World

BNEF has released its top 10 clean energy predictions for 2018, including at least 107 GW of solar PV installs. China will lead, but Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East will notably up the ante. India will install less RE than in 2017, but will see fossils outpace RE for the last time; and China will see distributed grid connected solar leading the market. Li-ion prices are also declining, while EV sales grow.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development drastically increased its climate financing last year, with the €4.1 billion invested in the green economy representing 43% of the bank’s entire activity last year.

Despite approximate 25% fall in solar costs per MWh against 2015, last year saw more than $333 billion invested in clean energy, with global solar deployment figures topping 53 GW, finds new Bloomberg New Energy Finance report.

All forms of renewable energy will be cost competitive with traditional generation sources by 2020. This was one of the key findings in the latest report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). It was delivered yesterday at IRENA’s 8th annual Assembly in Abu Dhabi.

Soiling and solar: No two solar plants are ever the same, and the conditions that can impact energy yield can literally change with the wind. Soiled solar modules had long been considered a minor nuisance for the sector, but as understanding of how soiling affects output improves, so have techniques and technologies to tackle the persistent problem of dirty modules.

Federal regulators have rejected orders from Energy Secretary Perry to design open-ended subsidization of coal and nuclear power plants, and are initiating a new proceeding to look into reliability matters.

Venture capital, debt, securitization and project finance were all winners in 2017, as were solar stocks. However Mercom Capital warns that the pending Section 201 ruling could cause significant damage to the sector in 2018.

The All India Solar Industries Association (AISIA) says the proposed safeguard duty will be counterproductive for the solar industry, and has called for differential anti-dumping duties for specific countries to be imposed, including China.

A recent article in Bloomberg View illustrates clearly the mythology and misinformation that abounds regarding renewable energy, which in many cases is spread by the media.

Trade cases, insolvencies, record-breaking low auction prices, China’s eye watering installation rates – all this and more characterized the 2017 solar PV industry. pv magazine reflects on the biggest stories, trends and developments of the past year; and summarizes what the industry can expect in 2018.