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Mexico Cites Virus in Slapping Down Renewable Energy
Industry associations said it will affect 28 solar and wind projects that were ready to go online, and 16 more under construction, with a total of dollar 6.4 billion in investments, much of it from foreign firms
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- renewable energy
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Renewables in Focus to Revive Energy Sector as Economies Ease Lockdowns
A sudden slump in energy consumption due to worldwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 had threatened the energy transition due to a plunge in oil prices. However, as predicted by COE-EDP clean energy and inward-looking policies are the focus of the reviving energy sector across economies in the post-lockdown period.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
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Agency Banking and Off-Grid Energy: Banking the Unbanked Through Solar
In rural Africa, off-grid renewable energy products are gaining momentum - but their upfront cost can make them inaccessible to low-income customers. Commercial banks have struggled to penetrate these markets, but Thelma Obiakor at the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa explains that this is now changing. Thanks to agency banking, financial services and solar companies are providing a bridge to both energy access and greater financial inclusion.
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Solar Costs Have Fallen 82% Since 2010
Between 2010 and 2019, the amount of global solar capacity rose from 40 GW to 580 GW, according to Irena – a growth factor of 14. During the same period, module prices fell 90% and balance of system (BoS) costs also decreased, if less steeply.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Tags
- renewable energy
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Viewpoint: Minigrids Are a Missing Piece of the Integrated Electrification Puzzle
Solar home systems are effective for rural households. But for hundreds of millions, minigrids may be lowest-cost path toward electrification.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Tags
- renewable energy
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Renewables Increasingly Beat Even Cheapest Coal Competitors on Cost
Competitive power generation costs make investment in renewables highly attractive as countries target economic recovery from COVID-19, new IRENA report finds.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Tags
- renewable energy
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Viewpoint: Off-Grid Solar Is Vital for Driving Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery
The last compilation report in the Powering Opportunity Series highlights the wide-ranging benefits of solar home systems (SHS) and why the impact and potential of the off-grid solar sector must be protected.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
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Four Lessons Utility Providers Can Learn from the Financial Inclusion Sector
Over 1 billion people lack reliable access to essential services like sanitation, potable water and electricity - and reaching them remains a stubborn challenge. But as Jacob Winiecki and Malika Anand at BFA point out, the financial inclusion industry has learned a lot about how to serve low-income customers in remote communities. They share four key lessons in this thought-provoking article.
