Covid-19

Political support for the idea of linking Covid-19 exit strategies to green policy appears to be mounting in EU institutions. Easter, appropriately enough, may have injected new life into the idea.

The nation’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has reiterated that clean energy projects have not been affected by falling electricity demand as a billion citizens have been ordered to stay at home.

Australia’s previously booming rooftop PV market is likely to see a steep decline in the face of Covid-19-related shutdowns and uncertainty. An industry survey by pv magazine and Green Energy Markets prompted around half the respondents to report declines of 25-50% in customer enquiries, with a further 20% reporting new leads have dried up.

“Unprecedented” appears to be a frequently used term to describe the Covid-19 crisis that the global economy, our societies and healthcare systems are now facing. And while outbreaks of severe and potentially life-threatening diseases have occurred at various stages in the modern age, our globally connected reality today means that the coronavirus could have impacts that are truly without precedent.

pv magazine rounds up the latest Covid-19-related stories likely to affect the world of solar and energy storage.

The PV production equipment manufacturer said its employees will return to work at to two locations in Germany as planned after the Easter break, despite concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a recent interview with pv magazine, K.R. Harinarayan – the founder and CEO of U-Solar Clean Energy – discussed the impact of India’s Covid-19 lockdown on the company’s solar EPC projects, and how the Bangalore-based PV developer is utilizing this time productively.

In light of the slew of trade shows and industry events canceled over the Covid-19 pandemic, solar companies and industry leaders have moved online, with virtual presentations, information sessions, and product debuts to get you through quarantine.

Rio Tinto Chairman Simon Thompson is urging governments across the world to take “urgent” action on climate change despite the twin evils of Covid-19 and economic recession. The call comes amid criticism that Rio Tinto’s own emission reductions schemes are too weak.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Action will permit 220 self-consumption projects with generation capacities of no more than 1 MW to be connected immediately. The usual long-winded permitting process has been side-stepped as the government seeks to enable financially-stricken enterprises to benefit from lower energy bills during the public health crisis.