Mozambique is emerging with its vast solar potential to achieve a win-win situation in energy development by introducing a renewable energy auction scheme and promoting off-grid renewables. This article will take an in-depth look at Mozambique's energy situation, focusing on its dual strategies of on-grid and off-grid.   Mozambique's solar potential   Mozambique, located in southern Africa, has huge solar energy resources. Although only 60 megawatts of solar power will be installed in 2022, the Mozambican government is actively promoting the spread of clean electricity. Mozambique has a huge potential for renewable energy, of which about 23 GW is derived from solar energy. Despite economic challenges, inflation, the global pandemic and international conflicts, Mozambique's interest in renewable energy continues to grow, both in the on-grid and off-grid sectors.   Bright spots in the energy outlook   Over the past 20 years, Mozambique has maintained solid economic growth and promoted the development of the energy sector through a series of policies and reform measures. The Electricity Act 1997 created opportunities for private sector involvement, allowing the establishment of power purchase agreements (PPAs).   Recent reforms have further improved Mozambique's renewable energy environment. Amendments to the Electricity Act 2022 put a special emphasis on renewable energy, while new off-grid regulations are also being introduced. The power Infrastructure Master Plan for 2018-2043 aims to generate 50% of energy from renewable sources by 2043. Currently, under this new program, solar projects with a total capacity of 125 MW are being developed, of which 60 MW has already been built. Most of these projects are currently under the public-private Partnership (PPP) model, with close collaboration and negotiation. More projects will break ground by 2022 and 2023, and power purchase agreements have been signed for some projects.   The emergence of the bidding plan   The Mozambican government launched the Renewable Energy Tender Program (PROLER) in 2020, with the support of the European Union. The program ensures efficient development of renewable energy projects in Mozambique through a transparent tendering process. The first tender project, the Dondo Solar Power plant, was won by independent power producer Total Eren (now acquired by Total Energies) at a price of $52.45 per MWH. The project will build a 40 MW photovoltaic solar power plant in the Dondo region, which will supply electricity to the Mozambican Electricity Company, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The PROLER program encourages private sector investment in renewable energy in Mozambique, and a transparent bidding process and favorable terms have reduced electricity prices.   Challenges and Opportunities: Off-grid solutions   Despite progress in the field of renewable energy, Mozambique still faces huge challenges. About 65 per cent...

The Philippine government's National Irrigation Authority has revealed that solar arrays on two canals used for irrigation have recently been put into use. The bureau also said that 147 solar irrigation projects will be completed in the country by the end of this year, and 183 projects are planned to be completed in 2024.   The Philippine government's irrigation development and management company, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), announced last week that the country plans to develop 183 solar irrigation projects next year, up 24.4 percent from the 147 projects completed this year.   This year's project totals 830 hectares of irrigated agricultural land at a total cost of PHP1,643,583,002 (US $29 million). As of September 15, 17 solar irrigation projects have been completed. The agency estimates that next year's project is expected to cost PHP1,720,984,000 and can irrigate 2,168 hectares of agricultural land.   In the completed project, two photovoltaic arrays were deployed on top of the irrigation canal. Aqueduct solar projects are proliferating around the world. Countries such as Spain, India, France, the United States and Pakistan have all announced recent projects, but only a handful have materialized so far. These projects provide electricity without taking up land and reducing water evaporation.   The two projects, located in the central part of Luzon, are the 350-hectare Buspan solar pump irrigation system in Marameg and the Anbuspa solar pump irrigation system in Tibagan. The latter replicates Bulacan's NIA Region Phase III project, which installed 155 solar panels with a capacity of 60 KW on top of an irrigation canal.   The agency says it is promoting solar irrigation projects, working to replace "expensive diesel pumps" with solar pumps, and firmly believes that solar is the "most accessible and economically viable" of all renewable energy sources.   "As gasoline and diesel prices soar, these projects can continue to be used to irrigate land without incurging high fuel costs," the agency said in a statement, "the technology consists of solar panels, pumps, electronic pump controllers, storage tanks and transmission systems." Solar pumps are considered more cost effective than fuel irrigation pumps due to their low operating costs."   According to a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in 2022, the Philippines aims to achieve 15 GW of clean energy installations by 2030, and due to the country's archipelagic nature, the country is likely to focus more on microgrids and standalone clean power systems.

As of September 26, anyone who wants to use solar energy to charge an electric car at home in the future can apply for a new state subsidy offered by the German Development bank KfW.   According to the report, private charging stations that use solar power directly from the roof can provide a green way to charge electric vehicles. The combination of charging stations, photovoltaic power generation systems and solar energy storage systems makes it possible. KfW is now offering subsidies of up to €10,200 for the purchase and installation of such equipment, with a total subsidy of up to €500 million. If the maximum subsidy is paid, about 50,000 electric vehicle owners will benefit.   According to the report, applicants must meet the following conditions. First, it must be a residential home with ownership, and apartments, vacation homes and new buildings still under construction are not eligible. Electric cars also have to be existing, or at least already on order. Hybrid cars and company and corporate cars are not covered by the subsidy. In addition, the amount of subsidy is also related to the type of installation.   Thomas Grigoleit, energy expert at the German Federal Agency for Foreign Trade and Invest, said that the new solar charging station subsidy scheme coincides with the attractive and sustainable financing tradition of the German KFW bank, which will certainly make an important contribution to the successful promotion of electric vehicles.   Deutschland Trade and Invest is the German Federal government's agency for foreign trade and inward investment. The agency provides advice and support to foreign companies entering the German market and assists companies established in Germany to enter foreign markets.

In September 2023, Israeli renewable energy developer Teralight has completed the Ma'ayan Tzvi floating PV project with a total installed capacity of 31MW, which is the largest floating PV project in Israel.   The Ma'ayan Tzvi project, located on two reservoirs in northern Israel, cost about $33.8 million (about 246 million yuan).   At present, Israel has a total of more than 40 surface floating photovoltaic power stations, these floating power stations will continue to output clean electricity, and help Israel achieve 30% of the national electricity structure by 2030 renewable energy target; At the same time, these plants will effectively reduce evaporation losses and protect Israel's precious water resources.  

Recently, the first phase of the world's first large-scale photovoltaic hybrid solar power plant project in Dubai has been successfully completed, including 100MW tower solar thermal, 200MW trough solar thermal and 217MW photovoltaic power generation projects. This is currently the world's largest installed capacity, the largest investment scale, molten salt heat storage of the largest solar thermal project. China is the exclusive supplier of rotary retarder for 100MW tower solar thermal power generation project.   Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site solar park in the world. Less than 65 kilometers away from the downtown of Dubai, the desert lonely smoke, no matter from different angles can see a building like a torch standing in the depths of the sand sea, the solar heat collection tower is undoubtedly a marked building of Dubai solar photovoltaic project.   At the end of December 2019, containers loaded with DW89 rotary gear reducers set off from the Chinese factory and were transported to the Dubai project site.   During the epidemic in 2020, China has steadily shipped goods and fully guaranteed the supply to meet the on-site installation needs of the Dubai project.   In June 2021, the tower project completed the installation of 70,000 rotary drives.   As a domestic reducer enterprise that paid early attention to and distributed the solar thermal power generation industry, the experienced Chinese company not only participated in Delingha 50MW tower solar thermal power station, Gonghe 50MW tower solar thermal power station, Jinta 100MW tower solar thermal power station, Finier type solar thermal power station and other domestic solar thermal power projects.   At present, China is the main supplier of Ivanpah solar thermal power station, the world's largest tower solar thermal project, and the exclusive supplier of Ashalim, the world's highest tower solar thermal power station, with a cumulative supply of more than 300,000 units. The escort for the Dubai solar thermal project is another important achievement made by Chinese companies overseas and is of milestone significance.  

TotalEnergies has increased its stake in Total Eren from 30% to 100%, valuing the independent power producer at €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion).   Total Energy, the French energy company, has bought the remaining shares in Total Eren, the independent power producer, after a five-year tie-up, increasing its stake from almost 30 per cent to 100 per cent.   Total Energy will not fully integrate Total Eren into its renewable energy business. This is a follow-up to the strategic agreement reached between the two companies in 2017, under which Total Energy can take full control of Total Eren after five years.   Total Eren is valued at 3.8 billion euros, according to data provided by the two companies. The acquisition of 70.8% of its shares represents a net investment of around €1.5 billion. The integration of Total Eren is expected to increase the net operating income of Total Energy's integrated power division by approximately €160 million in 2024.   Total Eren currently operates 3.5 GW of assets worldwide. It has more than 10 GW of solar, wind, hydro and energy storage projects in 30 countries around the world, including nearly 1.2 GW under construction or in advanced stages of development.   Total Energy will leverage Total Eren's 2 GW of operating assets in liberalized markets, particularly in Portugal, Greece, Australia and Brazil. In addition, Total Energy said it will also use Total Eron's expertise to develop projects in countries such as India, Argentina, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.   In addition, Total Eren has launched green hydrogen production projects in North Africa, Latin America and Australia. Under the new partnership, these projects will continue to be led by an entity called TEH2 (80% owned by Total Energy and 20% owned by Elen).

With the continuous improvement of people's awareness of green environmental protection, the global energy landscape has changed, and the photovoltaic industry has flourished. The study shows that despite strong market demand, the lack of clear policy support, dependence on raw materials, and high production costs hinder the localization of the European PV module manufacturing industry.   China has dominated the global PV module supply chain for the past 15 years, but the global PV module manufacturing industry is changing as multiple emerging factors pose a threat to this dominance. These include increasing scrutiny of the sustainability and traceability of the supply chain of photovoltaic products, increasing competition for global subsidies, and announced plans by the United States, India and the European Union to provide financial support to local manufacturers.   Pv markets around the world have recently used a range of policy levers to directly or indirectly support the growth of domestic PV manufacturing, including the US Inflation Reduction Act and India's base tariff and production-related incentive programs.   In terms of providing incentives for photovoltaic manufacturing, Europe is lagging behind. The REpowerEU plan sets ambitious 2030 targets for the renewable energy sector, but does not offer more incentives to support PV manufacturing. The European Union's recently published Net-zero Industry Act (NZIA) proposal aims to stimulate local manufacturing. While this is a step forward, it could take up to two years for the European Commission to approve the policy. In other words, while the EU has set very ambitious targets for installing more renewable energy generation facilities in Europe by 2030, these targets will not automatically increase the demand for locally produced PV products.   The gap in incentives between the US and the EU   The United States leads both in terms of market timing and financial support, so the incentives offered by the United States have the potential to be a major risk for European manufacturing to scale up, as the United States has already received significant investment from major market players. The longer it takes for EU policies and incentives to be approved, the greater this risk becomes.   Although the EU currently has little silicon rod or wafer production capacity, the EU has set a goal of achieving more than 45% self-sufficiency at all manufacturing nodes. To achieve these targets, the EU needs to add more than 40GW of silicon rod, wafer and photovoltaic cell capacity per year, and another 30GW of PV module capacity. To achieve this ambitious goal, the EU needs to introduce a combination of higher manufacturing incentives and entry barriers for low-cost imports (such as its proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism to penalize products with a higher carbon footprint), and possibly set quotas for local content in public tenders. Cost gap   The large production ...

Mining company RioTinto (RioTinto) has announced a plan to build a solar power station at a diamond mine in Canada's Northwest Territories.   The solar power plant will be equipped with more than 6,600 solar modules to provide 25% of the Diavik diamond mine's electricity. The plant will be equipped with double-sided components to generate electricity using light reflected from the snow that covers the mine for most of the year.   Construction of the solar farm will begin in the coming weeks and it will be fully operational in the first half of 2024. Rio Tinto did not provide the amount of electricity generated by the solar PV project, but said it would generate about 4.2GWh of electricity per year.   At present, the installed capacity of the wind-diesel hybrid facility at the mine reaches 55.4MW.   "Diavik has established itself as a leader in cold-climate renewable energy technology through its wind-diesel hybrid power facility and this important project demonstrates our determination to reduce our carbon footprint." "I am very pleased that we have significantly increased our renewable energy generation with the largest solar power plant in Northern Canada," said AngelaBigg, president and COO of Diavik Diamond Mine.   Rio Tinto also said the project has received $3.3 million from the Northwest Territories Government's Large Emitters Greenhouse Gas Reduction Investment Program and $600,000 from the Canadian Government's Clean Power Investment Tax Credit Program.   "This partnership demonstrates our commitment to promoting sustainable development while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Northwest Territories, and is a signal of how our economy continues to lead in these areas," said CarolineWawzonek, Minister of Finance for the Northwest Territories Government.   Last year, Rio Tinto subsidiary RichardBayMinerals signed a corporate power purchase agreement with renewable energy company Voltalia to purchase electricity from a 148MW solar farm in Limpopo province, South Africa.  

The New Zealand government has launched a NZ $2 billion ($1.22 billion) fund with BlackRock to step up investment in wind and solar power, battery storage and green hydrogen, pushing New Zealand to become one of the first countries in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy.     New Zealand built hydropower decades ago, and now the proportion of renewable energy in the grid is about 82%, and the New Zealand government aims to achieve 100% renewable energy generation by 2030. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said: "This fund is a game-changer for the clean technology sector and a pragmatic and practical step for the government to actually grow our economy and create jobs while accelerating climate action." Mr Hipkins said the fund would allow New Zealand companies to commercialise their technology intellectual property around the world.     Hipkins said it would take a total investment of about $26 billion to fully green the grid, and "working with and supporting industry to address the climate crisis is a natural thing to do." Blackrock CEO Larry Fink said, "The world is looking for collaborative models between the private and public sectors to ensure an orderly, just and equitable energy transition."   But David Seymour, leader of New Zealand's Liberal ACT party, said the government's plan would drive up electricity prices and do little to benefit the environment. "New Zealanders don't want to be subjected to a 'world-first' climate change experiment that means the government will micromanage their lives," Seymour said in a statement.  

British developer Rezolv Energy has acquired Bulgaria's largest photovoltaic project. The company plans to begin construction of the 227MW PV facility by the end of this year and will sell power to unspecified customers under the Power Purchase Agreement.   Uk-based Rezolv Energy has acquired a 227 MW solar project in Bulgaria from YGY Industries for an undisclosed amount. Construction of the project, located in Siristra in northeastern Bulgaria, will begin at the end of this year and is scheduled to be completed in early 2025.   "Once completed, it will be the largest solar power plant in Bulgaria," the renewable energy developer said in a statement, "the plant will be connected to the 110 kV main grid via two separate connection lines with a total length of about 6 kilometers." This electricity will be sold to commercial and industrial users through long-term Power purchase Agreements." Rezolv Energy is also currently building Romania's largest photovoltaic array - a 1,044 MW solar project, which Rezolv Energy bought from Romanian developer Monsson in November 2022. Rezolv Energy was founded in August 2022 with €500 million ($487.8 million) in funding from sustainable infrastructure investor Actis. The company says its goal is to "provide unsubsidized clean energy to commercial and industrial users and other offtakers in Central and South-eastern Europe at long-term stable prices."   In October 2022, Bulgaria's electricity system operator revealed that it had accepted applications for the construction of new renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of more than 24 GW, double the country's existing power generation capacity.   According to European solar energy company SPE, Bulgaria's cumulative installed PV capacity reached 1.5 GW by the end of 2022. SPE said the country's installed PV capacity could reach 3.8GW by 2024, exceeding its 2030 target, with the increase coming mainly from subsidy-free large-scale solar projects built under the Power Purchase Agreement.