Solar ... In the news

Martyn1981

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Early days, but in a few years we could possibly see a massive solar farm in Kent, a monster of 350MW.

It will also include batteries and provide balancing services, so would aim to be subsidy free.

Hive Energy, Wirsol announce plans for huge, ‘pioneering’ 350MW solar farm in Kent

Developers propose 350 MW PV+storage project in UK

Little bit more info. The idea is that the economics could line up for 2020, and interestingly, it would share the substation built to serve the London Array windfarm, sounds like a good plan.

UK's biggest solar farm planned for Kent coast

Martyn1981

Flippin eck!

Four key takeaways on Italian PV from Key Solar event

A new energy strategy with solar at its core
Today (Friday November 10) at 12 noon the Italian government is expected to release the final version of a new energy strategy (Strategia Energetica Nazionale – SEN) that could place solar as one of the main pillars of Italy’s future Italian energy system for the period 2020 to 2030.

The new strategy could even envisage the deployment of between 30 GW and 50 GW of additional solar capacity over that period, as revealed during one of the fair’s conferences by scientific director of the event Gianni Silvestrini, who also happens to be one of the most prominent figure in the Italian solar and renewable energy landscape.

Martyn1981

Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer before UK homes get a Tesla tile roof over their heads.

Tesla silent over prospective delays to UK solar roof tile launch

Martyn1981

And in other news from North America, check out those PV prices. :T

Mexico’s power auction pre-selects 16 bids with average price of $20.57/MWh and 2.56 GW of combined capacity

In the country’s first two auctions, which were held last year, PV projects with a combined capacity of 3.6 GW were ultimately selected. In both of them, around 1.8 GW of contracts for solar power projects were awarded. In the first auction, the final average price for solar power was $44.9/MWh, while in the second tender the average price for PV was $31.7/MWh.

So, in less than 2 years contracts have gone $44.9 to $31.7 to $20.57.

Looks like the worldwide disruption has begun, and to think, only 7 years ago folk where betting against PV, and even more recent than that claiming that we shouldn't install PV at all in the UK.

I think everyone's estimations have been blown, especially mine.

Martyn1981

Two British stories, a community storage project, and the benefits of distributed generation.

Solar takes centre stage in UK’s first blockchain, P2P trading pilot

Verv is to fit 40 houses on the estate with its Verv 2.0 platform, connecting them to communal battery storage units to be supplied by Powervault. These will in turn be connected with the rooftop solar installations deployed by Repowering London in 2015.

Totalling more than 100kW, they make up the country’s largest community-owned solar installation on social housing and have helped lift residents from fuel poverty.

Distributed power could provide multi-billion-pound boost for economy, Centrica claims

The firm has this week published a new report, entitled ‘Distributed Energy: Powering Britain’s Economic Future’, which suggests that deploying greater on-site generation such as solar could provide benefits long beyond merely saving on energy costs.

If sectors such as heavy industry, healthcare and hospitality adopted more decentralised power the benefits would be felt across the economy.

Analysis included within the report claims that if just half of those three sectors – which up roughly one-third of total employment in the UK – could save nearly £900 million each year in their energy costs.

This would have ricochet effect, allowing more than 260,000 jobs to be supported and helping boost productivity by 1.5%.

Costs would chiefly be driven down by bringing energy generation closer to the point of consumption. Centrica said this would mainly centre around on-site generation through technologies like solar PV and combined heat and power, however the advent of battery storage had allowed new revenue streams to bolster business models.

Martyn1981

Solar PV 2018: Installs of 111 GW, a polysilicon factory boom and $0.30/W for modules

On the back of high solar PV installs, which will smash records this year at just under 100 GW, BNEF’s optimistic demand forecasts place growth at 111 GW in 2018, rising to 121 GW in 2019. It further sees a polysilicon factory boom, with production 10% up on 2017; and module prices dropping to as low as US$0.30/W for market leaders.

Martyn1981

OK, I've been caught out again, apparently PV costs are still falling faster than I thought (or can keep up with).

Solar To Reach Tipping Point In 2018 & Save 80% In Developing World

A new report from London-based development company Crown Agents has concluded that 2018 will be the year solar hits its commercial tipping point, resulting in a dramatic drop-off in price and making the technology viable for a billion people, and opening the door to save developing countries up to 80% by switching to solar from diesel and petrol.

Crown Agents published its new report, The Solar Revolution, late last month in which it trumpeted that 2018 will be “the global tipping point for solar power” and “Tumbling prices and dramatic improvements in technology mean that, for the first time, this under-exploited source of renewable energy will be viable, profitable, and sustainable.”

According to Crown Agents, the real cost of off-grid solar and battery storage now sits below 20 cents per kWh, compared to at least 60 cents per kWh of energy generated by small diesel and petrol generators. As a result, households in developing countries would immediately save up to 80% by switching to solar + storage.

And on a similar theme, in India new PV structures to catch and filter water too.

Inverted Umbrella Brings Clean Water & Clean Power To India

Martyn1981

Interesting idea to connect PV farms, and large scale roof systems directly to the UK's electric train networks.

Solar could directly power 10% of UK’s electrified train routes, study finds

NigeWick

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Interesting idea to connect PV farms, and large scale roof systems directly to the UK's electric train networks.

How about solar panels between the tracks? Energy generation and weed suppression at the same time?

zeupater

NigeWick wrote: »

How about solar panels between the tracks? Energy generation and weed suppression at the same time?

Hi

Do trains still have signs in the toilets instructing passengers to not flush toilets whilst in the station ?

... yuk, and I thought that my panels were getting a little mucky! ...

Z