Asia

Japanese energy utility J-Power’s proposed acquisition of Australian renewables and pumped hydro developer Genex Power has received Foreign Investment Review Board approval.

Ibrahim Ariffin and JP Grayda, from Afry Management Consulting, examine two promising ASEAN markets, the Philippines and Malaysia, and the challenges they face as they strive to hit renewable energy targets. The long-term outlook is broadly positive, despite some uncertainties.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Indonesia has set a quota of 5,746 MW of rooftop solar to be deployed between 2024 and 2028. The Jakarta-based Institute for Essential Services Reform anticipates rooftop solar to be more commonly adopted by commercial and industrial consumers than residential users, following the abolishment of net-metering earlier this year.

Taiwanese manufacturer Winaico said its newest bifacial, n-type, glass-glass TOPCon compact modules are available in a 435 W aluminum-framed version, and a 430 W full-black version. The module efficiency is up to 22.30%.

Chinese manufacturer Longi says it is not shutting down its factory in Malaysia, nor it is idling its production lines in Vietnam, but it acknowledges that it is implementing production adjustments at these facilities.

Australian renewable energy gen-tailer Zen Energy has teamed with DGA Energy Solutions Australia, a subsidiary of Japanese trading giant Mitsubishi Corp, to co-develop green hydrogen projects and advance Mitsubishi’s decarbonisation goals.

Japan’s Leapton Energy has developed a 20.48 kWh residential battery energy storage system featuring storage capacities starting at 5.12 kWh, utilising lithium iron phosphate technology.

The Chinese manufacturer said the new product has an efficiency of up to 19.46% and a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per C. It is available in bright red, light gray, brown, green, blue-green, orange, and ocean blue.

United States-headquartered module maker SEG Solar has struck a deal for the development and operation of a PV manufacturing facility on the Indonesian island of Java with a production capacity of 5 GW of silicon wafers, 5 GW of solar cells, and 5 GW of PV modules.

Economic cooperation between India and Australia may open doors for investment in clean energy technology but challenges still abound in a competitive global market. Vibhuti Garg and Shantanu Srivastava, of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, discuss the role that public funding and resource pooling could play in supporting manufacturing ambitions.