Malaysia launches 500 MW solar tender
Selected projects will range from 1-100 MW in capacity. The procurement exercise is the third round of Malaysia’s LSS program for large-scale renewables.
Chint’s 103 MW Dutch solar park will use Astronergy panels
Chinese module maker announces start of construction on big project in the Netherlands weeks after announcing production of solar panels at its German Astronergy unit would be halted.
South Africa’s load shedding nightmare may vanish with more renewables
As utility Eskom starts load shedding due to power plant failure, the 4 GW of wind and solar in the country are helping reduce energy shortages. Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services’ Chris Ahlfeldt tells pv magazine renewables – rather than Eskom’s plans to expand conventional generation capacity – would provide a safer, cheaper solution to the power crisis.
Chile wants to know amount of local content of its solar plants
Public body Codesser wants to hire experts to carry out a “Study to determine the participation of national suppliers in the provision of construction, operation and maintenance components and services in solar energy projects in Chile”.
REC Silicon to suspend production at Moses Lake poly factory
Norway-headquartered REC Silicon has revealed plans to halt operations at its Moses Lake facility in the U.S. in 17 days’ time. The company says it has taken the decision to maintain liquidity for its semiconductor business with American workers set to pay the price for President Trump’s trade war with China.
South African renewables may be boosted by plan to privatize utility
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a plan to rescue state-owned power company Eskom by separating it into three units. According to consultants Frost & Sullivan, although that may not be enough to completely address the utility’s financial crisis it may further encourage investment in renewables.
India prioritizes domestic products in plan for 12 GW of new solar
The Indian Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a plan for projects to be enabled by public bodies in the hope that avoiding competitive procurement will enable it to circumvent WTO rules related to import parity.
Swiss manufacturer Meyer Burger sells wafer business to PSS
Precision Surfacing Solutions is paying $50 million to take over most of the production facilities as well as 100 employees working in wafer technology in Thun and in service locations worldwide. Meyer Burger wants to focus on PV cell coating and interconnection technologies.
A year on from the Section 201 tariffs, Trump talks trade
There are indications the Trump administration may be closing in on a deal with Chinese authorities but, for now, the trade war goes on.
The weekend read: The untapped potential of the MENA region
The region’s climate, developing economies and demographic growth are driving increased electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa. However, as a hub of conventional energy supply, the region has been slow to embrace PV. To capture more of the value chain and deliver the full potential of solar, there are increasing calls for distributed generation deployment to play a bigger role.
