Posted on by Miguel Granier

Momentum in the Solar Energy Sector

Solar energy is one of the biggest potential sources for decentralized energy. Check out news from the last few weeks on the latest news in the solar industry.

Nebo Suggests Adoption Of Solar Energy By Africa on Leadership Newspaper

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, recently suggested that African countries should embrace solar energy as a major form of power generation for the continent. He cited the expansive solar resources that Africa holds and encouraged more countries to take advantage of the renewable resource. Many other heads of state agreed with Nebo and NEPAD made a goal of producing 60% of the energy supply from renewable sources by 2020.

Ghana to House Africa’s Largest Utility Scale Solar Power Plant by Dorothy Davis Ballard on PennEnergy

The largest solar plant in Africa, and the sixth largest in the world, will soon be housed in Ghana. Mere Power Nzema Limited (MPNL) is currently in the process of building Nzema solar park, which will contain nearly 630,000 photovoltaic panels. This plant is part of Ghana’s initiative to expand its renewable energy industry, with goals of producing 10% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. This initiative will help to support the fast growing economy of Ghana over the next few years.

Is Solar Energy the Answer to Brazil’s Energy Crisis? by Herman Trabish on The Energy Collective

In a new solar project, Yingli Green Energy will be installing a 1-megawatt installation in Brazil’s Arena Pernambuco. The net-metered system is in the solar-supportive state of Penambuco and will generate more than 1,500 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. The energy from this module that is not consumed by the stadium will go into the local community’s power grid. While Brazil’s solar market is just beginning to take off, experts say that the country has “no ceiling on potential growth over the long term”.

Google Backs Study on Economic Benefits of Solar Lamps by Jessica Shankleman on Business Green Plus

Google will fund a $650,000 research project with UK charity SolarAid in order to analyze the extent to which solar lights help to alleviate poverty in Africa. The project will help to demonstrate the effects and benefits of solar energy, in order to support the growing market around solar lamps in the developing world. An independent research partner will conduct the research, with a goal of interviewing 15,000 people across three counties in Kenya.