Kenyan utility kicks off tender for small solar parks
KTDA Power Company is seeking developers for up to ten small-sized solar parks. The facilities are expected to have a capacity of between 300 kW and 1 MW.
Storage and PAYG critical to deployment of African off-grid renewables
The former need not necessarily relate to conventional lithium-ion batteries, however, as a recent webinar staged by Solarpower Europe and EU body GET.invest discovered.
Finance for 49 mini-grids in Sierra Leone and Uganda
Winch Energy has announced the project, which it hopes will be a significant bridgehead towards building $100 million worth of off-grid systems within two years, alongside Franco-Japanese partner Neot Offgrid Africa.
Peer-to-peer leased solar for African schools
Abe Cambridge, chief executive and founder of solar cell-level, crowdfunding-based PV leasing business The Sun Exchange has spoken to pv magazine about the company’s project pipeline and its focus on bringing affordable clean power to schools.
Renewables targets falling by the wayside, according to African solar survey
An overview of the state of solar across the continent by trade body the Africa Solar Industry Association has highlighted a patchy policy landscape where clean power ambitions are often not followed through.
Kenyan utility seeks proposals for PV plant at water treatment site
The tender was launched by Nyahururu Water and Sanitation Company (Nyahuwasco), which operates in the Laikipia West sub-county of Laikipia County, in central Kenya.
The untapped potential of floating PV in Africa
Researchers at the European Commission’s Joint Research Center have assessed the potential of installing floating solar plants on 146 hydropower reservoirs in Africa. They concluded that, in addition to increasing installed capacity, the plants also reduce water evaporation, allowing for increased annual hydropower production.
Kenya launches tender to add solar to 22 diesel mini-grids
Kenyan utility KPLC wants to retrofit 23 diesel mini-grids by adding wind and solar power generators. PV is the only option available for 21 of the selected sites.
Risk vs. reward: Optimizing energy yield with 182mm wafers
The shift to larger wafer formats has been by far the most important trend in the PV supply chain over the past year. While other sizes are also being introduced to the market, the 182mm product is initially expected to represent the largest share. And it is viewed by many as the optimal way to ensure considerable gains in energy yield whist minimizing disruption to supply chain and end markets. We’ll delve into these claims surrounding modules based on the 182mm wafer, taking a closer look at Jinko’s Tiger pro module series.
Two innovative approaches to funding African solar
With Cape Town-based The Sun Exchange’s cell-level solar leasing model now reportedly serving 19,000 micro investors, linking finance directly to carbon emission tonnage is another route to bringing PV investment to fruition across the continent.
