[amor de cosmos]

Large-scale solar in the UK generates over £13 million a year
By Peter Bennett
19 June 2013, 15:52 Updated: 19 June 2013, 15:52

Commercial-scale solar PV projects are generating an estimated £13.5million worth of electricity a year according to new research published by SmartestEnergy.

Research carried out by the independent energy company revelaed that there were 528 commercial-scale independent solar projects of over 50kQ operating in the UK at the end of 2012, accounting for 322MW of capacity.

Installations owned by renewable energy developers account for 59% of the total energy being generated by the sector with 13% coming from onsite generators and landowners alike. Agricultural installtions account for a further 7%.

In terms of location, the South of England continues to dominate with 128 projects located in the South West and 113 in the South East of England.

Commenting on the results of the research, SmartestEnergy’s head of generation, Iain Robertson said: “Rising energy prices and the introduction of financial subsidy schemes such as the Feed-in Tariff have sparked huge interest in the development of independent renewable generation projects in recent years.

“For businesses, farms and organisations faced with steep rises in energy costs, investing in their own renewable energy projects can generate significant savings and help them remain competitive. The combined strength of a large number of these projects will also play an increasingly important role in helping the country meet its climate change targets in the years ahead.”

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...on_a_year_2356

Palo Alto Goes Solar, 80 Megawatts at 6.9 Cents per Kilowatt-Hour
Some of the cheapest solar in the land in the heart of Silicon Valley
Eric Wesoff: June 19, 2013

The city of Palo Alto could claim the title of being the Heart of Silicon Valley (against the protestations of San Jose, Mountain View, Cupertino, and Menlo Park). The Northern California city is the home of Stanford University, Packard's garage, a high concentration of venture capitalists, and a crop of high-tech startups that's growing like kudzu.

And now it's home to a municipal utility which has approved 80 megawatts in solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) to meet approximately 18 percent of the city's load -- and essentially provide power for all of Palo Alto's 65,000 residents, according to the utility.

But the big story is the price.

The price is an eye-opening 6.9 cents per kilowatt-hour for the 30-year PPA.

"Try building a new nuke or coal plant at that price," was Adam Browning of Vote Solar's take on the number. The price compares favorably to the typical market price referent and would seem to be able to take on prices paid for natural gas or wind. The projects still include the 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...er-Kilowatt-Ho

Tata Wins Over IBM, Dell With Solar Cheaper Than Grid
20 June 2013

June 20 (Bloomberg) — Tata Group’s solar unit is expanding its business building plants for customers, forecasting that offices and factories will be paying more for grid power than solar by 2016 in most Indian states.

Solar installations for commercial and industrial energy consumers, such as cement factories, information technology parks and car manufacturers, seeking to generate their own power represent a market of about 80 billion rupees ($1.3 billion), said Ajay Goel, chief executive of Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd., a unit of India’s biggest industrial group that owns Jaguar Land Rover.

The company, formerly known as Tata BP Solar Ltd., is seeking to diversify from making panels after an oversupply from Chinese competitors crushed prices globally and idled Indian factories. Customers for whom it has already completed solar plants for self-generation include Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the country’s biggest carmaker, and the local units of Dell Inc. and International Business Machines Corp.

“We’re seeing a huge uptake as we get closer and closer to grid parity,” Goel said in a phone interview. “Corporate customers are coming to us to install solar on their rooftops or land on the side of their factories because it can provide energy cheaper than from the grid.”

The investment can pay for itself in a year if the customer is able to claim tax depreciation benefits or about four years if they can’t, Goel said. The economics improve further when businesses calculate the cost of diesel burned during daily blackouts. Diesel generators cost about 17 rupees per kilowatt-hour to run, more than double the cost of solar, according to HSBC Holdings Plc.

http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/tata...per-than-grid/