South Africa launches loan guarantee scheme to back C&I solar
South Africa has launched a loan guarantee scheme to support commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects, with the goal of deploying 1 GW of rooftop PV capacity.
South Africa closes in on 4.41 GW of rooftop solar capacity
News statistics from South African utility Eskom show that the country added 1.82 GW of new distributed-generation PV capacity in the first six months of this year. However, PV analyst Chris Ahlfedlt warns that the published numbers could also include some utility-scale projects.
South Africa moves forward with plans to split Eskom into separate entities
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is moving forward with plans to split Eskom into three separate entities. NERSA has granted the National Transmission Company of South Africa the authority to function independently from Eskom, while South Africa’s National Treasury is working on a bill to address the troubled national utility’s ZAR 423 billion ($23 billion) debt burden.
The Hydrogen Stream: EU, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay to partner on hydrogen
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.
South African government sets requirements for solar rebates
South African individuals and homeowners can now claim rebates of up to 25% of their solar panel costs, up to a maximum of ZAR 15,000 ($800). Recent changes to the solar rebate scheme specify that the panels must have a minimum output of 275 W. They can be installed as part of new or existing systems.
Technology brings universal access to clean energy within sight
The opportunities available from the aggregation and interpretation of mass data are huge and could help attract investors and ensure more efficient electricity networks as the world races to try and achieve the UN goal of access to reliable energy for all this decade.
Engie, Meridiam buy BTE Renewables
Meridiam and Engie have agreed to acquire BTE Renewables, which operates 150 MW of onshore wind and 190 MW of solar in South Africa. The Johannesburg-based developer currently has a project portfolio exceeding 3 GW.
The Hydrogen Stream: Metallic-alloy coating improves hydrogen production
Oxford nanoSystems (OnS) has started working with electrolyzer manufacturers to test and scale up hydrogen production.
Solis targets South African C&I market with new hybrid inverter
Ginlong has announced the launch of its new Solis S6 Advanced Power Hybrid Inverter, with exclusive availability for South Africa.
Phelan Energy connects 86 MW PV plant to grid in South Africa
The plant, Solar Capital’s third major project in the country’s Northern Cape, is located in Loeriesfontein. Chinese manufacturer Sungrow supplied its SG3125HV PV inverters for the project.
