Portugal’s record-breaking solar auction “exceeded expectations”, a top government official has told PV Tech, confirming that Spanish company Enerland was the company with the lowest bid.
Yesterday’s record-breaking bid opening in Saudi Arabia for 300MW of solar has grabbed headlines, including on PV Tech, but while the exact parameters of the RfP remain covert, the bid levels have sparked debate about whether such low prices can be possible without some kind of escalating tariff mechanism or other distortion.
UPDATED: Saudi Arabia’s 300MW solar tender has seen opening bids go lower than two US cents, setting the tone for a new global solar power tariff record if awarded.
Tucson Electric Power (TEP) has entered the US into a new realm of solar at below 3 cents/kWh, after similar prices have been regularly achieved in other countries such as Dubai, Chile and Mexico for over a year now.
The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has reduced the benchmark tariff for grid-connected utility-scale solar in the Indian state from INR6.51/kWh (US$0.101) to INR4.36/kWh (US$0.068).
Finnish firm Fortum has commissioned a 70MW solar PV plant in the Indian state of Rajasthan, which it won last year at what was then a record low tariff of INR4.34/kWh (US$0.067).
Indian solar tariffs have reached a paradigm shifting new low after the final reverse auction round for 750MW capacity in Madhya Pradesh followed through into a nail biting second day.