€175 million for Spanish project: Lightsource bp has reached a financial close with €175 million in financing for the construction of the 248 MW Guillena Solar Project. This cluster of 5 solar plants in Andalusia is located in the municipalities of Guillena, Burguillos and Alcalá del Río (Seville). It closed the transaction with the support of BBVA, BNP Paribas, CA-CIB and ING. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2024 with Cox carrying out EPC services. Lightsource counts a portfolio of more than 1 GW of authorized solar projects that it expects to bring to construction within the next 2 years.
Solar & storage projects in Serbia: UGT Renewables’ 1 GW solar power plant is moving forward in Serbia as it led a consortium to sign a contract with the Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović, and state-owned electricity company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) recently. Hyundai Engineering is part of the consortium. The contract is for the construction, without management and maintenance, of solar power plants with a combined 1.2 GW DC/1 GW AC, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a total 200 MW/400 MWh will provide 1 GW newly installed capacity. The ministry said this project will enable the country to attain its energy transition goals while eliminating the need for electricity imports. It will also help secure long-term supply for consumers at affordable prices. UGT had earlier signed a cooperation agreement with the Energy Ministry for over 1 GW solar capacity (see American Company To Build 1 GW Solar Capacity In Serbia).
Solar financing for French market: Solar energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles Reparties (EDF ENR) and French international banking group Crédit Agricole have created a financing platform to support large-scale solarization of tertiary and industrial sites in France. This includes offices, warehouses, shops, carports, among others. The maiden project of their partnership comprises 18 existing or under-construction solar power projects in mainland France with a combined 31 MW capacity for €25 million. By 2027, they plan to finance more than €200 million of PV projects.
Neoen’s Irish project moves forward: France’s Neoen has provided the notice to proceed to Omexom and TLI Group to go ahead with the construction of the 79 MW Ballinknockane Solar Farm in Ireland. The project’s total capacity was earlier 61 MW. Neoen won the same in Ireland’s RESS 2 auction in 2022. It will be the company’s 1st transmission-connected project in Ireland, and the 1st utility-scale solar farm in County Limerick. Neoen plans the project to be energized in mid-2026, and commissioned in H1 2027.
Energy storage research in Germany: The German research institute Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has inaugurated the Center for Electrical Energy Storage to focus on improving the sustainability, safety and performance of battery energy storage systems (BESS). The competence center has a laboratory area of over 3,700 m2 and is located in the Haid industrial area in Freiburg. Here it will conduct research on innovative battery materials and cells, develop optimized solutions for battery systems and power their integration into various applications. The center will also be used to carry out comprehensive quality assurance tests on batteries.
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