THE FRIDAY NOTE: Egypt calls 500-MW wind, solar tender and more top news

This week Egypt invited tenders for 500 MW of wind and solar projects, Lightsource Renewable unveiled plans to pour hundreds of millions in Irish solar projects, and The Nation reported that Impact Energy Asia will develop a 600-MW wind project in Laos.

Other top news include Turkey’s announcement of a 2,000-MW wind auction in 2016, Australian firm Heliostat’s deal with Global Wind Power for joint utility-scale solar projects in India, and GE's wind growth in Brazil.

TENDERS

Egypt on Monday invited bids for the development of 250 MW of wind, 200 MW of photovoltaic (PV) and 50 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) capacity. Interested parties should submit pre-qualification documents for the wind tender by October 5, 2015, while bids as part of the PV and CSP auctions are expected in November.

Turkey, meanwhile, will hold a 2,000-MW wind auction in 2016, the preliminary applications for which will be welcome in October.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/egypt-invites-bids-for-500-mw-of-solar-wind-energy-projects-488301

and at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/turkey-to-launch-2-gw-wind-power-auction-in-2016-487943

BIG WIND IN LAOS, GHANA

Impact Energy Asia Co Ltd will develop the 600-MW Monsoon wind project in southern Laos under an agreement signed by the Lao government and Thai renewables firm last Friday. The start of operation is planned for 2019, with 95% of the power output to be sold to Asian markets.

In Ghana, construction can commence in 2016 of the 225-MW Ayitepa wind farm on the eastern coast of the country, a project owned by Ireland-based Mainstream Renewable Power. All environmental permits have been secured and the grid connection and power purchase agreements are being finalised.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/thai-company-to-build-600-mw-wind-farm-in-laos-report-487806

and at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/mainstreams-225-mw-wind-farm-in-ghana-to-enter-construction-in-2016-487674

LIGHTSOURCE’S SUNNY IRELAND

UK-based solar power company Lightsource Renewable Energy says Ireland could turn into a 1.5-GW solar market in the next five years. It is planning to be the owner “of several hundred megawatts” there.

At the end of 2014, Ireland had just 1.1 MWp of solar PV capacity. Lightsource's total investment on the local market would very much depend on the consultation process on renewable energy, which is currently in progress.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/lightsource-plans-huge-solar-investments-in-ireland-report-487887

HELIOSTAT EYES 1 GW IN INDIA

Australian solar technology firm Heliostat wants to install 1-GW solar projects portfolio in solar-rich regions of India over the coming four years. It has already secured a local partner -- Global Wind Power Ltd (GWPL), with which it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop utility-scale projects.

Heliostat is focused on CSP and concentrated solar photovoltaic (CSPV) projects.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/australias-heliostat-inks-mou-in-india-as-part-of-1-gw-solar-plan-487724

GE IN BRAZIL

General Electric Co (NYSE:GE) has recently booked its largest deal in Latin America with a contract to deliver 156 wind turbines to a 360 MW project in Brazil, a company official told Bloomberg in an interview. Soon after that, it was announced that the company would also increase the production capacity of its turbine factory in Sao Paulo to 500 machines per year.

Brazil’s wind energy market has been expanding at a rapid pace and has now topped 7 GW of installed wind power capacity.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/ge-bags-largest-wind-deal-in-brazil-with-360-mw-turbine-order-report-487773

at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/ge-to-increase-wind-turbine-production-capacity-in-brazil-488242

and at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/brazil-hits-7-gw-of-installed-wind-power-capacity-487772

94 RENEWABLE DAYS IN COSTA RICA

Leaving the best for last, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) said Wednesday that renewables have generated 100% of the country's power for 94 consecutive days to August 9. Geothermal and hydropower plants (HPP) were the main energy sources used during the period.

More details at: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/costa-rica-beats-own-record-relies-solely-on-renewables-for-94-days-488370

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