Solar

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100MW PV Project Win For Enel Highlights African Potential And Ethiopian Market

A consortium led by Enel Green Power has been selected as the preferred bidder for a 100 MW solar project in Metehara, Ethiopia. Ethiopia has all the potential to become a key market for Enel’s strategy in Africa due to its plentiful renewable resources, stable regulatory framework and electrification needs. In addition, the Ethiopian Government’s ‘Growth Transformation Plan 2’ is expected to collect nearly 12,000 MW of new hydro, wind, geothermal and solar capacity in partnership with the private sector, with the aim of meeting the country’s electrification needs while diversifying its generation mix in line with the government’s energy plan for the years up to 2020.

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Dubai’s Transformation Into Smart City Under Way, Using New Technolgy From ABB

ABB technology is supporting the development of new smart solar power systems for the city of Dubai, UAE. Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) is using the ABB AbilityTM Electrical Distribution Control System to help develop data-driven strategies that maximize year-round solar energy production as part of the Smart Dubai initiative. “We seek to promote Dubai as a smart, sustainable, and integrated city with a high-tech infrastructure to support social and economic development, as well as promote sustainable use of resources by ensuring best practices in consumption, efficiency and governance,” said his Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

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Small Island States Drive To Scale-Up Clean Energy And Address Climate Change

Ministers and officials representing 30 countries and organizations met in Malé, Maldives, signalling the determination of small island developing states (SIDS) to strengthen global efforts to address climate change and accelerate renewable energy deployment. “In the wake of a deadly hurricane season in the Caribbean and at a time when the resolve to tackle the climate crisis has been called into question, small islands are sending the world a clear message: we are seizing the promise of renewable energy to grow our economies today and build a better future for tomorrow,” said Thoriq Ibrahim, Energy and Environment Minister for the Maldives and Chair of Alliance of Small Island States.

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Enel Starts Construction Of Australia’s Largest Solar PV Project

The Bungala Solar One facility is part of the Bungala Solar PV Project and will have an installed capacity of 137.7 MW out of a total of more than 275 MW for the whole project, that will be able to produce 570 GWh per year. The facility will cover an area of approximately 300 hectares and will consist of about 420,000 polycrystalline PV modules mounted on single-axis tracker structures which will follow the Sun’s path from east to west; increasing the amount of energy produced by the plant, compared to PV modules with fixed structures. The overall Bungala Solar PV project is expected to become fully operational in early 2019.

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Renovate America Applauds Landmark Protection Framework For PACE Financing

California Governor Jerry Brown signs into law two bills that significantly strengthen Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for homeowners and communities. Renovate America, the nation’s largest PACE provider, has hailed Governor Jerry Brown’s signing into law of two bills that provide a landmark regulatory and consumer protection framework for PACE. “Across 150,000 California homes, PACE has already saved enough energy to power the United States for over a day – and this legislation provides the regulatory and underwriting framework to ensure it’s a responsible choice for hundreds of thousands more homes and families,” said Ari Matusiak, Chief Strategy Officer at Renovate America.

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DEWA Awards World’s Largest CSP Project To ACWA, Shanghai Elec. Led Consortium

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has awarded the 700MW AED14.2 billion-fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to a consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and China’s Shanghai Electric. This is the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world and will have the world’s tallest solar tower, measuring 260 metres. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world and will generate 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030.

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IDFC Alternatives Fund Acquires Solar Projects Totaling 190MW From First Solar

India Infrastructure Fund II (IIF II), represented by its investment manager, IDFC Alternatives Limited, one of India’s largest alternatives fund managers, is to acquire seven operating solar projects owned and operated by the First Solar Group in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana aggregating to a capacity of 190 MW. All the projects utilise First Solar’s advanced CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) based thin film modules, one of the most environmentally friendly PV technologies, and sell the power generated to state utilities, under long term power purchase agreements. Aditya Aggarwal, Partner, IDFC Alternatives stated that “consistent with its stated strategy of aggregating operating renewable assets, IIF II is well on its way to achieving an installed base of 400-450 MW of operating renewable assets by the end of the current financial year.”

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35% Of German Electricity Consumption Now From Renewables: Grid Challenges Ahead

The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research in Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) have stated in an initial assessment that electricity generated from clean energy accounted for 35% of Germany’s consumption in 1H 2017. It’s the first time that this mark has been reached. The total share of electricity generated from renewables was up 2% from last year. The growth from onshore wind was 13.6%; offshore wind saw the steepest growth at 47.5%; growth from biomass increased by 2.2%, whilst the growth from PV systems was 13.5%, compared with the 1H 2016.

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Enel Awarded 339 MW Of Solar Capacity In Spanish Renewables Tender

Enel S.p.A., acting through its Spanish subsidiary Endesa’s renewable company Enel Green Power España (EGPE), has been awarded 339 MW of solar capacity in Spain. The award followed the tender aiming at collecting 3 GW from renewable energies, launched by the Spanish Government to help the country achieve its target to cover 20% of energy consumption from renewables by 2020. The solar capacity adds to the 540 MW of wind power capacity that EGPE was already awarded last May. “This new milestone confirms our commitment to green energy in Spain, a country which continues to offer growth opportunities for our renewable projects,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Enel’s Head of Global Renewable Energies.

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New BNEF Report Highlights A Massive Shift to Wind And Solar, While Coal Fades

A new independent report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) states that clean energy such as wind and solar will account for almost 75% of investment in power generation worldwide, between now and 2014. New Energy Outlook 2017 estimates that overall $10.2 trillion will be spent on power generation technology in the next 22 years, with $7.4 trillion being spent on renewables. This year’s forecast sees solar energy costs dropping a further 66% by 2040, and onshore wind by 47%, with renewables undercutting the majority of existing fossil power stations by 2030.

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Energy-Saving HERO Financing Available To 129,000 More Homes In Missouri

HERO’s latest expansion is expected to spread these economic benefits to the new communities where it will operate. It’s estimated that HERO-financed home improvement activity has resulted in the creation of over 80 new Missouri jobs and over $17 million in economic activity. Many of these new construction-sector jobs can’t be outsourced or automated. In addition to residential PACE activity, MCED also has a pipeline of over $10 million for PACE-financed projects for commercial properties.