Central & South America

Genneia has announced a joint investment of $250 million with the provincial government of Mendoza to develop 273 MW of solar projects in the departments of Malargüe and Luján de Cuyo, Argentina.

Spanish solar developer Solatio says that it plans 4 GW of solar to support hydrogen production in Brazil, under a $1.94 billion agreement with the state government of Piauí.

Rystad Energy says China appears set to smash its national hydrogen targets, solidifying its lead in the global electrolyzer market, while European Union and Japan have agreed to cooperate on hydrogen research.

The Guyana Energy Agency has started accepting bids for the supply of solar equipment and solar installations across 21 public and community buildings. The deadline for applications is June 18.

Livoltek says it has invested $13.2 million in a new inverter factory in Brazil. The facility will also produce soon lithium-ion batteries and electric-vehicle rechargers.

Chilean utility Colbún has unveiled plans for a massive pumped storage hydropower project in northern Chile. The facility will use desalinated water from the Pacific Ocean to store energy and use it when it’s most needed.

Three utility scale battery energy storage projects co-located with solar plants were announced last week in Chile. Enel is building a 67 MW/134 MWh battery, while CJR Renewable and Uriel Renovables are planning 200 MW/800 MWh and 90 MW/200 MWh projects, respectively.

Brazil added 6 GW of new PV capacity between January and April. ABSolar, the Brazilian PV association, says the country has now cumulatively deployed 43 GW of solar capacity, with around 24 GW from PV systems below 75 kW in size.

Developer Loop Energia has built a 1.2 MW offgrid solar plant that now serves a center-pivot irrigation system in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The project reportedly enables local farmers to double soybean harvesting by achieving considerable savings through significantly lower diesel consumption.