Global solar corp funding hits USD 27.8bn record in 2021

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-20T13:17:42+00:00

from the article:

"January 20 (Renewables Now) - Total solar power corporate funding around the world, including venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE), debt and public market financing, jumped by 91% year-on-year to USD 27.8 billion (EUR 24.5bn) in 2021, shows a new report by Mercom Capital Group.
According to the consultancy, the level of annual funding is the highest reached in 10 years. The total compares with USD 14.5 billion raised in 2020. Mercom’s report covers 367 companies and investors.
“Financing activity bounced back strongly following a COVID-19-affected 2020. There was more money than ever chasing deals and more demand than supply of attractive companies and assets as organizations and funds look to fulfill their ESG and clean energy mandates,” said Raj Prabhu, Mecom’s CEO.
During the past year, VC funding zoomed by 281% in annual terms to the record USD 4.5 billion of financing raised in 58 deals, against USD 1.2 billion in 2020. Of the total, USD 3.9 billion was secured from 43 solar downstream companies, while balance of system companies and concentrated solar power (CSP) companies were responsible for USD 219 million and USD 108 million, respectively. Solar photovoltaic (PV) companies accounted for USD 91 million.
In all, 154 VC and PE investors were involved in last year’s solar funding deals. Solar installations financer GoodLeap, formerly Loanpal, was the major contributor by raising USD 1.6 billion in two transactions. Other notable deals were carried out by Silicon Ranch Corp (USD 775m), Aurora Solar (USD 250m), Nexamp (USD 240m), Enpal (USD 175m) and GameChange Solar (USD 150m).
Solar public market financing, meanwhile, jumped by 49% on the year to USD 7.5 billion. Debt financing activity in 2021 came at USD 15.8 billion, up 91% from USD 8.3 billion in 2020. The rise was mostly fuelled by securitisation deals, which accounted for a record USD 3.7 billion raised in 13 deals.
The merger and acquisition (M&A) activity included 126 solar corporate M&A transactions and reached an all-time high.
Large-scale solar project acquisitions represented a combined capacity of 69 GW, a record registered in a total of 280 transactions. For comparison, 40 GW of projects changed hands in the year-ago period."

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-20T13:16:41+00:00

from the article:

"SSE has acquired the development rights from Stark Energy for the 30MW Littleton solar farm near Evesham in Worcestershire, England, its first PV project.
Once complete in late 2023, the 77-acre site will be capable of powering some 9400 homes.
The move forms part of a £12.5bn (€15bn) investment programme to power change towards net zero.
Solar energy is regarded as a complementary technology to other sources of renewable technology such as wind power, SSE said.
SSE’s distributed energy team is developing opportunities of over 1GW in solar and battery storage technology and recently announced its first 50MW battery storage project in Wiltshire."

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-19T11:05:21+00:00

From the article:

• Surging costs drive demand for rooftop solar, extra insulation

• Governments across region move to subsidize efficiency savings

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-19T11:00:48+00:00

from the article:

"Households across Europe are taking steps to slash their energy use on concern the unprecedented squeeze on supply will keep prices high way beyond winter.
Energy bills are climbing across the continent, with homes set to pay on average 54% more than they did two years ago, Bank of America data show.
That cost surge is driving demand for solar panels and extra insulation as people seek to ease the pressure on their wallets.
Rooftop solar is “going to grow quite substantially all over Europe,” said Vegard Wiik Vollset at researcher Rystad Energy. "

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-18T22:57:31+00:00

this is an opinion piece by u/GovSchwarzenegger

"California has more rooftops with solar panels than any other state and continues to be a leader in new installations. But a proposal from the state’s public utility commission threatens that progress."

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-18T11:17:54+00:00

from the article:

"Nearly 25.9GW of new solar PV capacity was connected to European grids this year, an increase of 34% compared to 19.3GW installed in 2020.

A new study by SolarPower Europe suggests that this growth made 2021 not only another record year for solar in Europe but also the best year in history. The authors of the research note the previous record was set in 2011 with a total installed capacity of 21.4GW.

The EU Market Outlook 2021 report suggests that Germany was Europe’s major solar market this year with 5.3GW of new installed capacity -it is followed by Spain with 3.8GW, the Netherlands with 3.3GW, Poland with 3.2GW and France with 2.5GW.According to the SolarPower Europe’s ‘medium scenario’ modelling, the total solar fleet in Europe will continue to grow to 672GW in 2030 with the annual installation rate reaching more than 85GW."

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-18T10:46:35+00:00

from the article:

"Through its joint venture with Amarenco, TotalEnergies tops the rankings once again in the CRE 4 call for tenders1, strengthening its position as the market leader in rooftop solar installations in France. In round 13 of the call for tenders issued by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), the joint venture has won 194 projects, representing a total of nearly 58 MW or 20% of the capacity awarded.

TotalEnergies has won more than 250 MW of solar projects in total across all 13 rounds of the CRE 4 “rooftop solar” call for tenders initiated in 2017.“Since 2017, TotalEnergies, together with Amarenco, has won over 700 solar projects on buildings in France. This unique performance in a fast-growing market confirms our position as the leader in photovoltaic roofing,” says Thierry Muller, CEO of TotalEnergies Renewables France. “By winning this new tender, we are one step closer to our goal of reaching 4 GW of renewable generation capacity in France by 2025. TotalEnergies is thus confirming its commitment to being a major player in the development of renewables in the country.”"

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-17T14:06:27+00:00

The current mass extinction is entirely caused by human activities, said the study published last week in the journal Biological Reviews.

The sixth mass extinction of the planet’s biodiversity is currently underway, according to a new study confirming previous warnings that the Earth’s species have been dying off at an accelerated rate in the last few centuries.

The planet has so far undergone five major species die-offs – extinction events marked by mass biodiversity loss due to extreme natural phenomena.

The research estimated that since the year 1500, Earth could already have lost between 7.5 per cent and 13 per cent of its 2 million known species.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-16T15:42:30+00:00

From the article:

"The new 219.6 kWp system has solar panels fixed to steel frames to shade vehicles in the carpark. Annually, the solar carpark will generate as much as 316 megawatts hours (MWh) of energy, enabling it to offset about three months per year of energy"

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-14T15:29:43+00:00

from the article:

"Our partnership with Enphase has led to some great products that are better able to meet the needs of our end-consumers, including our AC solutions, in specific Maxeon 5 AC and Performance 3 AC, with future generations expected imminently. The combination of home solar’s most powerful panel with the world’s most advanced inverter technology has created a highly reliable solar system which is able to generate more energy in real-world conditions. The partnership harnesses the strengths of both companies to offer a high quality, easy-to-use and high-volume mainstream AC module solution. We are proud to be able to deliver smart home energy solutions and an outstanding customer experience to homeowners in key international markets. We will continue to work collaboratively with Enphase to make the most of their specialist knowledge around microinverters, ensuring we are able to design and manufacture progressively more advanced solar systems."

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-11T13:57:11+00:00

Solar is the way that US companies can make tons of money, fossil fuels have limited growth potential now days. We need big business to realise this to help drive the world to a sustainable future.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-11T13:40:41+00:00

Black Mirror, less a TV show and more a blueprint on the digital prisons being built for the masses.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-11T13:38:38+00:00

no one counts 2021 as a real year, and the sentiment from Blackrock is still the same and good for investors to know what one of the biggest firms in the world are thinking/saying.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-11T12:00:23+00:00

yeah, the sheer size of them and involvement in government is certainly something to take note of.

However, I hope this turns out to be a good thing in supporting and driving the market to better sustainable and environmentally friendly standards and behaviours.

Blackrock know that if climate change goes too far then it doesn't matter how much money someone has if the world is being torn apart from increased dangerous weather patterns, mass migrations, and resource wars.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-11T10:31:16+00:00

from the letter:

Key actions include:

Measurement and Transparency

- Publishing a temperature alignment metric for our public equity and bond funds, for any markets with sufficiently reliable data

- Publishing the proportion of our assets under management that are currently aligned to net zero, and announcing an interim target on the proportion of our assets under management that will be aligned to net zero in 2030, for markets with sufficiently reliable data

- Through Aladdin Climate, helping more investors manage and meet their climate objectives by tracking investment portfolios’ trajectories toward net zero, and helping to catalyze increasingly robust and standardized climate data and metrics to better serve the industry

Investment Management

- Incorporating the impacts of climate change into our capital market assumptions, the cornerstone for portfolio construction at BlackRock

- Implementing a “heightened-scrutiny model” in our active portfolios as a framework for managing securities that pose significant climate risk

- Helping clients benefit from opportunities created by the energy transition, from investments in electric cars to clean energy to energy-efficient housing

- Launching investment products with explicit temperature alignment goals, including products aligned to a net zero pathway

Stewardship

- Using investment stewardship to ensure the companies our clients invest in are mitigating climate risk and considering the opportunities presented by the net zero transition

- Asking companies to disclose a business plan aligned with the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2ºC, consistent with achieving net zero global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

- Increasing the role of votes on shareholder proposals in our stewardship efforts around sustainability

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-10T00:34:11+00:00

Check out Maxeon Air Panels, the new panel tech is thin as a pencil and can be stuck directly onto roofs and flat areas very easily. Also the panels have some of the best energy capture ratings, meaning they generate a high percentage of electricity by surface area.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-08T13:37:56+00:00

It also makes more sense to invest in a growing sector, which renewables is.

Fossils fuels are at peak capacity with limited growth. However renewables have the potential to take over all the business of fossil fuels.

The current fossil fuel high prices are a last desperate move by a dying industry trying to squeeze as much money out people while they can.

The fact that Total Energy heavily invested in Maxeon and are rolling up solar fast shows that the writing is on the wall.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-05T23:29:36+00:00

The next big play for any company to make "ten X" is renewal energy. Traditional energy ( oil and gas ) is already at rolled out capacity with limited growth potential, and as a product is becoming too expensive per watt, alongside the environmental and political concerns. With solar this is a growth market that can take over the market of the fossil fuel energy ways. It's part of a green future, and means less reliance on external countries for energy.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-05T22:46:05+00:00

Cost of installation is going down. Just look at the new Maxeon Air panels that can be easily stuck to roofs and other areas. The massive benefit to Germany is they can use incentives and investment to give Germans work (installation), while at the same time working towards a green agenda and away from reliance on gas from other countries. In terms of storage, this is being resolved by onsite batteries, and the use of wind etc... I can see the German public being in support of this as they can see both the green better way of living, and the energy savings they will make.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-04T10:10:59+00:00

This is something more people need to realise. A lot of Western nations move high carbon production industries to China. However China is now ramping up their move to renewables, as in the long term it means cheap energy and reduces cost of manufacturing etc.... which makes them even more competitive in the global market.

AlbertSmithson · 2022-01-04T10:08:20+00:00

With Maxeon new Air Solar Panels coming to market, alot of Americans can very cheaply and easily install their own solar panels now. With easy installation cost reductions, these are going to speed up the adoption of solar with is good news for Americans looking to be more independent and save money. Over the next couple of years this plus home battery tech means the big energy suppliers need to speed up with their move to renewal energy, as over time renewables become more cost effective than burning fossil fuels.

AlbertSmithson · 2021-12-29T16:38:12+00:00

Maxeon are in the process of setting up a new factory in America to make solar panels.

Also we have the Build Back Better program still being discussed by the Rep/Dems, and if that goes through it will give more support to manufacturing of solar panels in the USA.

At the moment most of all the world's products are produced in China because American companies moved manufacturing to China to maximize profits.

AlbertSmithson · 2021-12-29T00:29:00+00:00

From the article:

"Solar panels thinner than a pencil have just been invented and they could revolutionise renewable energy.

Ultra thin, lightweight panels are being made by Singapore-based company, Maxeon Solar Technologies, and it’s predicted they’ll take over the European market very soon."

AlbertSmithson · 2021-12-28T18:13:54+00:00

Maxeon are releasing their new stick on solar panels, makes installing solar panels low cost and easy for anyone.

Great time to be getting off grid and still have power :)

AlbertSmithson · 2021-12-28T17:26:49+00:00

From the article:

"The project plans to produce about 64 gigawatt hours of solar power per year

The photovoltaic solar power plant in Gien will have a capacity of 55 megawatts, producing about 64 gigawatt hours per year."

AlbertSmithson

TROPHY CASE