Friday, 18 December

Dear <<First Name>>

It might be approaching the year’s end, but as you’ll see from the stories below, things certainly aren’t letting up on the clean energy scene. From the connection of the 120MW Golden Valley wind farm to South Africa’s national grid to the start of construction of the Caribbean’s largest solar-plus-storage project and the signing of a new 35MWp solar project in Angola, it’s a hive of activity.

It's certainly true that COVID-19 has put the brakes on the sector this year, with developers hit right across the world with related supply chain issues and production delays. But the sector has also shown its resilience in the face of adversity, and I am not at all surprised by IHS Markit Energy Advisory Service’s recent findings that the global capital investment on renewables is expected to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021.

And there were further encouraging signs for the future this week as BloombergNEF researchers revealed that lithium-ion battery pack prices fell 89% in 2020 to $137/kWh, with the price dropping below $100/kW for e-bus batteries in China for the very first time.

So, with just a fortnight left of what has been a tumultuous and trying year for us all, it looks like there’s every reason to be hopeful for a great year ahead.

Cheers

Geoff

Managing Director, Camco Clean Energy

West Africa

Togo: Partnership to deliver solar-powered farming (ESI)
- Bboxx and EDF are expanding access to solar-powered irrigation systems for 5,000 farmers. 

East Africa

Kenya: Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) to unlock clean energy markets (ESI)
- The AECF has launched a US$4 million REACT results-based financing programme to unlock new markets in Kenya.

Somalia: US$8.5 million facility to enable solar providers to apply for grants (PV-Magazine)
- Solar distributors and service providers rolling out solar systems in the Somali region of Somaliland will now be able to access grants.

Tanzania: Tanesco to buy 19.6MW of power from IPPs (PV-Magazine)
- The six projects will supply power to areas where the grid has not yet arrived or that suffer from strong grid losses.

Southern Africa

Angola: Total and Greentech to build 35MW Lubango solar plant (Afrik21)
- Recent government approval paves the way for the project to commence in the Huila region, with the solar park being financed, built and operated by the two developers.

South Africa: 120MW Golden Valley wind farm connected to the grid (Engineering News)
- The 48-turbine facility, which is in the Eastern Cape region, is the latest wind project to become operational.

South Africa: Acwa Power refurbishes its solar thermal plant in Bokpoort (Afrik21)
- The 50MW facility has been refinanced to the tune of US$334 million by several development partners.

Africa - general

DRC-Rwanda: Call for tenders for the construction of the 147MW Ruzizi III dam (Afrik21)
- The call is for prequalification for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, with an application deadline of 14 February 2021.

General: Renewable energy credit scheme launched for countries at risk (ESI)
- The Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-REC) scheme will aim to finance renewable projects in vulnerable countries and to deliver social and economic benefits at the community level.

Rest of World

Caribbean: Region's largest solar-plus-storage project begins construction (PV-Tech)
- The US$70 million project will be based in St.Kitts and Nevis and will have a 35.7MW solar array and a 14.8MW battery.

Batteries: Historic milestone achieved as battery back prices fall by 89% in 2020 (ESI)
- Prices of US$100/kWh have been recorded for the first time in China.

General: Global renewables investment will bounce back after 2020 dip (PV-Tech)
- Renewables investment is expected to rise by 8.5% to US$255 billion per year.

General: New online tools to help accelerate innovation (ESI)
- UK government-funded new Energy Catalyst Community tool will help accelerate access to sustainable energy in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia through grant funding, business acceleration support and brokerage activity.

Currencies