Solar ... In the news

Coastalwatch

A welcome step forward to encourage Solar farms participation in CfD auctions when accompanied by storage, as the need for it has been desperately shown in recent times.

It rather begs the question, Shouldn't this also be rolled out for on shore wind farms!

CfD clause amendment will enable solar and storage co-location for the first time

For the first time, it will be possible to include co-located storage within Contract for Difference (CfD) contract, the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) have unveiled.

Speaking at a webinar hosted by Solar Media and Sponsored by the LCCC today (28 October), the LCCC’s head of strategy, stakeholders and business development Gordon Edge and head of scheme management Nick Blair detailed the welcome amendment to the upcoming auction round four (AR4) set for the 13 December.

Previously, CfD contracts specifically prohibited the import of grid energy to co-located storage, unless it was covered under a separate balancing mechanism unit (BMU).

As Blair mentioned, the LCCC have previously had feedback showing that this clause is a prohibitor to onsite storage, particularly as it is difficult and cost probative to set up a separate BMU, especially given the challenging business case for storage.

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

Coastalwatch

That seems an amazing period of time for something being open to the elements 24/7. In the unlikely event of further additions to our system, I don't think we are likely to be troubling their warranty!

50-year solar? Here’s how the numbers may work

Solar modules that last 50 years with very little degradation will significantly increase the value of solar power projects.

In an example, below, we see how the discounted cash flow from a project’s electricity generation increases by 46% when shifting the project from today’s standard 25-year lifetime to a 50-year time scale.

This low degradation value results from the near perfect seal that a pure glass-glass encapsulated solar panel offers compared to a standard glass-plastic backsheet product.

The future is now

We will have solar panels that are guaranteed to last 50 years with little degradation. In fact, these panels are likely being installed right now.

In recent conversations with Meyer Burger’s CEO, Erfurt Gunter, it was mentioned that the company’s glass-glass bifacial solar panel showed virtually no degradation during its durability testing. But a number had to be chosen for the warranty, so the company’s power production warranty states that Meyer Burger will replace the solar panel if its generation falls below 93.2% of its original capacity after 30 years.

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/11/04/50-year-solar-heres-how-the-numbers-may-work/

Coastalwatch

It's reassuring to see projects like this coming on stream and making sizeable financial gain in the process. I wonder if the figure, £439k/yr stated was arrived at prior to the latest price hikes meaning actual savings will be considerably more. Can't help but wonder why storage wasn't included in the original remit!

Private wire Brynwhillach solar farm linked with Welsh hospital goes live

The Brynwhillach Solar Farm, which is to generate 4MW of zero-carbon electricity for Morriston Hospital in Swansea, has begun to export.

The 10,000 panels making up the solar farm were installed by Vital Energi, as was the supporting electrical infrastructure and 3km private wire network connecting the solar farm to the hospital.

The installation makes Morriston Hospital the first Welsh hospital to receive its electricity from a dedicated solar farm, with Brynwhillach to reduce the hospital’s energy spend by £439,000 per year.

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

Martyn1981

Solar fences? I seem to remember these being mentioned a few years back, with a lot of jokes about Mexico fitting them to Trump's wall.

So here's an article looking at the idea, and some tips and thoughts to consider:

One More Place Solar Can Go: Fences

At first glace, putting solar cells on a fence would seem to be a bad idea, as the panels would be facing the wrong way at least half the day. To get around this issue, et-sun uses bifacial solar cells. This means that whether the sun strikes the front or the back of the panel, it generates electricity. Further, they use parallel connections so that they aren’t as affected by partial shading. Finally, the vertical orientation means less dust, snow, and other things that could block light can accumulate on the surface.

While a south-facing solar panel that gets a more ideal sun angle would be better, that takes a lot of room while a solar fence takes up room that a fence was going to take up anyway. This increases the chances of getting solar panels installed at all, so the relative inefficiency isn’t a bad thing.

There are a variety of fence types that this could be used for. Residential fences are an obvious one, but commercial fences are another good option, especially when it comes to land use. Agricultural properties could use the fences as well, and they can coexist with some types of farming. Even governments can integrate solar panels into noise barriers, so that roadways can generate electricity.

jimjames

With the latest inflation figures out (CPI 4.2%) I thought I'd check the RPI to see what increase we might be looking at for the Feed in Tariff in April next year - it's based on the December RPI figure released in Jan 2022.

Currently month (Oct) RPI is 6.0% so we could be looking at quite a tidy increase. About one of the only good things with inflation rising! For the 2011 rate currently 56.03p we'd be looking at 59.39p if inflation remains the same.

gefnew

Plus your fifty per cent deemed rate, for export.

Martyn1981

Teeny weeny article just to say that planning has now been submitted for this scheme:

Sunnica submits plans for 500MW PV-plus-storage in UK

Sunnica Energy has submitted an application to the Planning Inspectorate for a 500MW solar-plus-storage project in England.

The Sunnica Energy facility would connect to the Burwell National Grid substation in Cambridgeshire to allow for the generation, storage, import and export of electricity.

And some projections on global PV deployments, suggesting that 200GW may be installed in 2022, and that an additional 1,000GW may be deployed by 2025 (not sure if that includes 2021, or from now, or from the start of 2022 (?)). For reference, global PV deployments totalled ~800GW at the end of 2021.

Global solar installations to grow 20% in 2022

Global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations will see over 20% growth in 2022 and surpass the 200GW (DC) barrier for the first time, at a total investment of at least $170bn, according to a new report.  

IHS Markit’s study predicts solar PV installations to experience double-digit growth in 2021.

Continued growth through 2022 would mark the second year in a row to experience double-digit growth of global installations in a high-price environment, the report highlighted.

Despite the two-year impasse in solar PV cost decline, solar continues to be one of the energy technologies with the lowest capex and is the fastest energy source to install.

Over 1000GW (DC) of new solar installations are expected to be installed through 2025, driven by solar technology competitiveness, versatility and installation speed, that will be instrumental to contribute to the decarbonization of the power system this decade,” Zoco said.

Coastalwatch

Martyn1981 said:

Teeny weeny article just to say that planning has now been submitted for this scheme:

Sunnica submits plans for 500MW PV-plus-storage in UK

Sunnica Energy has submitted an application to the Planning Inspectorate for a 500MW solar-plus-storage project in England.

The Sunnica Energy facility would connect to the Burwell National Grid substation in Cambridgeshire to allow for the generation, storage, import and export of electricity.

Thanks for posting Mart.

A teeny article for a solar farm of such significant proportion the like of which should be welcomed if we are ever to achieve net zero.  I can't be sure but I've a feeling it might have been this proposal that raised strong objections from locals and two MP's when initially going out to consultation.

It saddens me that people can be so short sighted and resistant to change without seeing the benefits arising in the longer term. Solar has such a low profile and with zero emissions other than the minor hum from inverters that when combined with the cultivation of wild flowers and hedgerows it brings a positive benefit to bio diversity. Something that has sadly been lost in the last half century where removal of hedgerows to allow vast expanses of crops accompanied by the spraying pesticides has decimated insect populations and hence bird species alike.

I don't know the answer to it all but one might have thought that if some other form of cultivation between the rows of panels could be included then objectors may just take a more pragmatic view and embrace the changes necessary as we strive to head off global warming.

Coastalwatch

Who would have thought solar farms would be sufficiently productive that far north! Checking on pvgis Yukon stretches for 60 degrees north(about level with the north tip of the Shetland Isles) to 70 degrees at northern most part. No idea where the Klondike area is located but it would appear that Solar is reaching the parts not previously thought viable.

It would appear almost comparable to my system here, at 52 degrees north, given that our 8.85 kWp system has returned between 8.9 and 9.9 MW's in it's three years of generation.

Megawatt-scale, bifacial solar project enters service in Yukon, Canada

A 1.76 MW solar facility has entered service in Yukon, Canada, designed to supply power to the region as an Independent Power Producer (IPP).

North Klondike Solar, built by local developer Solvest, will sell its output to the Yukon region for the next 25 years.

The project features 4,000 bifacial solar modules, which produce electricity on both faces. In Yukon’s springtime, this is particularly advantageous, as most of the ground is covered in highly reflective snow, and the days are sunny and long. Solvest said bifacial panels offered a 9% boost in overall production when compared with monofacial options.

The modules face south, with a 30 degree tilt, and seven-meter spacing between rows. The foundation is built of iron piles driven 15 feet deep to support galvanized steel racking. The project is expected to produce 1.8 GWh of electricity, enough to power 180 homes per year.

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/11/23/megawatt-scale-bifacial-solar-project-enters-service-in-yukon-canada/

Martyn1981

Here's an article trask talking solar, so to speak. With the potential of ~63GWp in the US built over ex landfill sites.

On this side of the pond, a site near me, and close to where we walk the doggo's, has now had a large PV farm built on it. It can only be seen from a few stretches of coast road though, as it faces south / Bristol Channel. Also, unfortunately, whilst the soil capping of the ex tip is pretty substantial, it was not deep enough to allow all of the site to be used for PV, but every little helps.

A Bright Future For Landfill Solar — Yes, Landfill Solar

There are over 10,000 closed landfills in the United States. The Future of Landfills Is Bright estimates that 4,312 of these sites alone — those for which adequate data is available — could host at least 63 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, or the equivalent of 70% of total installed US solar capacity through 2020. If this potential was fully realized, landfill solar installations could produce 83 terawatt hours (TWh) of clean electricity annually — enough to power 7.8 million homes.