Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Floating solar crosses 1GW threshold; German FiT cuts; SunPower's tough spot; China installation figures SUN Newsletter Unsubscribe 7:44 AM (6 hours ago) to me Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here. Monday 5 November 2018 - Weekly Digest The most important global solar industry headlines of the day. Floating Floating solar crosses 1 GW threshold globally What has been perceived as a gimmick for quite some time is gaining critical mass, as global floating solar capacity has exceeded 1 GW, according to a report by the World Bank & SERIS. German Cuts Germany plans 20% FiT cuts for C&I segment The Federal Ministry of Economics disclosed a proposal to cut Feed-in Tariffs for 40-750 kW rooftop installations by 20%. The proposed cuts have surprised the industry, as it had been precisely this segment that accounted for most of the country's recent solar installations. Price drops, oversupply of modules, and the expiry of tariffs were cited as reasons for the cuts. Heavy Weather SunPower will sell off more assets to avoid bankruptcy Prolific US solar manufacturer and developer SunPower said it expects to sell further assets and increase loans over the course of next year in order to prevent bankruptcy, as it continues to post significant net losses. China China installed 34.5 GW in 2018 so far Official data showed how newly added solar capacity in China dropped 20% when compared to the same period a year ago. Though it constitutes a significant drop, it still means that 34.54 GW of new solar PV capacity was installed over the first three quarters of this year (43 GW last year). Projects South Korea announces massive 3 GW solar / 1 GW wind project Central and provincial governments announced the development of a 4 GW renewable energy production complex on Saemangeum, a large area of reclaimed land on the country's west coast. The complex will feature a 3 GW solar power farm and a 1 GW offshore wind farm. 66 MW solar plant announced for Ivory Coast The country's government announced that a 66 MW solar PV plant will be developed in the city of Korhogo, in the northern Poro region. Snowy Hydro contracts 888 MW of solar & wind capacity in Australia The Australian company, which owns and operates the 4.1 GW Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme, launched a tender in May to expand its power portfolio. Seeking bids for 400 MW of wind and 400 MW of solar capacity, it received over 17,600 MW worth of proposals and ended up selecting 4 large wind and 4 large solar projects, good for 888 MW of capacity. Amongst the winners was Lightsource BP, which landed a 105 MW project deal. B2E Asia Webinar 2 IN-DEPTH ARTICLES Expert interview: Blockchain as an enabler of a cleaner decentralized energy grid SOLARPLAZA - In this interview we speak to Vinod Tiwari, Head of Business Development & Sales for Power Ledger. Power Ledger is one of the leading energy-blockchain companies based in Australia and with developments all around the world. Read more The Battle for Solar Energy in the Country’s Sunniest State THE NEW YORKER - Arizona is the sunniest state in the country, with more than three hundred bluebird days per year. Yet, despite the rapid decline in the cost of solar-energy technology and battery storage—to the point that it now frequently outbids fossil fuels, Arizona generated only six per cent of its electricity from solar. Read more Is Australia on the verge of having too much solar energy? THE GUARDIAN - Over the last few weeks there have been a number of reports in the media that Australia is on the verge of hitting too much solar energy. This includes claims by some electricity generators that we are heading towards a “solar peak” – a point at which “there is no point in putting any more solar power into the system” because it will just be spilled and wasted. Read more Future Grid Labs UPCOMING SOLARPLAZA EVENTS Unlocking Solar Capital Africa 7-8 November 2018 /// Kigali, Rwanda (3rd edition) El Futuro Solar Colombia 19-21 November 2018 /// Bogotá, Colombia (3rd edition) PV Market & Tender Mission Greece 20-22 November 2018 /// Athens, Greece (new!) Blockchain2Energy Asia 27 November 2018 /// Singapore (new!) Future Grid Labs 6, 12 & 14 December 2018 /// Rotterdam, The Netherlands (new!) The Solar Future: Deserts of Africa 13-14 March 2019 /// Dakar, Senegal (new!) Solar Market Parity Spain 14 March 2019 /// Madrid, Spain (2nd edition) Solar Asset Management North America 26-27 March 2019 /// San Francisco, USA (6th edition) Please enjoy and feel free to send us your input for the next edition. Contact Tom van der Linden (tom@solarplaza.com) for any questions or suggestions on the content of this newsletter and future issues. He's the editor. 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