Solar ... In the news

Martyn1981

Australia's UNSW sets sunlight-to-electricity efficiency record of 34.5%

What is striking about this latest achievement, however, is that normal sunlight was used, making the technique feasibly deployable in standard solar PV cells. The previous record using such a technique was 24% conversion efficiency, set by Alta Devices of the U.S., but over a greater surface area: 800 cm2 compared to UNSW’s 28 cm2.

"What’s remarkable," added Green, "is that this level of efficiency had not been expected for many years. A recent study by Germany’s Agora Energiewende set an aggressive target of 35% efficiency by 2050 for a module that uses unconcentrated sunlight, such as the standard ones on a family home."

The multi-junction cells used in UNSW tests are not likely to feature in mass-produced panels for a while yet due to the cost and effort required in producing them. However, UNSW researchers are also focusing on ways to lower production costs of such cells.

"Things are moving faster in solar cell efficiency than many experts expected, and that’s good news for solar energy," said Green.

Mart.

theboylard

Mobile quoting still borked :mad:

Just read this news Mart on El Reg and came here to post it!

I'll just lie in the lovely 27° whilst it wees down at home!

Martyn1981

Very promising reports on PV integration in the US are published:

U.S. DOE: Solar PV can meet 25%+ of annual demand without major intervention

The Energy Department has released eight reports dealing with issues as varied as reaching higher penetrations of solar on the grid, technology improvements and strategies to bring down costs.

“As the proportion of solar energy on the grid reaches unprecedented levels, the systems that manage U.S. electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption must evolve to maintain grid reliability and cost-effective solar integration,” notes DOE.

The first report of the eight, authored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL), finds that curtailment could affect the economics of solar generation and erase the progress made under SunShot goals when solar is meeting 20% of annual electricity demand.

However, it also finds that with the replacement of baseload with flexible generation, utilizing advanced inverter capabilities and other measures, solar PV can remain cost-competitive while meeting 25% or more of annual demand “without any major intervention”.

In terms of energy storage, the report’s assumptions are limited. NREL looked at California as its base model, and the figure that assumes that 25% of annual demand can be met with solar PV includes only the energy storage which is currently planned for construction by 2020.

Mart.

Martyn1981

Interesting article on a large demand side install in London, with some storage:-

London borough installs 6,000 solar panels over marketplace

£2m scheme by Hounslow council on Western International Market will be biggest solar scheme by any local authority, and use batteries to store energy

The London Borough of Hounslow says its £2m investment in solar, which has been installed on the roof of Western International Market, is also the first by a council to adopt battery storage to maximise the power from the panels. The 1.73 megawatt (MW) array of 6,069 panels and four 60kW lithium batteries system now generates half the site’s required electricity.

The embedded description/quote from the installers doesn't give away much, but it was interesting to see the table '2.1 Business Case' which gives a payback in years of 11.22 excluding battery storage, and 11.20 including battery storage.

So it looks like we're going in the right direction.

Mart.

silverwhistle

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Interesting article..

Pah! I might have known you'd get here before me. ;-)

Martyn1981

Ecotricity seals hybrid double

Ecotricity has received planning permission to build solar parks next to existing wind farms in the UK to create two hybrid energy facilities.

Edit: More info here:

Ecotricity wins approval for new hybrid renewable energy sites

Mart.

Martyn1981

Australia brown coal warriors switch to solar, disruptive technologies

This must be a sign of the times: The two men who ran Australia’s two dirtiest brown coal generators, and who were one-time trenchant critics of climate and renewable energy policies, have switched sides. They have now thrown in their lot with the solar industry and other disruptive technologies.

Mart.

Martyn1981

Quite a lot happening in Australia with regard to PV and storage. Similar is happening in Hawaii.

I suspect it'll be Australia that we watch for the rest of this decade with regard to storage, costs, successes and failures.

Once again things seem to be happening a bit faster than I expected, we seem to keep hitting a point where things just suddenly snowball.

Most voters support transition to 100% renewable energy, says Australia Institute

“The combination of batteries paired with variable renewable energy such as solar and wind can now provide security of electricity supply, with zero emissions,” says the author of the report, Australia Institute strategist Dan Cass.

The report found that one in four Australians wish to create and store power in order to unplug from the grid and that 80% of the 1.5m Australian households to have already invested in rooftop solar are considering the purchase of batteries.

It also noted that the predicted boom in electric cars could see households using such vehicles when parked and plugged in as storage providers for the wider energy network.

Mart.

legoman62

Renewable energy surges to record levels around the world

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36420750

Martyn1981

Australia is definitely the one to watch for PV storage.

Working backwards, here's an article on the subsidies launched in Adelaide last year for PV, storage, EV's etc:

Australia’s First Battery Energy Storage Incentive Launched

“Energy storage coupled with renewables is a game changer for the way the world reduces carbon emissions. With more than 27% of South Australian households already having solar PV on their roof, we are perfectly positioned to embrace the next era. I am proud to lead the first Australian government to offer such comprehensive incentives.”

Mayor Haese said the Adelaide City community had slashed its carbon emissions by 19% between 2007 and 2013. The Council itself has reduced emissions by 60%, energy use by 10.3% and saved more than $400,000 a year on electricity costs since 2009/10.

and here's the recent article referencing the above subsidies:

Tesla & Samsung Chosen For Solar Power + Energy Storage Trial In Australia

A trial of 100 heavily subsidized battery systems combined with solar power has been launched by SA Power Networks in an Adelaide suburb. The Tesla Powerwall and an energy storage product from Samsung will be used in the trial.

Combinations of solar PV, battery storage, and grid connections are the future of energy provision. With the right settings and approach they will provide benefits for customers and to us as managers of the network and also help contain long–term network costs for customers,” explained Mr. Roberts.

This is a fascinating project for a number of reasons, but the prospect of not having new utility poles and wires is intriguing on its own.

Mart.