Solar ... In the news

Martyn1981

Hawaii rapidly decarbonising their leccy:

The 16 Solar & Storage Projects Hawaii Just Ordered

I recently highlighted a couple of big solar + storage projects that were given the go-ahead in Hawaii. Then I found out that these are two of 16 solar and energy storage projects just approved for development in the state.

One week ago, Hawaiian Electric posted details about these 16 projects. “The name, location, developer, technology, size and estimated completion dates are listed on the Hawaiian Electric renewable project status board at www.hawaiianelectric.com/statusboard as well as links to each project’s individual website. Each developer is responsible for ongoing outreach to their prospective neighboring communities, alerting them to plans and responding to concerns.” A table of the winners is at the bottom of this article, but here’s a quick summary of the 16 projects totaling 460 MW of solar power capacity and 3 GWh of storage capacity:

Martyn1981

Israel plans to expand it's PV (currently provides about 5% of leccy) more than tenfold:

Israeli Government’s 16 Gigawatt Solar Plan A New Policy Priority

Energy Minister Dr Yuval Steinitz is vocal with his intention to make Israel a “world leader” in solar. The roadmap enables a shift for Israel to a 16 gigawatt (GW) solar fleet by 2030. PV Tech reports that the intention is to cover 30% of the country’s power needs all the time, and yes, sometimes more. “On sunny days, the solar power mix share could reach peaks of 80%, the document says.”

Martyn1981

Extracts from this week's Carbon Commentary newsletter:

9, Indian solar. After a year or more of slower growth, the Indian government – through its solar development arm – awarded Adani Green Energy a contract to develop 8 GW of photovoltaics and build extra solar cell manufacturing capacity of 2 GW a year. Adani said it was on target to get to 25 GW of solar by 2025, making it the biggest owner of renewable assets in the world. It also suggested that the win would enable it to create 400,000 jobs, directly and indirectly.

Coastalwatch

Lets hope for a favourable reception from the powers that be to the STA's suggestions in helping the Country meet it's Climate change objectives as well as creating scores of jobs in the process!

STA calls on UK government to set 40GW solar capacity target

In an open letter sent today (16 June), the group has called on business and energy secretary Alok Sharma to set the target to build confidence in the solar sector and emphasis the government’s commitment to renewables.

It identifies three immediate policy priorities needed to unlock to the potential of solar in the UK:

• Maximising routes to market by ensuring a robust Contracts for Difference (CfD) design, with auctions for solar to be held every six months to reflect the technologies fast construction time.
• The UK government should undertake a green tax reform, exempting rooftop solar and battery storage from business rates. These were changed in 2017 and businesses such as Lidl have seen their rates skyrocket, with an increase of 528% in the case of the German supermarket giant. Since business rates were changed, the STA has been lobbying for reform as it would allow the government to ‘unleash’ solar.
• Finally, the government should support innovation and energy efficiency, implementing ambitious new standards following on from the Future Homes Standard consultation. Interest-free loans and grants should be made available to help finance the installation of domestic solar and storage.
  

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/sta_calls_on_uk_government_to_set_40gw_solar_capacity_target

Coastalwatch

Confirmation of record solar irradiation in May, not only in the UK but globally and with some assistance from lower air pollution levels.

Something that caught my eye at the bottom of the article was the signing of a deal with EDF to reduce output of its Sizewell B Nuclear power station. Now who'd have thought that likely!

Record high solar irradiation helps UK generation surge

Solar irradiation in the south of England in May was as much as 50% higher than normal, according to new research by Solargis.

It forms just one of a number of records that have been smashed so far in 2020, with the trend likely to continue according to the data and software architects. Such performance is being driven by a number of factors, including changes in global horizontal irradiation (GHI), low power demand, increased capacity and lower air pollution.

National Grid ESO has had to rely on a series of tools to balance the grid as renewable energy has surged in recent months and demand has remained low due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

This includes using the newly implemented Downward Flexibility Management service to reduce embedded generation and the signing of a deal with EDF to reduce the output of its Sizewell B nuclear power station.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/record_high_solar_irradiation_helps_uk_generation_surge

EVandPV

Something that caught my eye at the bottom of the article was the signing of a deal with EDF to reduce output of its Sizewell B Nuclear power station. Now who'd have thought that likely!

Not GA, that's for sure ! 

Martyn1981

Good to know that the rollout of PV on council homes is still going strong:

Up to 1,000 homes to receive solar PV in new Brighton & Hove City Council scheme

The plans were approved by the Housing Committee, with a contract now up for grabs to install between 500 and 1,000 domestic solar PV arrays between 2020 and 2023.

However, there are plans in place to increase the council’s ambitions to at least 2,500 installations by 2026, although this is subject to approval of budget allocations. Over 4,000 properties have been identified as suitable for solar PV as part of this.

Coastalwatch

This project in NSW, Aus is more than twice the size of the UK's largest, Cleve Hill, with battery storage over double that of the reknowned Hornsdale site to accompany it! In these difficult times I doubt they'll have much trouble finding the 700 people to install it all!

Australia approves 720 MW solar farm with massive battery

Plans to develop a 720 MW solar farm coupled with up to 400 MWh of battery storage have passed an important milestone now that a grid-connection agreement has been locked in with Transgrid, the operator of the electricity transmission network in the Australian state of New South Wales

Depending on the final installed capacity, the solar farm will produce around 1,800 GWh of electricity each year – enough to power more than 250,000 homes. The solar project will be constructed in stages over 36 months. It is expected to create up to 700 full-time jobs during construction.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/26/australia-approves-720-mw-solar-farm-coupled-with-massive-battery/

Martyn1981

Extract from this week's Carbon Commentary Newsletter:

4, Perovskites for solar power. This promising route for improving the yield from solar panels has struggled to ensure the durability of the perovskite layer on top of silicon. Heat and water ingress quickly destroy the benefits. Researchers at the University of Sydney demonstrated a method of sealing the perovskite material so that it remains unaffected by high temperatures or heavy rainfall. This is another step in the slow move towards commercial availability of tandem cells combining layers of silicon and (cheap) perovskite with yields of perhaps 30% of the solar energy falling on a panel. (Thanks to Raymond Betz).

Coastalwatch

Solar is proving to be a popular choice for businesses when it comes to security and cost of supply. Perhaps the increasing cost of energy produced from Nuclear is causing some to search out alternate forms and means!

Yorkshire Water opens tender for solar at 150 sites

Yorkshire Water has opened a tender for an eight-year solar framework agreement as it works to become net zero by 2030.

The ultility is looking for an agreement that would cover the development of bespoke solar PV arrays across 150 sites, covering the construction, operation and maintenance.

It will purchase the electricity to power its sites through a long-term private power purchase agreement (PPA), and surplus generation will be exported to the grid.

The company estimates that the solar arrays will help to reduce its energy costs and save approximately 6,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/yorkshire_water_opens_tender_for_solar_at_150_sites