NRG Energy, Inc. is a large American energy company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was formerly the wholesale arm of Northern States Power Company (NSP), which became Xcel Energy, but became independent in 2000. NRG Energy is involved in energy generation and retail electricity. Their portfolio includes natural gas generation, coal generation, oil generation, nuclear generation, wind generation, utility scale generation, and distributed solar generation. NRG serves 2.9 million retail customers in Texas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the District of Columbia.
Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
BrightSource Energy, Inc. is an Oakland, California based, corporation that designs, builds, finances, and operates utility-scale solar power plants.
Invenergy is an American based multinational power generation development and operations company. The company develops, builds, owns and operates power generation and energy storage projects in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Its portfolio includes wind, solar, and natural gas power generation and energy storage facilities. It is one of the six largest owners of wind generation plants in the United States and is North America's largest privately held renewable power generation company.
Google Energy LLC is a subsidiary company of Alphabet Inc., which was created to reduce costs of energy consumption of the Google Group, and subsequently to produce and sell clean energy. The division also allows it to take advantage of projects funded through the philanthropic Google.org.
Solar power in Michigan has been growing in recent years due to new technological improvements, falling solar prices and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives, particularly a 30% federal tax credit, available for any size project. Although among the lowest U.S. states for solar irradiance, Michigan mostly lies farther south than Germany where solar power is heavily deployed. Michigan is expected to use 120 TWh per year in 2030. To reach a 100% solar electrical grid would require 2.4% of Michigan's land area to host 108 GW of installed capacity.
Solar power in New Zealand is on the rise, but operates in an entirely free market with no form of subsidies or intervention from the New Zealand Government. As at the end of October 2021, New Zealand has 177.5 MW of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) solar power installed, of which 64.6 MW were installed in the preceding 24 months.
Kopere Solar Power Station, is a planned 50 megawatts (67,000 hp) solar power plant in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community.
The Chiredzi Solar Power Station is a 90 MW (120,000 hp) solar power plant under development in Zimbabwe. The project is rated as one of the largest single investment by a local company in Masvingo Province, since independence in 1980.
The Colleen Bawn Solar Power Station is a 32 MW (43,000 hp) solar power plant under development in Zimbabwe. The project is owned by Pretoria Portland Cement Limited, who own a cement factory in Colleen Bawn and plan to consume 16 megawatts of the electricity generated and sell the rest to the Zimbabwe national grid.
The Kwekwe Solar Power Station is a proposed 50 MW (67,000 hp) solar power plant in Zimbabwe. The power station is under development by a consortium comprising Tatanga Energy, an independent power producer (IPP) and Sable Chemical Industries, a fertilizer-manufacturing company. The energy generated by this station is intended for use, primarily in the fertilizer factory, with the excess sold to Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), for integration into the national electricity grid.
BXC Solar Power Station, also Onyandze Solar Power Station, is an operational 20 megawatt solar power plant in Ghana. The solar farm was developed, financed and is owned and operated by Beijing Xiaocheng Company, a Chinese independent power producer (IPP). The power station, commercially commissioned in April 2016, was the largest grid-ready IPP solar farm in Ghana, at that time. The energy generated at this power station is evacuated via a high voltage transmission line to a substation at Winneba Roundabout, where it enters the national grid.
The Umguza Solar Power Station is a proposed 200 MW solar power plant in Zimbabwe. The project which will be developed in phases, will see 50 megawatts of energy developed in the first phase. The rest of the project is expected to follow after about three years. The power station is under development by AF Power Private Limited, an independent power producer (IPP), based in Singapore.
Tati Solar Power Station (TSPS), is a planned 100 megawatts (130,000 hp) solar power station in Botswana. The power station is under development by a consortium that comprises two independent power producers (IPPs), one based in Botswana, and the other based in the United Kingdom. When completed, this renewable energy infrastructure project is expected to become the first privately owned, large-scale grid-ready, solar power plant in the country.
Nacala Solar Power Station, is a planned solar power plant in Mozambique. The 100 megawatt installation is at the feasibility study stage. If and when the solar farm is developed, it will be the largest solar power station in the country. The development plans to include an energy-storage facility with capacity of 50 megawatts. The lead developer is WHN Solar Company, a Mozambican independent power producer (IPP).
Ngonyezi Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage Power Station, also Ngonyezi Power Station, is a planned 2,000 megawatt-hours (7,200 GJ) hydroelectric power station, across the Odzi River, a tributary of the Save River, in Zimbabwe. The power station is under development by Ngonyezi Projects Limited (NPL), a company based in Pretoria, South Africa. NPL will also build a floating solar farm on the existing Osborne Dam reservoir with capacity of 300 megawatts. On sunny days, the solar farm will supply energy to the grid directly. When the sun goes down or on cloudy/rainy days or during peak hours, the stored water in the upper reservoir will be turned on to produce hydroelectric power by turning turbines, as it flows to the lower reservoir. After the upper reservoir is empty, the solar farm will provide energy to pump the water back into the upper reservoir and begin the cycle once gain.
Mozambique has abundant energy sources available for exploitation. As of 2021, the country was ranked first in energy potential of all the countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), with an estimated energy capacity of 187,000 MW. Available energy sources include coal, hydroelectricity, natural gas, solar energy and wind power. As of September 2021, the largest proportion of the power currently generated is from hydroelectric sources. However the energy mix in the country is changing. Natural gas powered energy stations are expected to provide 44 percent of total energy generation from 2020 to 2030.
The Kolwezi Solar Power Station is a proposed 100 MW (130,000 hp) solar power plant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The power station is under development by a number of independent power producers and international financial institutions. The energy from this solar farm will be sold to the Société Nationale d'Électricité (SNEL), the national electricity utility company.
The Caraculo Solar Power Station is a planned 50 MW (67,000 hp) solar power plant in Angola. The power station is in the planning stage, by a consortium comprising Eni, the Italian energy multinational, in collaboration with Sonangol, the Angolan energy parastatal.
