[amor de cosmos]

UK Large-Scale Solar PV Saw 600% Growth In 2013

A new blog post from NPD Solarbuzz’s Vice President, Finlay Colville, sourcing several NPD Solarbuzz analyses, has determined that UK large-scale solar PV installations grew by a whopping 600% during 2013, amounting to a record of 1.45 GW new solar PV capacity added through the 12 month period.

Over 90% of the installations were ground-mounted, helping the UK become one of only six countries that had or approached a GW-level large-scale solar market during 2013.

While the UK only ranked sixth (out of that six), they were one of only four countries to rank in the top 10 for both small- and large-scale solar PV demand.

On top of that, the UK was one of only five countries to rank in both the small- and large-scale solar PV demand top 10′s for 2013, a development that, as Colville notes, “should be welcome news to DECC and UK trade associations in their quest to diversify the UK PV landscape.”

The UK ground-mount pipeline has similarly seen a health 2013, exceeding 5 GW — a figure which includes all projects that have not been completed, as well as projects that have been terminated. As Colville explains, the inclusion of ‘terminated’ projects in the overall rests on the fact that “history informs us from other countries that such sites are often bought by new parties, or resurrected in the future when circumstances/policies/infrastructures change.”

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/15/...0-growth-2013/

Huge Thermal Solar Potential In Canada
Originally published on Reviving Gaia
by Roy L. Hales

Back in the early 1970‘s, Canada led the world in the development of Solar Thermal energy. Then the oil embargo ended, prices came down, and the incentives and grants dried up. More than a decade passed before what had once been Canadian technology resurfaced in Germany. It became part of that nation’s “energiewende,” a state mandated green energy policy that has transformed Germany into the world’s foremost producer of solar energy. Yet, according to Canada’s only NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer, James Smyth, there is more potential for solar thermal technology on the West Coast.

“Looking around the street where I live, I can see that every house could gain by adopting Solar Thermal energy,” he said.

Though his is the only house that presently has solar panels, James believes this will change.

“I have developed a new system at Camosun College that has an immediate payback under the Solar Colwood/CRD grant program,” James said. “Sales of this Thermal system are getting pretty good and I am now working on a solar heating system with a similar payback. Most thermal systems are in the $8000 to $10,000 installed. My new system is $5000 installed so this has been a game changer for the market.”

Thanks to a $3,000 Solar Thermal grant only available in Southern Vancouver Island, the average CamoSun Solar Thermal customer can receive an immediate reduction of about $264 a year on his energy costs. (That is assuming they finance the installation over 10 years.)

People living outside this area might experience a slight increase, at least up until BC Hydro increases their rates next April.

A $5,000 investment in solar nets a better return than a 2% GIC. While the GIC would produce around $8,000 in 20 years, solar makes $18,000. The returns get even higher when calculated over 30 year.

James has been installing solar for eight years, but his association with Victoria’s Camosun College began after he obtained his North American Board of Certified Practitioners (NABCEP) Solar Thermal Certification.

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/15/...ential-canada/

These Charts Show How Solar Demand Has Shifted Around the World
The global solar market continues to expand and diversify.
Stephen Lacey
January 15, 2014

In recent years, the global solar market has looked a lot like a monarchy, with Europe reigning as king of installations.

But Europe is quickly losing its crown as the industry's playing field levels, bringing a more diversified set of markets around the world.

Between 2006 and 2011, Europe represented more than 70 percent of global solar installations. In the period 2008-2010, the region made up roughly 85 percent of installations. But subsidy reform and high rates of solar penetration are slowing deployment there, while other regions start picking up the pace.

"That kind of dominance is a thing of the past," said Adam James, GTM Research's global demand analyst. "Demand is becoming more diffused globally."

To show how global solar markets are expanding, James shared this chart illustrating how Europe's solar crown is getting knocked off by, well, every other major region cumulatively -- Asia, North America, and to a lesser extent, the up-and-coming Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin American markets:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...ound-the-world

SolarCity to allow retail investors to invest in its projects
By Nichola Groom
LOS ANGELES Wed Jan 15, 2014 8:00am EST

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Top U.S. solar installer SolarCity Corp on Wednesday unveiled a plan that will allow investors of all types - including individuals - to invest in its rooftop solar systems.

The company, backed by Tesla Motors Inc founder Elon Musk, said it will launch a web-based platform later this year to offer debt investments backed by pools of its assets - mainly residential solar projects.

Most of SolarCity's residential projects are financed through contracts of about 20 years, giving the company steady and reliable income from homeowners with good credit and low-risk returns for its investors.

Since its beginnings in 2006, most of SolarCity's growth has been funded by investors such as Google Inc and U.S. Bancorp that put up funds for projects and in return are able to cash in on lucrative federal tax credits for solar systems.

SolarCity has grown to dominate a third of the U.S. residential solar installation market. The move announced on Wednesday is the latest example of SolarCity's, and the solar power industry's, efforts to expand access to capital to fund its rapid growth.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0KO1N020140115

SolarCity Lets Individuals Invest in PV Projects Through a New Acquisition
More creativity in solar asset-backed financial products
Eric Wesoff
January 15, 2014

SolarCity (SCTY) just acquired privately held financial technology firm Common Assets.

The distributed energy financier and installer also just announced that it will offer a web-based investment platform to allow "individuals and organizations" to invest in solar projects.

Tim Newell, financial products expert and CEO of Common Assets, will join SolarCity as VP of financial products. John Witchel, chief architect of the company (and former CTO of Prosper Marketplace, a person-to-person online lending marketplace), joins SolarCity as senior technology architect for financial products.

Newell told GTM yesterday that "SolarCity has been changing the way that clean energy is delivered to homeowners -- offering financial products that will allow a broad range of investors access to debt instruments backed by diverse portfolios of solar assets."

He noted that SolarCity has been successful in constructing investment vehicles such as tax equity partnerships, debt vehicles, and securitization, and added, "Those are just different types of investment vehicles backed by SolarCity's portfolio."

The new financial product "shares an attribute of crowdfunding," according to Newell. But a crowdfunding company such as Mosaic is typically aggregating investors to finance a medium-sized solar project. Investing in an aggregate portfolio of projects was a model reserved for large financial institutions, not small investors.

"This would be inviting individuals to invest in a portfolio of assets that we've developed," said Newell.

This does look a bit like Mosaic's solar crowdfunding business. One-year-old Mosaic has crowdsourced a claimed $6 million in loans to solar projects, with zero defaults to date. Partnerships and large residential portfolios are claimed to be "on the near horizon" for Mosaic as well.

Newell added, "This is going to look like an investment-grade securitization or like a bond."

How will this work? Customers will be able to come to the website, establish an account, and buy financial products and have them serviced over time, according to the VP.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...ew-Acquisition

UNC researchers harness sun’s energy during day for use at night
For immediate use: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014

Solar energy has long been used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and oil, but it could only be harnessed during the day when the sun’s rays were strongest. Now researchers led by Tom Meyer at the Energy Frontier Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have built a system that converts the sun’s energy not into electricity but hydrogen fuel and stores it for later use, allowing us to power our devices long after the sun goes down.

“So called ‘solar fuels’ like hydrogen offer a solution to how to store energy for nighttime use by taking a cue from natural photosynthesis,” said Meyer, Arey Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Our new findings may provide a last major piece of a puzzle for a new way to store the sun’s energy – it could be a tipping point for a solar energy future.”

In one hour, the sun puts out enough energy to power every vehicle, factory and device on the planet for an entire year. Solar panels can harness that energy to generate electricity during the day. But the problem with the sun is that it goes down at night—and with it the ability to power our homes and cars. If solar energy is going to have a shot at being a clean source for powering the planet, scientists had to figure out how to store it for night-time use.

The new system designed by Meyer and colleagues at UNC and with Greg Parsons’ group at North Carolina State University does exactly that. It is known as a dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell, or DSPEC, and it generates hydrogen fuel by using the sun’s energy to split water into its component parts. After the split, hydrogen is sequestered and stored, while the byproduct, oxygen, is released into the air.

http://uncnews.unc.edu/2014/01/14/un...day-use-night/

Enel secures $300 million for investment in Latin America
15. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Investor news | By: Edgar Meza

In Chile, Enel Green Power has begun construction on its first solar park in the country, the 36 MW Diego de Almagro facility.

Italian renewable energy giant Enel Green Power last week signed loan deals for $300 million for investment in Latin America.

Through its Chilean and Mexican subsidiaries, Enel Green Power secured two $150 million credit lines from Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria’s branches in Chile and Mexico.

Enel said in plans to use the $300 million to partially cover investments renewable energy project investments in both countries.

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ica_100013948/

Grid-connected storage market set to explode
15. January 2014 | Storage & smart grids, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Edgar Meza

The grid-connected energy storage market will increase from 340 MW in 2013 to more than 6 GW in 2017, according to IHS. The U.S. is set to lead the sector.

A new report by market research firm IHS predicts that the United States will be the largest region for grid-connected energy storage installations between 2012 and 2017, accounting for 43% of installations during that period.

Commercial activity in the grid-connected storage market is currently limited to a small number of regions and IHS estimates that only 340 MW of systems were installed across 2012 and 2013, with these predominately demonstration projects.

However, installations will rapidly grow to more than 6 GW in 2017. The availability of financial incentives to reduce the upfront cost of an energy storage system (ESS), the introduction of energy storage procurement and installation targets and changes in electricity grid regulations that create business opportunities for an ESS in the grid will drive the acceleration, according to IHS.

"The grid-connected energy storage market is set to explode, reaching a total of over 40 GW of installations by 2022,” says IHS solar research manager Sam Wilkinson.

The report projects that growth will continue and by 2022, more than 40 GW of energy storage systems will be installed in grid-connected applications, including behind the meter, in the grid and co-located with renewable and conventional generators.

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ode_100013945/

German R&D project reports record PERC solar module performance
By Mark Osborne - 15 January 2014, 13:39
In News, Cell Processing, PV Modules

The first R&D project that took three years to complete as part of the German Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance has reported a world record for a PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) solar module of 306 Watts (60-cell format). The result was verified by TÜV Rheinland.

The Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance ‘SUN’ R&D project was spearheaded by SolarWorld as well as 11 supplier companies and four research institutions to boost conversion efficiencies as well as improve module reliability and longevity.

The target of the project had been to take current PERC-based modules from 240-250W to well over 300W.

Using second-generation PERC processing and employing toughened thin glass/glass encapsulation the module performance guarantee was said to have been increased to 30 years.

The SUN project, which includes other programs not yet completed, had been supported with €21.5 million (US$29.3 million) in funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as well as around 50% of the funding coming from participating companies.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/german_r...le_performance

Report: Chinese solar companies lead clean-tech investment success
By Ben Willis - 15 January 2014, 12:58
In News, Finance

Chinese solar companies were among the leading performers within the clean-tech sector in securing venture investment during 2013, a report reveals.

The i3 deal tracker published by market intelligence group Cleantech Investment named JA Solar and solar developer Hefei Golden Sun Energy Technology among 2013’s top players in closing investment deals.

Overall Chinese clean-tech companies secured some RMB5.6 billion (US$920 million) of venture investment during 2013 across 48 separate deals in 2013, the report reveals.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/report_c...stment_success

PV estimated to cover 4.5% of German electricity production in 2013
By Andy Colthorpe - 15 January 2014, 12:41
In News, Power Generation

Power generated by photovoltaics systems covered 4.5% of Germany’s total electricity production last year, according to estimates released by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW).

The figure represents a modest increase of 0.3% from 2012, when PV covered around 4.2% of gross electricity production.

The total output of renewable energy generation including wind and other sources was 23.4% of total power generation, again marking an increase from 2012 when it represented 22.8% of total output. Renewable energy also accounted for 25% of demand in Germany last year.

BDEW estimates that the output of electricity produced by PV increased in 2013 by 7.3%, while wind power in contrast decreased by 3.5%.

In a statement released to accompany the estimates, BDEW chairwoman Hildegard Müller said energy reforms were among the core tasks facing the country’s coalition government, which was sworn into office in December.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/pv_estim...uction_in_2013

Financial innovations spur renewable energy investment in global markets
15. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Ilias Tsagas

Investment firms, financiers and energy companies around the globe are introducing innovative new funding vehicles aimed at renewable energy investment.

Recent financing innovations for solar PV and other sustainable projects show a clear trend for new funding models, tools and practices that are propelling the renewable energies sector into the mainstream.

Financing and investment firms are also integrating climate change into new financial products. The following three cases from both sides of the Pond exemplify the trend.

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ets_100013942/

UK utility solar continues to grow and create jobs
By Lucy Woods
15 January 2014, 12:55 Updated: 15 January 2014, 15:07

Utility solar plant operator, Lightsource Renewable Energy is doubling its capacity this year, spurring a recruitment drive to fill 100 jobs.

Lightsource is planning to nearly double its capacity from 326MW to 600MW creating 100 new jobs in the solar sector.

The new employees will join the current team of 160 operating 80 utility-scale solar farms, providing clean energy for 100,000 UK homes.

There are 25 positions available now, mainly based in London, Bath and Belfast for engineers, asset managers and office professionals.

Twenty of the open roles now are for engineers managing solar farms. The company is also looking to recruit local farming and landscaping professionals.

Nick Boyle, CEO of Lightsource said the goal is to have “as many people involved in this positive, low carbon sector as possible. Whether it’s benefiting from land rent, fixed price electricity or working to build the farms, there are opportunities to be part of this exciting change in the UK’s economy".

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

US Large-scale Commercial PV Segment to Show Strongest Growth in 2014
Posted by Michael Barker in Solarbuzz, Solar on January 14, 2014 | No Comments

While ground-mount utility projects dominated the US market in 2013 and will still make up the majority of market demand in 2014, commercial building-mount applications are projected to see much stronger growth rates.

Small-scale commercial applications less than 100 kW are projected to grow by approximately 40% Y/Y, while large-scale commercial projects will see almost 70% annual growth; approximately double and triple the growth rate, respectively, compared to ground-mount PV systems.

The shift to distributed generation building-mount commercial applications is being driven by a number of factors, including the favorable economics for these systems in the Northeast and West of the US, as well as changing incentive policies in a number of US states.

These projects also often benefit from shorter lead times compared to large-scale centralized projects, an important factor especially when looking at the longer term 2-3 year forecast and the planned ITC reduction in the US.

Given the rapid growth rates from the large-scale commercial building-mount segment and the overall scale of the ground-mount segment, the US market will continue to be driven by large-scale PV applications.

This trend has implications for component supply as well as project development, as discussed in more detail in recent NPD Solarbuzz postings analyzing small-scale and large-scale markets.

http://www.displaysearchblog.com/201...rowth-in-2014/

Solar PV scheme helps protect 350 Scottish homes from fuel poverty
By Peter Bennett | 15 January 2014, 17:47 Updated: 15 January 2014, 18:09

A total of 350 homes at risk of fuel poverty have been given a helping hand by Knowes Housing Association after installing solar PV on houses in Clydebank, Scotland.

The solar installations are part of a £2 million programme of energy improvements for the housing association over the next two years. The improvements are expected to deliver annual energy bill savings of £70,000.

The recent solar rollout saw 350 homes fitted with solar arrays sized between 2kWp and 4kWp, totalling 980kWp of capacity. All of the installations were completed by local installer Edison Energy.

The installed solar arrays will help generate a revenue stream for the housing association through the associated feed-in tariff payments. As part of the deal, Edison Energy will work with Knowes Housing Association and its tenants for the lifetime of the feed-in tariff payments, providing aftercare, financing and maintenance support.

Trina Solar supplied 4,000 of its TSM-PC05 series modules for the project, commenting on the need for these kinds of projects, Richard Rushin UK sales manager at Trina Solar said: “In a climate of escalating uncertainty over traditional energy supplies and concern about potential price hikes, it is important to emphasise the vital role that solar PV is already playing – and will continue to play – as part of the renewable energy mix, helping to stave off the threat of fuel poverty in areas hardest hit by the challenging economic circumstances of recent years.”

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...l_poverty_2356

Franco-German energy plan to focus on renewables, not mergers
By Julien Ponthus and Geert De Clercq
PARIS Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14am EST

Jan 15 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande's surprise announcement of a Franco-German energy joint venture did not target major utilities but renewable energy and electricity networks, his aides said on Wednesday.

A senior Elysee Palace source told Reuters a joint French-German cabinet meeting on Feb. 19 in Paris will discuss ways in which the two nations can cooperate in renewable energy, and would also discuss smart grids, energy efficiency and storage.

Industry and energy ministers will discuss ways to realise Hollande's proposal for a Franco-German energy firm modelled on aerospace group Airbus.

Hollande's proposal on Tuesday had baffled French and German industrialists and raised eyebrows in Berlin, but the source said Hollande had discussed energy cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Paris on Dec. 18.

"We have a strong interest in the closest possible cooperation on energy policy whether on a political or corporate level," a spokesman for the German Economy Ministry, which is responsible for energy, told reporters.

He added that the exact design will be discussed intensively in the coming days and weeks.

Sources ruled out an imminent capital operation or alliance between French state-controlled utility EDF or partly state-owned gas and power group GDF Suez and one of the major German utilities such as E.ON or RWE.

"The president's goal is to coordinate our energy transitions and to find ways to take industrial initiatives together," the French source said.

Hollande wants French and German energy firms to pool their capacities in the way Airbus brought together engineering and production skills from the two countries.



This accelerated shift out of nuclear, coupled with a boom in renewable energy such as wind and solar, is putting a strain on their power networks and could jeopardise energy security.

The source said the solar industry was an example where a lack of cooperation between the two leading European countries had let foreign - notably Chinese - photovoltaic panel makers steal a march on European industry.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0KP1UX20140115