The global solar sector witnessed total corporate funding of USD 2 billion in the first three months of 2018, a decline of 65 per cent over the previous quarter, as per a report by clean energy consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.
Total corporate funding, including venture capital funding, public market and debt financing, into the solar sector stood at USD 5.7 billion during the fourth quarter of 2017. Also, the funding during January-March 2018 was 38 per cent lower than USD 3.2 billion raised in the corresponding period of 2017.
The bright spot during Q1 was a record-high number of solar project acquisitions, proving that solar power generation is a sought-after asset class.
Among the top five large scale projects announced during the first quarter of 2018 were Gulf Coast Center Solar Projects (US), Tailem Solar Project (Australia) and Telangana Solar Project (India).
The report also noted that 19 transactions pertaining to solar mergers and acquisitions were announced in the first quarter of 2018 compared to 13 in the previous quarter and 29 in the first three months of 2017.