyer Equinor could be in for a pleasant surprise – its assessment Wento boasts a 1 GW solar project pipeline in the nation significantly under-reports the 1.6 GW claimed by private equity fund seller Enterprise Investors.
Thai plans for 8 GWh lithium battery gigafab
A Florida-based e-mobility company and a business park operator have pledged to invest up to $1 billion into the planned factory, in Chonburi province, starting with a 1 GWh section likely to take shape in 2023.
New SunPower chief fronts tough set of quarterly figures
Peter Faricy was not at the helm during the opening quarter of 2021 but his first earnings call saw him explaining a quarter-on-quarter reverse from a $413 million profit to a near $50 million loss.
Botswana tops list of world’s ‘super abundant’ renewables nations
A Carbon Tracker report estimates 60% of the world’s technical solar potential – enough to produce 3.5 exawatt-hours of clean electricity per year – would already be cheaper than fossil fuel if installed. Of the remainder, most would be in sub-Saharan Africa, a region which has the potential to be a global solar and wind powerhouse.
Legal challenge to Ukraine’s retroactive FIT cuts
Lithuanian-owned solar developer Modus Energy International is reportedly seeking €11.5 million from the Ukrainian government after it retroactively reduced feed-in tariff payments from August. Modus claims Kiev breached the Energy Charter Treaty with its reduced-payment legislation.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Xinte seeks to raise $309 million for 100,000-ton polysilicon factory
Furthermore, Luoyang Glass reported first-quarter net profits of RMB136 million (US$21 million) and TBEA Xinjiang New Energy announced the settlement of a dispute over a 99 MW wind farm.
EU approves Danish contracts-for-difference incentive program
The €400 million, three-year scheme will guarantee price stability for developers while limiting costs to the Danish treasury and applies to on and offshore wind, wave power and hydro, as well as solar.
Solar-plus-storage for Egyptian gold mine
German developer Juwi plans to have a 36 MW off-grid solar plant and 7.5 MW of battery storage operational at the Sukari mine during the second quarter of next year.
SolarEdge posts first-quarter results
The manufacturer says it shipped 1.69 GW of its inverters in the first three months of the year and predicted a further quarter-on-quarter rise in revenue from the current window.
A case study in African solar policy problems
Dutch off-grid solar organization GOGLA has focused on the negative effect of the reimposition of VAT and import duties on solar lighting systems in Kenya as emblematic of the lack of legislative support for clean energy across the continent.
