APT Translations

The Government of Wallonia of Belgium has committed €1 million to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as part of the Government’s support of renewable energy as a key pillar of international climate efforts.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), is inviting applications for renewable energy projects in developing countries. Within the framework of the ADFD-funded US$350 million (AED1.285 billion) IRENA/ADFD Project Facility, the current funding round of US$50 million in concessional loans marks the sixth of seven annual cycles.

More than 350 government representatives from 115 countries — including Ministers and high-level officials — gathered in Abu Dhabi to attend the 14th Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). At the outset of the meeting, the Council re-elected China as Chair of the meeting and Colombia as Vice-Chair.

The cost of generating power from onshore wind has fallen by around a quarter since 2010, with solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity costs falling by 73 per cent in that time, according to new cost analysis from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The report also highlights that solar PV costs are expected to halve by 2020. The best onshore wind and solar PV projects could be delivering electricity for an equivalent of USD 3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), or less within the next two years.

UK climbs four places in EY’s Renewable energy country attractiveness index (RECAI)

Elsevier and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) announce Dr. Sebastian Groh of ME SOLshare Ltd. as the winner of the Renewable Transformation Challenge.

California-based global interconnection and colocation data centre company Equinix has signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a subsidiary of Southern Company, under which Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cells will be installed at 12 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centres in the US.

Iron Edison Battery Company, a Nickel Iron and Lithium Iron Phosphate battery system supplier for solar energy storage, selected Schneider Electric, the specialist in energy management and automation, to supply back up power as part of a solar installation in California.

Governments have agreed to work together to identify and implement measures that will significantly increase the speed of geothermal energy development around the world, following a milestone meeting between public and private leaders Florence this week. Under the terms of the ‘Florence Declaration’ – an outcome of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) meeting – governments will actively pursue a collective ambition to realise geothermal potential.

BNEF sees LNG demand grow to 280MMtpa this year and to 479MMtpa by 2030. However, new export projects across the U.S. and Australia could lead to supply overcapacity until 2024.