Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday that renewable energy currently accounts for 62% of the country's installed power capacity and is a good choice for the development of clean and green energy. Renewable energy refers to energy sources such as hydropower, solar energy and biomass, most of which come from hydroelectric dams. The Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) reported that Cambodia's energy supply will rise to 4,495 MW in 2022, up 12.6% from 3,990 MW a year ago, with 98.27% of the country's 14,168 villages already connected to electricity.
The Gujarat government informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday that more than 230,000 household consumers have signed up for the Surya Gujarat Solar Roofs scheme in the past two years. Launched in August 2019, the scheme aims to promote the installation of large-scale rooftop solar systems on the rooftops of private homes. Ahmedabad led the way with 34,794 registered households followed by Vadodara with 33,918, Surat with 30,918 and Rajkot with 24,118. The government provides subsidies of 40% for up to 3kW of electricity and 20% for up to 10kW of electricity, aiming to cover 800,000 residential consumers by 2022. As of June 2020, Gujarat Energy Development Corporation and other electricity distribution companies have received more than 128,000 applications for solar roofs under the scheme through an online portal.
Polish lawmakers have approved a new law easing rules for the installation of onshore wind turbines, a move urged by the European Union. The law allows turbines to be built no closer than 700 meters (765 yards) from houses, less restrictive than previous rules that required turbines to be 10 times taller. The vote was 231 to 209, with two abstentions. The new law gives local residents more say over where the turbines are located and lets them share in the energy generated, but critics say the liberalization is not enough and still limits the number of potential locations and the amount of electricity that can be drawn from the wind. The government has been supporting solar with subsidized solar panels for households and plans to build a major offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. Brussels wants Warsaw to hit some milestones before disbursing billions of euros in pandemic recovery funds, including improving Poland's rule of law record and easing rules for disciplinary judges.
Malaysia needs to double its investment in renewable energy transition to at least US$375 billion to meet its ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said on Thursday. This would reduce energy-related emissions by up to 60%, avoid cumulative energy, climate and health cost savings of $9 billion to $13 billion annually, and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Investment must come from private investment and from abroad, including multilateral financial institutions, bilateral and regional arrangements.
Solar farms can take up a lot of space, but there is a solution to this scarcity: floating panels. In nearly a dozen countries around the world, floating solar farms are offering a welcome alternative to ground-mounted modules, with the potential to significantly boost clean energy as the world races to reduce carbon emissions. Large solar farms can now be found on the waters of China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Portugal, Singapore and Switzerland. Countries including India and Indonesia are developing such projects, and the world's largest man-made lake may also feature floating solar panels to supplement local hydroelectric power. The floating solar panels use the sun's rays to generate electricity, but the water on which these farms depend also helps cool the panels, making them 15 percent more efficient than ground-based solar energy. Floating solar can complement other renewable energy sources.
The Sirindhorn Dam in Thailand is a hydro-floating solar hybrid system that combines hydroelectric power and floating solar power to generate electricity in both sunny and cloudy days. Southeast Asian countries including China and South Korea have invested heavily in floating solar, and Europe is now its second-biggest market. As water constraints increase around the world, floating solar power may help maintain supplies and reduce the chances of harmful algal blooms. However, whether floating solar will negatively impact wildlife and water quality is unclear. The biggest barrier to adoption is cost, as floating solar systems require anchoring systems to lock them in place. Longi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd, one of the world's largest solar manufacturers, is sending panels into space to test the possibility of harnessing solar power in orbit.
AMPELMANN, a Dutch transport solution provider in the Dutch offshore wind energy company, has opened an office in Taiwan to support the industry in the Asia -Pacific region. The new office will be responsible for business development manager Ramesh Namas Wei, and the latter will promote the expansion of the company's efforts in the area. In the past few months, ampelmann has obtained a number of contracts in Taiwan from its Singapore office, and is glad to walk (W2W) is the first choice for customers to access the offshore platform. Last season, AMPELMANN signed four contracts with different customers to provide its system to the expanded market. It mobilizes two E1000 and two types of A. Considering that the entire team in the area is 15 units, this is a large number of activities.