Markets

Beyond curtailment of abundant solar and wind output lies a giant sponge of industrial need. Engie Impact is determined to connect the dots.

First Solar has announced plans to establish a new 3.3 GW manufacturing facility in India. Representing an investment of US$684 million (AU$950 million), the move demonstrates the thin-film PV manufacturer’s confidence in India’s solar growth and the increasingly favourable policy environment for domestic solar PV production.

Australia’s module supply landscape could experience a supply shock as legislation looms to stamp out the use of forced labor. Chris O’Brien, Maxeon Solar Technologies VP for the APAC region says that the measures that have left modules stranded at the U.S. border could very well occur in Australia soon.

Australia’s clean energy transition is predicted to accelerate in the coming years with a new report suggesting most Australian homes and businesses will have switched to solar PV modules paired with batteries by 2030 while the nation will have the highest penetration of renewable energy per capita in the world.

Multiple factors affect lifespan of a residential battery energy storage system. We examine the life of batteries in Part 3 of our series.

New South Wales, Australia’s most populace state and largest economy, has upped the green ante, today setting a new target which will see it rival clean energy powerhouse South Australia. The state government is seeking to spur more than $37 billion in private investment from its policies, hoping to double the state’s economy.

Adani, Reliance New Energy, Jindal India Solar and Shirdi Sai Electricals have been put on a shortlist for India’s production-linked incentive scheme for high-efficiency PV module manufacturing. The list includes 14 other companies vying for the incentives.

President Xi Jinping’s pledge this week at the United Nations General Assembly that China will not build new coal-fired plants abroad is welcome news; however, Asia’s transition to low carbon energies remains in dire need of policy reforms.

The urgent global need for tens of terawatts of solar capacity to replace fossil fuels by 2050 signals it’s time to hone in on developing the most sustainable technologies — before reserves of silver, indium and bismuth dry up.

As solar deployment increases, concerns about price cannibalisation continue to be more and more relevant. Large-scale solar generation during midday hours may result in curtailment or unprofitable wholesale power prices. As supply increases, the economic viability of solar PV projects could fall into question.