Solar ... In the news

gefnew

Hospital with own solar farm begins to generate electricity.
Castle Hill Hospital fully powered by solar panels during day - BBC News

Martyn1981

If I'm understanding this correctly, a very large company, who also plan to manufacture solar products, is planning to build out upto 100GWp of solar in India by 2030. This will be for some self consumption to power their businesses, and also to supply to the grid.

In case it's not immediately obvious, as big numbers are hard to process some times, this is a company, not the nation's grid or Gov, planning to build out a vast 100GWp of PV, and by 'only' 2030. This RE lark is really taking off .... hopefully.

India’s Reliance Industries Scouting Land For 100 Gigawatts Of Solar Projects

Crude oil to broadband conglomerate Reliance Industries is reportedly planning a giga-scale venture into solar power generation. 

According to media reports, Reliance Industries is scouting for land to set up 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity. The company intends to set up this capacity by 2030. About a fourth of this capacity is likely to be used for captive consumption, while the balance may be sold either to distribution companies or commercial and industrial consumers. 

Reliance Industries generates more than half of its revenue from crude oil refining and manufacturing of petrochemicals. Last year, the company announced plans to significantly pivot towards renewable power. 

Coastalwatch

A few days old now but as I hadn't seen it posted on here previously thought it worth copying in. I certainly welcome it's publication so giving all solar farm proposals a model to aim for and in doing so helping to allay some of the fears often quoted by those objecting to their installation.

Solar PV biodiversity best practice guidance published by Solar Energy UK

Solar farms can help reverse Britain’s declining wildlife through animal habitat enhancements, a new report from Solar Energy UK has detailed.

Pointing to research that shows 60% of British wildlife species monitored have declined since 2019 while 15% are facing extinction due to factors including habitat loss and pesticides, the report – which offers best practice guidance – highlighted how solar farms can help land recover from intensive farming and enable the natural environment to flourish.

As less than 2% of land is disturbed by infrastructure, the remainder of a site can then be set aside for grassland and wildflower meadows, which provide habitats for pollinators, birds and other wildlife as well as potentially sheep grazing, helping to contribute to food production.

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

gefnew

This maybe one to follow when up and running with all the different designs.
University of York to be location for new solar farm - BBC News

Martyn1981

The US may need more sheep, as PV and grazing proves to be a wonderful combination.

[One small critique near the end, so far, much of the land being used in Virginia has been on 'the highest rated soil', but i assume such issues can be managed / regulated.]

Sheep and Solar Panels: Using Solar Sites for Pastureland

A solar power boom generated by new renewable energy mandates is unfurling in the Chesapeake Bay region. Virginia, for example, was ninth in the nation for new solar capacity in 2021.

With many solar arrays ending up on farmland, a movement is fast taking hold to make sure that they will benefit the environment, agriculture and wildlife, and not just create a sea of silicon.

Allowing sheep to graze among solar panels has become one attractive antidote.

Grazing by sheep and other livestock joins other dual uses: planting groundcover to benefit pollinators, growing marketable plants such as cherry tomatoes and lavender under the panels, installing beehives and maximizing soil health practices to improve the land for later ag use. Projects that combine farming and solar energy are called agrivoltaic.

There are environmental benefits as well. For example, a new study funded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that native vegetation munched on by sheep shows an uptick in carbon capture and improves the soil by increasing the cycling of nutrients, carbon and water.

The synergies of grazing and leaving the ground undisturbed can actually improve a farm’s soil during its use as a solar site, according to a study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, based on solar projects on three Maryland farms. Farmers want and financially need the opportunity, the study said.

Martyn1981

Title says it all. At the bottom of the article is an informative vid about the panels.

Melbourne Office Building Clad Entirely In Skala Solar Power Panels

Solar power is coming to a new office building in Melbourne, Australia, thanks to architect Peter Kennon. The building will be clad entirely in Skala thin film solar panels from Germany’s Avancis. The 8-story building will cost $40 million and will be covered in 1,182 solar panels the same thickness as a regular glass facade, according to a report in The Guardian.

With its solar power skin and a solar roof that will be added once the structure is completed, the new building is expected to generate all the electricity it needs, which will avoid 70 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Over time, those avoided emissions will more than offset the embedded carbon from construction and allow the building to be carbon neutral within a few years without relying on offsets and other accounting measures.

Martyn1981

Nothing new new here, but might help to bring solar panels on greenhouses, plus general PV flexibility, to the public's attention.

A greener greenhouse: solar panels trialled on Wimbledon berries farm

Tennis fans tucking into strawberries at Wimbledon this month may find their fruit has an unusual origin – a solar-powered greenhouse.

Transparent panels have been attached to the sides of glasshouses in Kent as part of a trial to build up solar power supplies without using more land.

Hugh Lowe Farms, which supplies fruit to the annual tennis tournament and major supermarkets, is hosting the study by researchers at the University of Greenwich.

The trial, which has received £250,000 in government funding, began late last year and has taken on more significance since the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine threw a spotlight on domestic energy supplies. It is hoped the energy generated can be used to power automatic watering and temperature-control equipment, as well as housing for workers on farms.

Martyn1981

Solar powered town in India with 1,400 residents. Should make for a good model to follow and learn from.

India’s first 24/7 solar-powered town enabled with battery storage and smart controls

Modhera in the Indian state of Gujarat is the country’s first fully solar powered town, demonstrating that battery storage can enable 24/7 clean energy and rural access to electricity.  

GreenPowerMonitor, which supplied the project with power plant controller and energy management system (EMS) said the smart combination of solar with battery storage with intelligent controls can solve the very complex challenge of creating a community’s entire energy network.

Modhera has only 1,400 inhabitants and is home to the Sun Temple dedicated to Hindu solar deity Surya.

As sought out through the tender, a 6MW solar PV power plant, 6MW/15MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), 271 rooftop solar arrays of 1kW each, smart meters and electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment were installed.

Martyn1981

So, hot on the heels of the last article I posted, we have New Mexico saying 'hold my beer'.

I appreciate that PV and storage is not a particularly effective solution for the UK, but great to see it delivering in sunnier locations, and helping to drive the learning curve.

NM’s Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Achieves 100% Daytime Solar Power

A couple of weeks ago, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative achieved a milestone. Customers in their service area, around Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, will now have 100% of their daytime electric use provided by solar power.

“When we partnered with Guzman Energy in 2016, we set an ambitious goal of becoming one of the cleanest energy cooperatives in America,” said Luis A. Reyes, Jr., CEO of KCEC. “Providing our members with 100% daytime solar power, delivered by locally built and maintained solar arrays and battery storage while also reducing cost for our members is an accomplishment we are incredibly proud of. We are serving our members the clean power they’ve been asking for while lowering costs, and we’re also helping to meet our state’s overall climate change action initiatives.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, KCEC celebrated the milestone at the opening of the new Taos Mesa Solar Array. With the switch flipped on that project, the remaining fossil fuels from daytime power use in the service area ended. The 43,680 solar panels, installed over roughly 170 acres, is what put them over the top. This put the coop’s solar power totals at 41 megawatts, with 15 megawatts of available battery storage in the service area.

NigeWick

NM’s Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Achieves 100% Daytime Solar Power

As an aside Kit Carson was one of the men who left Hugh Glass for dead after he was attacked by a bear.