Solar ... In the news

Coastalwatch

A good year, but needs to ramp up by a factor of six if we are to achieve 47 GW by 2030. 

Following research by University of Durham then, if the 47 GW is increased to 60GW energy prices could drop by a further 12%.

UK solar capacity grows 1GW year on year

As of the end of October 2024, the UK has a total of 17.2GW of solar generation capacity, a 1GW or 6.3% increase since October 2023. Across October 2024, 76MW of capacity was added across 20,102 new solar installations.

Thus far, the Labour Party, and especially Secretary of State for DESNZ Ed Miliband, has been demonstrably more solar-positive than their predecessors, with Miliband’s almost immediate granting of Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for three solar projects, as well as the recent relaunch of the Solar Taskforce, being met with praise by the wider solar industry. However, Labour’s first Autumn Budget received a lukewarm response from the solar sector, particularly in relation to a lack of clarity on a potential solar mandate for new build homes.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/uk-solar-capacity-grows-1gw-year-on-year/

Exiled_Tyke

Germany leading the way on solar again.  Two things strike me about this article: 
1. vertical solar panels on balconies (or indeed walls) are great for making the most of winter sun. We still tend to think about maximising annual production. Overall it may be better to compromise on summer (when most domestic set ups have huge amounts of surplus) to get a little  extra in winter. 
2. The headline stresses the balcony aspect but as the article explains the great (possibly greatest) innovation here is that the panels are simply 'plug and play' with very little installation cost. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/18/if-a-million-germans-have-them-there-must-be-something-in-it-how-balcony-solar-is-taking-off

silverwhistle

Yes, I saw that and thought it would have been ideal for my flat when I lived in Italy: south facing balcony with no shading and water heating via an immersion. That was over ten years ago and I was keeping an eye open but no such products available then. Within about a month of getting back to my house in England I had 4kW installed on my roof.

Coastalwatch

Eye watering figures involved here while they continue to reduce their dependency on FF's. Unlike that other autocratic nation seemingly heading on the opposite direction.

China hits 277.17 GW of new PV installations in 2024

China’s cumulative installed solar capacity hit 886.66 GW at the end of 2024, with 277.17 GW of new annual installations, up 45.48% year on year. The deployment surge exceeded forecasts, setting a new historical record for PV installations.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/01/21/china-hits-277-17-gw-of-new-pv-installations-in-2024/?utm_source=Global+|+Newsletter&utm_campaign=34a15409ba-dailynl_gl&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6916ce32b6-34a15409ba-159300013

QrizB

Coastalwatch said:

Eye watering figures involved here while they continue to reduce their dependency on FF's. Unlike that other autocratic nation seemingly heading on the opposite direction.

China hits 277.17 GW of new PV installations in 202

If my back-of-an-envelope calculation is correct, that's something like 1500 square kilometres of solar panel, about the same as Buckinghamshire.

Coastalwatch

QrizB said:

Coastalwatch said:

Eye watering figures involved here while they continue to reduce their dependency on FF's. Unlike that other autocratic nation seemingly heading on the opposite direction.

China hits 277.17 GW of new PV installations in 202

If my back-of-an-envelope calculation is correct, that's something like 1500 square kilometres of solar panel, about the same as Buckinghamshire.

Just wondered if your fag packet could also work out the % area of China they might cover.

No idea how many 0's following the decimal point might be required.

QrizB

Coastalwatch said:

QrizB said:

Coastalwatch said:

Eye watering figures involved here while they continue to reduce their dependency on FF's. Unlike that other autocratic nation seemingly heading on the opposite direction.

China hits 277.17 GW of new PV installations in 202

If my back-of-an-envelope calculation is correct, that's something like 1500 square kilometres of solar panel, about the same as Buckinghamshire.

Just wondered if your fag packet could also work out the % area of China they might cover.

No idea how many 0's following the decimal point might be required.

I'm gonna need a bigger envelope

China's something like 9.6 million square km, per Wikipedia, so that would be somewhere around 0.016%? Or ~0.05% for the complete ~890GW?

It'll be more than that, of course, as I've only estimated the panels at 200W/m2 and haven't made any allowance for access tracks etc.

Spies

Isn't China still building coal power plants as well though?

QrizB

Spies said:

Isn't China still building coal power plants as well though?

At a similar rate to the speed they're demolishing them, IIRC. And col emissions are thought to have peaked.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/08/20/turning-point-chinas-coal-power-plant-approvals-seem-to-be-dropping-off-after-a-worrying-s

China's total carbon emissions were expected to peak in 2024 but nudged up, now expected to peak in 2025.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/11/27/could-chinas-co2-emissions-peak-by-2025-experts-optimistic-about-the-superpowers-green-tra

Martyn1981

QrizB said:

Spies said:

Isn't China still building coal power plants as well though?

At a similar rate to the speed they're demolishing them, IIRC. And col emissions are thought to have peaked.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/08/20/turning-point-chinas-coal-power-plant-approvals-seem-to-be-dropping-off-after-a-worrying-s

China's total carbon emissions were expected to peak in 2024 but nudged up, now expected to peak in 2025.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/11/27/could-chinas-co2-emissions-peak-by-2025-experts-optimistic-about-the-superpowers-green-tra

And there's a small chance that they might reach peak oil this year too, but more realistically it may be between now and 2027. 

India's coal consumption is still rising, but looks like that will be managed by the increasing amount of wind and PV soon too, plus of course India's per capita emissions are much lower.