European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

European renewables developer Qair will build a 10 MW solar plant in western Tunisia with a €3.9 million ($4.2 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as to up to €1 million in concessional funding from Finland.

In this edition of the Weekend Read, we turn to Egypt. The gigawatt-scale Benban project showcases the North African country’s solar potential, and premium prices for gas exports make the case for a more diverse energy mix. A nation with grand renewables targets – but slow installation rates – may finally be weaning itself off fossil fuel resources.

The Serbian government has allocated a quota of 50 MW for its first solar auction. Solar plants with capacity of more than 500 kW will be allowed to participate in the competitive tendering process, with the ceiling price set at €90 ($96.10)/MWh.

UK independent power producer Rezolv Energy has acquired the late-stage development rights to a 1,044 MW solar project in Arad county, Romania. The Eastern European country is preparing to roll out a contract-for-difference (CfD) scheme early next year to deploy 3.5 GW of solar and wind.

Utility-scale solar is stirring in the region, with support from development banks. Following a series of competitive auctions, PV projects have been commissioned and are under development in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In the latter nation, corporate interest in distributed, small-scale renewables is growing but for further market uptake, additional incentives should be introduced, practitioners say.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will contribute up to $100 million to support 150 MW of solar capacity, plus 53 MW of wind.

The central Asian nation went from 4 MW of grid-connected solar to 104 MW in just 12 months and Total Eren’s latest announcement indicates an ambitious national goal of adding 12 GW of renewables this decade may not be so fanciful.

The Lebanese government has approved 11 licenses for 165 MW of PV capacity. The licenses are part of a 180 MW solar tender that the country initiated in January 2017.

The London-based international lender has provided finance for the “up to 286 MW” project alongside Poland’s two biggest retail banks.

Lack of locally-denominated finance, and of sufficiently long-term loans, are well established hurdles to the development of photovoltaics in Africa.