• April 19, 2022

The Council of the European Union has adopted a new directive that allows member states to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on certain products and services that comply with EU environmental and health policies. This Directive 2022/542 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 5 April. According to the new regulations, member states will be free to choose a value-added tax rate of 0%-5%. Household solar panels system, as well as pharmaceuticals, contraceptive and hygiene protection products, medical protection products, transportation and passenger services, books, newspapers and print publications and digital media will benefit from this tax relief.

• April 12, 2022

South Africa’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has launched the sixth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) to purchase 1 GW of PV and 1.6 GW of wind capacity. In the sixth round of REIPPPP, the authorities want to allocate 1 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.6 GW of wind to developers. Interested companies have until April 12 to download the relevant documents to participate in the auction. The procurement campaign is part of a tender programme for nearly 12 GW of capacity and follows South Africa's latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The IRP aims to achieve up to 6 GW of new large-scale solar generation, and up to 6 GW of distributed photovoltaic capacity by 2030. Chris Ahlfeldt of Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services told pv magazine that as South Africa continues to grapple with load shedding, a post-COVID-19 economic recovery and a just transition to coal to meet climate reduction targets, it needs to quickly complete the procurement and procurement of these projects. Grid work. “Transmission capacity constraints in the Northern Cape in Round 5 make it difficult for some developers to do so, so most developers will likely target other provinces in Round 6, potentially extending local socio-economic impacts across the country other areas." South African authorities launched the fifth round of the REIPPPP scheme in March 2021, with a total of 2.6 GW of renewable energy generation allocated across 25 projects ranging in size from 75 MW to 140 MW. In this round, the lowest bid price for a 124 MW wind power facility to be built in Hantan, Northern Cape, was ZAR 0.34425 (US$ 0.02338). For solar power, the lowest bid for six 75 MW solar parks expected to be built in the Tokologo district in the Lejweleputswa region of the Free State province is ZAR 0.37479.

• April 07, 2022

Japanese natural gas company Saibu Gas Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9536) recently announced that its renewable energy arm, Eneseed Co Ltd, started commercial operations at a 1.6 MW solar power plant in Iwate Prefecture. The photovoltaic (PV) park, called Eneseed Hirokawa Solar Power Plant, has been acquired from local company Clean Venture 21 Corp and will begin operations on April 2, 2022. With the commencement of commercial operation of Hirokawa Solar, Saibu Gas' total renewable energy operating capacity has reached 47.5 MW. The company is targeting 75 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by fiscal 2024 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050.

• March 21, 2022

The U.S. Department of Energy has released an action plan for the safe and responsible disposal of solar photovoltaic end-of-life (EOL) materials. Activities outlined in the plan will reduce the environmental impact of solar energy. Although 95% of PV modules are recyclable, the current economics of EOL processing are not conducive to recycling. The cost of recycling PV modules is significantly higher than landfill fees. Establishing safe, responsible and economical EOL practices will support greater deployment of solar energy. According to a recent U.S. Department of Energy assessment of the solar PV supply chain, recycling should become standard practice to facilitate domestic material supply. Actions taken now will improve the possibility of developing enabling technologies to handle PV EOL volumes safely, responsibly and economically, leading to greater deployment and safe and socially responsible supply chains. Under the strategy developed today, the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) plans to address PV EOL through stakeholder outreach, data collection, research, and analysis. SETO aims to better understand the status of EOL by developing a database that tracks the material, quantity, age, location, cause of EOL and EOL treatment of modules. This is determined through a five-year plan. In addition, SETO will support hardware research to reduce the environmental impact of EOL and more than halve module recycling costs by 2030.

• March 16, 2022

The Italian government has announced a new package of measures, the DL Energia decree, to reduce the energy bills of Italian households and businesses. The new regulations include simplifying the installation approval process for commercial rooftop solar PV systems with an installed capacity between 50kW and 200kW as much as possible. In Italy, these systems can be applied to the national net metering scheme called "Scambio sul posto". From May, businesses will be allowed to start deploying rooftop solar arrays using only one application form. This so-called "Modello Unico Semplificato" form is often used for common building maintenance projects. Previously this process was only available to owners of PV systems with an installed capacity of up to 50kW. The Italian government has also decided to allocate 267 million euros ($294 million) to help small and medium-sized enterprises deploy photovoltaic systems for their own use. The funds will be used in tax rebates to help businesses pay for part of the cost of buying and installing solar arrays. Businesses operating in southern Italy's regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Apulia, Sardinia and Sicily will also enjoy financial incentives. These incentives will be offered to companies that decide to reduce their energy bills by investing in solar energy or energy efficiency.

• March 01, 2022

The Derry, New Hampshire City Council has finalized the contract for a new 2.2-megawatt solar array developed by Encore Renewable Energy that will be one of the largest in the state. Encore will finance, design, build, install, operate and maintain a 2.2 MW ground-mounted solar project called Derry Solar LLC, located in a closed and enclosed municipal solid waste landfill owned by the town of Derry. Once completed, the solar project will help the town achieve approximately $3.5 million in energy savings over the project's 25-year contract and help meet the city council's goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy in the town of Derry, two years ahead of its original goal. Year to achieve 2025. “This project is the culmination of six years of planning and engineering work by Net Zero Task Force volunteers,” said chair Jeff Moulton. “Prior to this project, the task force benchmarked energy use in all 40 towns and school buildings, implemented multiple energy initiatives that currently save the town over $900,000 annually, and installed an 86-kilowatt kWh in 2018. The town’s transit station for solar projects is currently performing better than expected.” A working group of professional engineers, business people, energy experts and representatives from key town groups including schools, public works, planning boards, code enforcement, conservation boards, economic development and the public and the public began work on the project more than two years ago . The group has collaborated in communicating information and advocacy to the community and supporting required state legislative action and with the support of Governor Chris Sununu. Encore Renewable Energy was selected from seven companies through a competitive tender process called for by the Town of Derry in September 2021. In addition to saving energy for the town, the solar project will be constructed with no upfront cost to the community. The site also offers potential opportunities to expand the project in the future. "The opportunity to develop sustainable energy from undervalued assets such as landfills is part of our company DNA," said Chad Farrell, CEO and founder of Encore Renewable Energy. Leveraging deep expertise in bringing to Delhi as a hosting location for community-scale solar panels to help support the community’s transition to a clean energy economy.”

• February 16, 2022

Swiss renewable energy producer Alpiq has announced that it will build an 18MW vertical bifacial solar power plant at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,200 meters in Gondo-Zwischbergen in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Gondosolar PV project will have 4,500 bifacial modules on 10 hectares of land and will generate approximately 23.3 million kWh of electricity per year. The project is expected to require an investment of 42 million Swiss francs ($45.5 million) and, due to the project's design, will generate about twice as much power per square metre as comparable facilities on the Swiss plateau, the company said. The company further explained, “Furthermore, 55% of the electricity generated by the Gondosolar project will be produced in winter, and the winter power generation per square meter will be four times that of lowland PV installations.” Alpiq also revealed that the company is going through the trial process and financing for the project, with construction expected to be completed within three years after construction begins. Project sponsor Renato Jordan owns a piece of land in Alpjerung, where the power station is located. Alpiq said, “We conducted a comprehensive feasibility study and finally concluded that the project is not only environmentally and technically feasible, but also economically feasible, as long as the subsidy model enacted by the Federal Parliament allows Gondosolar to perform at its highest level. Get a 60% subsidy." The power station will be owned and operated by local utility company Electrique du Simplon (EES), of which Alpiq itself is the largest shareholder.

• February 09, 2022

Independent power producer (IPP) Sonnedix Power Holdings Ltd said today that its 26.5 MW Sonnedix Tanabu solar farm in Japan entered commercial operation on January 31, 2022. Sonnedix Tanabu is located in Yamada City, Iwate Prefecture. It is equipped with 400-Wp JA Solar Technology (SHE:002459) monocrystalline modules and a 3.2-MW TMEIC inverter, Sonnedix said. Juwi Shizen Energy Operations will provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services at the plant. The output of the solar farm will be sold under an 18-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with an undisclosed party. Its full-year production capacity in its first year of operation is estimated at 33,000 MWh, enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 7,500 households. With the new plant coming online, the Sonnedix Group has an operational capacity of 360 MWp in Japan. The group said it expects another 55 megawatts of power to come into commercial operation in the first half of 2022.

• January 19, 2022

State-owned power generation company China Huadian Group has begun construction of a 3.3GW solar power plant in Sichuan province. The project is one of nine renewable energy power plants listed in China's latest national five-year plan. Headquarters of China Huadian Group State-owned power generation company China Huadian Group has begun construction of a 3.3GW solar power plant in Chamdo, southwest China's Sichuan province. The 16 billion yuan ($2.51 billion) project includes the Mangkang Angdo and Gongju Lator solar power plants. The power company said the plot would be combined with farming and animal husbandry. The project is one of nine clean energy projects in China's 14th Five-Year Plan. According to the National Energy Administration, the total generating capacity of these renewable energy projects will reach 300GW and cost about 300 billion yuan ($47 billion). Solar module maker LONGi and energy company Sinopec have announced plans to deploy photovoltaics at 147 of the latter's gas stations. The arrays will feature Longi Roof, a new building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panel that replaces traditional building pitched roofs. The projects will be installed in Shaanxi, Hubei, Anhui and Guangdong provinces. China's largest energy company, State Power Investment Corporation, has launched a bidding process for 5.5GW of inverters, 4.5GW of solar modules and 1.8GW of engineering, procurement and construction services.