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  #341  
Old Posted Jan 4, 2014, 5:18 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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China pledges further support for solar industry
SHANGHAI Sat Jan 4, 2014 4:28am EST

Jan 4 (Reuters) - China pledged further support support for its ailing solar power industry on Saturday as the government seeks to revive a sector struggling with with overcapacity and falling prices.

The State Council, China's cabinet, said in July that the country aimed to more than quadruple solar power generating capacity to 35 gigawatts by 2015 in an apparent bid to ease a glut in the domestic solar power industry.

The State Council, in a statement published on its website, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was taking measures to "promote the healthy development of the photovoltaic industry".

The ministry, it said, was implementing the July directive by supporting consolidation in the industry, drafting guidelines for mergers and acquisitions and promoting standardisation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0KE03Y20140104
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  #342  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2014, 5:12 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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China WindPower to Get $942 Million in Loans for Solar Farms
By Bloomberg News Jan 5, 2014 10:25 PM PT

China WindPower Group Ltd. (182), an operator of renewable-energy projects with a market value of HK$5.62 billion ($725 million), said it will get as much as 5.7 billion yuan ($942 million) in loans from the China Development Bank Corp.’s Qinghai Branch for solar farms.

The funds will be invested in more than 800 megawatts of solar projects this year and next, China WindPower said in a statement distributed by PR Newswire yesterday.

China WindPower “will gradually push forward our solar power generation business to become our core business and major profit contributor to the group,” Chief Executive Officer Yang Zhifeng said in the statement.

The Hong Kong-listed company, which mainly develops wind farms, operates 150 megawatts of solar projects, it said last month. The company’s shares have almost doubled since Nov. 21, rising from HK$0.355 to HK$0.69 as of 2:12 p.m. Hong Kong time.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...lar-farms.html

Quote:
India Delays Solar Auction Bid Deadline for Second Time
By Natalie Obiko Pearson Jan 6, 2014 1:58 AM PT

India delayed the deadline for companies to submit bids in its next national solar auction for a second time after developers raised concerns about the ability of cash-strapped state utilities to pay for power.

The deadline has been pushed back by almost a month to Jan. 20, state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India, which will conduct the auction of 750 megawatts of capacity, said on its website. Earlier, it delayed the deadline from Nov. 29 to Dec. 28.

The auction will be the first since 2011 by India’s National Solar Mission and offer 18.75 billion rupees ($300 million) in grants to cover as much as 30 percent of project costs. Developers will submit bids specifying the funds they’re seeking, and the lowest bidders will win.

While Solar Energy Corp., which will buy power from the projects, has promised companies they will get paid, some developers are worried, according to Bridge to India Energy Pvt.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...cond-time.html

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Solar Power Craze on Wall St. Propels Start-Up
By DIANE CARDWELL and JULIE CRESWELL
Published: January 3, 2014

The first inklings of the idea came to Elon Musk and a cousin in an R.V. heading to the Burning Man festival in 2004.

Solar energy, they agreed, could be big.

But not even Mr. Musk, the billionaire behind the Tesla electric car, could have foreseen the solar power craze that is sweeping Wall Street. He and his cousins Peter and Lyndon Rive are riding a wave of exuberance over the industry and their young business, SolarCity.

The company — the nation’s largest provider of rooftop solar systems, with more than 80,000 customers — has not made a dime. And, frankly, no one quite seems to know when, or if, it will.

But SolarCity has captured investors’ imaginations and become a potent symbol of a stock market ascent that makes the vertigo-inducing heights of Twitter seem tame. SolarCity’s share price, which closed at $59.27 on Friday, has soared more than sevenfold since it went public, and the company, which did not exist eight years ago, is valued at roughly $4.9 billion.

Depending on whom you talk to, the rise of SolarCity and similar companies is either a sure sign that solar power is finally having its day or that yet another mania has gripped the markets. Two other companies, SunPower and SunEdison, have also exploded in value. In all, an estimated $13 billion was invested in solar projects in 2013, a tenfold increase since 2007, according to GTM Research, which tracks the industry.

Solar companies have had the wind at their backs lately. The broad stock market is coming off its best year since 1997 — the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose nearly 30 percent in 2013 — and the shares of many young companies have leaped from one high to another.

But few have been hotter than SolarCity, in part thanks to the Musk mystique surrounding Tesla Motors, itself a market darling.

This much is certain: The stock market has been very good to Mr. Musk, 42. On paper, his wealth quadrupled in 2013, to more than $5.5 billion, reflecting his stakes in SolarCity and Tesla. As chairman of SolarCity, he has little day-to-day involvement in the company.

“It’s the easiest job I have, that’s for sure,” Mr. Musk said in a telephone interview. “Most of what I do is show up to hear the good news.”

Still, SolarCity and its ilk face formidable challenges. It is trying to outrun rivals in a race to transform the power industry. Utilities are furiously working to undo the incentives that have fueled the solar industry’s growth. A generous federal tax credit is set to shrink in a few years. It has attracted the attention of regulators, who have questioned the way it values the rooftop systems.

And, because of its stock price, it must continue to feed Wall Street’s appetite.

“The market expects them to grow really rapidly for a while — there’s no other way that that price makes sense,” said Shayle Kann of GTM Research.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/bu...-start-up.html

Quote:
Will Deener: Tesla and SolarCity defy skeptical investors
Will Deener
Published: 05 January 2014 09:17 PM
Updated: 06 January 2014 12:34 AM

The performance of two stocks in 2013 reaffirms my belief in my favorite Wall Street aphorism: The stock market will do whatever it takes to prove the most people wrong.

If six months ago I had suggested that you load the wagon with shares of SolarCity Corp., a seller of solar power, or Tesla Motors Inc., a seller of electric cars, you would have thought I had taken leave of my senses. Both companies were losing money hand over fist, and both were highly dependent on government largesse — specifically subsidies and tax breaks.

And, to top it off, both were among the most highly shorted companies on Wall Street. About 30 to 40 percent of their stock float was shorted, meaning a large slug of investors were betting the shares would fall.

As it turned out, those who shunned these two companies missed out on humongous gains, and the shorts have suffered massive losses. Shares of SolarCity have soared 314 percent in the past year, while Tesla has also seen its stock propelled into the stratosphere with a 336 percent gain.

No one expected these kinds of gains, but as is so often the case, the stock market will do whatever it takes to prove the most people wrong.

Most investors were predisposed to write off SolarCity because, well, it’s involved in solar — a roller coaster industry if there ever was one.

Solar stocks get hot when electricity prices rise and governments in the United States, Europe and China throw large subsidies at the industry. But then they get cold when electricity prices decline, as they did in recent years, or when governments get stingy with their largesse, as Europe did during the last recession.

Also, a couple of years ago, the stock prices of SolarCity and other companies that made solar panels were clobbered because heavy competition pushed down the cost of panels and eroded profit margins. Basically, Chinese manufacturers were making solar panels at cost or even at a loss and flooding the U.S. market.

Since 2010, the average price of a solar panel — which is based on wattage output — has dropped from $1.81 per watt to about 70 cents per watt. Still, the owner of an average-size home can spend at least $15,000 to $30,000 to install a solar system, depending on the number of panels.
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/c...-investors.ece
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  #343  
Old Posted Jan 8, 2014, 7:34 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Prineville Mayor: Apple Plans Solar Array At Central Oregon Data Center
Posted: Monday, January 6, 2014 11:00 am | Updated: 1:45 pm, Mon Jan 6, 2014.
by DAVID NOGUERAS
Oregon Public Broadcasting

The mayor of Prineville says Apple is planning to build a solar array at its data center in Central Oregon.

Earlier this week, both Prineville and Crook County amended existing enterprise zone agreements to incorporate additional land.

Mayor Betty Roppe says those agreements were with Apple. She says the company's enterprise zone agreement defers taxes on improvements to the land for a period of 15 years.

"My understanding is that they will create the solar farm and then they will sell that back to the companies that they actually get their electricity from," said Roppe.

Roppe says a confidentiality agreement with the company prevents her from disclosing the specific terms of the deal.

Economic Development for Central Oregon won't confirm a deal with Apple. In general, it requires businesses in that particular long-term rural enterprise zone to hire a minimum number of 35 full-time employees at wages that are at least one and a half times the county average.

Apple did not return calls seeking comment.
http://www.dailyastorian.com/news/no...4bfa6ddc4.html

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California’s Sizzling Solar Busts Through 3 GW
On Jan. 2, 2013, California hit a then-record 1,235 megawatts in solar power production. Exactly a year later, it reached 3,048 MW.

Earthtechling, Pete Danko
January 7, 2014

For the first time, California’s utility-scale solar power production has topped 3,000 megawatts (or, if you prefer, 3 gigawatts). The California Independent System Operator, which oversees the grid for much of the state, tweeted that solar generation hit a record 3,048 megawatts at 12:02 p.m. on Thursday.

To put 3,000 megawatts in perspective, the average coal-fired unit in the United States in 2011 was capable of generating 228 megawatts of power, according to the Energy Information Administration -- so at noon on Thursday, California’s solar farms were doing the work of about thirteen such units.
CA grid reached new solar generation peak of 3,048 MW @ 12:02 on January 2, 2014. #Solar #CAGrid #RenewableEnergy
— California ISO (@California_ISO) January 3, 2014
What’s remarkable about the figure is that exactly one year earlier, on Jan. 2, 2013, the state had also set a record: 1,235 megawatts. That means that in a single year, peak utility-scale solar power production in California has risen nearly 150 percent.

What’s behind the increase?



One final point: We always need to point out that the California ISO solar production figures are for wholesale solar only. California also has nearly 2,000 megawatts of solar behind meters -- on the roofs of businesses and homes all over the state -- that isn’t included in that 3,048 megawatt figure.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...s-through-3-gw

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Deutsche Bank expects solar gold rush in 2014
08. January 2014 | Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Edgar Meza

Deutsche Bank Markets Research is forecasting a strong year for solar, with diverse global factors coming together to improve market conditions and increase overall demand.

Deutsche Bank Markets Research has raised its solar demand forecast for 2014 and 2015 to 46 GW and 56 GW, respectively.

In a new report published this week, 2014 Outlook: Let the Second Gold Rush Begin, Deutsche Bank said "upside demand surprises" from the U.S., Japanese and Chinese markets could continue in 2014.

"We expect streamlined incentive programs in China, additional subsidy cut signals in end 2014, and decreasing financing constraints to act as catalysts for upside. Similar to the '05-07 capacity rush, we expect another gold rush by downstream installers to add recurring MW ahead of policy changes over the next 2-3 years. Moreover, we expect grid and financing constraints to improve from 2014.”



According to the report, key catalysts and swing factors include:
  • Q1 seasonality: solar stocks are generally discounting weak Q1 seasonality as demand from Europe, the U.S. and China has been historically very weak. However, demand in China is expected to remain relatively strong and also markets such as Japan, the U.K. and other international markets are likely to drive strong Q1 momentum
  • China and Japan demand outlook: Both China and Japan could represent 45-50% of 2013 demand -- demand from both markets is expected to remain a major swing factor.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...014_100013889/

Quote:
Record installations make US strongest PV market outside Asia Pacific
08. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Top News | By: Edgar Meza

California remained the leading solar state in terms of PV installations, while North Carolina surged into second place, displacing Arizona and New Jersey.

New solar PV installations in the United States reached a record 4.2 GW in 2013, making it the leading solar market outside the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly report. The U.S. market has grown 15% since 2012.

Solar PV installed in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2013 also reached a new record high of approximately 1.4 GW.

"Each year, the final quarter in the United States results in a new quarterly record for solar PV installed," said Michael Barker, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. "The solar PV industry in the United States is, on average, now installing more than one gigawatt of solar PV each quarter."



The top ten leading U.S. states for installed solar PV in 2013:
  1. California
  2. North Carolina
  3. Arizona
  4. New Jersey
  5. Texas
  6. Massachusetts
  7. Hawaii
  8. New Mexico
  9. Nevada
  10. New York
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...fic_100013885/

Quote:
Hanergy secures $3.3 billion in financing for renewable energy projects
08. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Sandra Enkhardt, Edgar Meza

Hanergy Holding Group has signed a three-year, $3.3 billion financing deal with Asian banks aimed at PV and hydropower projects and developing its CIGS thin-film technology.

Hanergy Holding Group, parent of leading thin-film module manufacturer Hanergy Solar, has signed a financing agreement with China's Minsheng Bank and the Asia Financial Cooperation Association, a regional organization made up of small and medium-sized banks and financial institutions.

The strategic partnership, signed on Wednesday in Beijing, provides up to CNY 20 billion ($3.26 billion) over the next three years in direct and indirect financing as well as diverse financial instruments for PV and hydropower projects and technology development.

Hanergy is one of the largest thin-film module manufacturers worldwide. Hanergy Solar has in recent years acquired a number of international players in the CIGS technology field, including Q.Cells subsidiary Solibro in Germany and U.S. firms Global Solar and MiaSole.

Hanergy said it would use the financing to further develop its CIGS thin-film technology. The company added that it had already achieved research efficiencies of 19.6% for its thin-film modules and currently 15.7% in mass production.

The strategic cooperation agreement between Hanergy and the financial institutions come in the wake of the Chinese government's recent efforts to further strengthen the development of the domestic solar industry and expand PV development in the country.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...cts_100013884/

Quote:
Yingli joins forces with China National Nuclear Corp. for 500 MW of solar projects
07. January 2014 | Top News, Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Edgar Meza

The state-owned nuclear technology giant says its new partnership with Yingli is reflects China's goal of sustainable development. The companies aim to build 500 MW of distributed generation projects.

Yingli Green Energy is joining forces with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to develop distributed generation solar projects across China.

The Yingli China division and CNNC subsidiary China Rich Energy have agreed to establish a joint venture that will construct the distributed generation systems in close proximity to end-users of the electricity to be generated by the projects.

Yingli China and China Rich Energy signed a framework agreement several months ago outlining the long-term strategic cooperative relationship. As part of the deal, the joint venture will develop 500 MW distributed generation solar projects across the country, 200 MW of which will be installed on sites to be provided by CNNC or its subsidiaries.

Yingli said the agreement with China Rich Energy had now entered the implementation stage.

"While CNNC remains committed to nuclear power development, we are increasing our activities in the renewable energy space, in order to expand our development space,” said Hongchao Xu, China Rich Energy’s deputy general manager and chairman of the joint venture.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...cts_100013877/

Quote:
U.S. Solar Installations Are Up 15% In 2013
January 8, 2014 Kathleen Zipp : 0 Comments

New solar photovoltaic installations in the United States reached a record 4.2 GW during 2013. Since 2012, the U.S. market has grown 15%, making it the leading solar market outside the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly report.

Solar PV installed in the U.S. during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2013 also reached a new record high of approximately 1.4 GW, which is equivalent to over 1 megawatt (MW) of solar panels being installed during each hour of daylight over the past three months.

“Each year, the final quarter in the United States results in a new quarterly record for solar PV installed,” said Michael Barker, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. “The solar PV industry in the United States is, on average, now installing more than one gigawatt of solar PV each quarter.”
http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com...tions-15-2013/

Quote:
1,000 MW Chinese Solar Project Marks Significant Market Shift
Originally published on ThinkProgress.
By Emily Atkin.

China’s second-largest maker of solar photovoltaic panels will develop a huge 1,000 megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar power plant complex in a remote Chinese desert, which the company announced Monday — a move that some say is a sign of big things to come for the global solar industry in 2014.

The complex will be built by Trina Solar Ltd. in the western region of Turpan Prefecture, a “harsh, drastic, cold desert” in the western Xinjiang province. Plants are scheduled to begin construction over a four-year time frame starting in early 2014, the company said, with installed capacity of 300 MW scheduled to be completed and connected to the grid by the end of this year. The project is subject to Chinese regulatory approval, but if completed, it would be the largest solar power plant project in Xinjiang.

“Xinjiang’s abundant land and solar resources make Turpan an ideal location for this project,” Trina Solar CEO Jifan Gao said in a statement. “We look forward to working in close collaboration with the local authorities to satisfy the conditions needed for phase one.”

The announcement is welcome news for China, a country with world-famous pollution that has recently been found to be largely caused by too-abundant fossil fuel production. That production is led by more than 2,300 coal-fired power plants, though emissions from other types of fossil fuel combustion also contribute to the smog. However, Trina’s new solar project will only supply power for the areas in which the project surrounds — Turpan Prefecture itself has a population of just 570,000 — dashing the chances that it might alleviate pollution in the smog-centers of Beijing or Shanghai.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/08/...-market-shift/

Quote:
An Improved, Cost-Effective Catalyst for Water-Splitting Devices

Jan. 8, 2014 — Solar energy appears to be the only form of renewable that can be exploited at level that matches the world's growing needs. However, it is equally necessary to find efficient ways to store solar energy in order to ensure a consistent energy supply when sunlight is scarce. One of the most efficient ways to achieve this is to use solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and get the energy back by consuming hydrogen in a fuel cell. But collecting solar energy on a large and sustainable scale means that such cells must be made from materials that are cheap, abundant, and have 10% solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency.

Publishing in Nature Communications, an EPFL-led team of scientists has found a method to create a high-efficiency, scalable solar water splitting device using cheap materials.

Although one of the best means of sourcing renewable energy, solar systems cannot consistently produce adequate energy since sunlight varies from time to time and place to place. A solution to this problem is a device that can store energy in the form of hydrogen for later use, offering a consistent output over time with very little pollution.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0108081221.htm

Quote:
10 Leading Solar Trends of 2013
Anne Fischer
Written by Anne Fischer 8 January 2014

Our readers are industry leaders who are bright and informed about solar and the impact it will have in the future. The top 10 most read articles by this group of professionals signify the trends in the solar industry in 2013.

Net Metering: A call for a public debate

Public policy, net metering and the utility’s role in regulating (and charging for) solar is an issue that is not going away any time soon.

Electric Vehicles: Charged by the sun

Moving away from fossil fuels in the transportation sector means charging cars with solar charging stations. Fortunately this is a growing trend, signifying a greener tomorrow.

Trends in Solar PV Coatings
PV Monitoring: Tools, markets and emerging trends


With costs down and efficiency of solar cells improving, these two articles look at ways the industry is squeezing more efficiency from solar installations.

Sunny Skies for US Solar in 2013

Good news is always well received, especially expert opinion from SEIA’s President and CEO Rhone Resch.

Advances in Energy Storage Research

Energy storage continues to challenge the industry, with strides being made in cutting edge research around the world.

PV Recycling: Update on legal and technology issues

The industry isn’t truly green until there’s cooperation on proper disposal of materials at the end of their lifecycle. Now with mandates in some regions, PV recycling is becoming as accepted as it is expected.

Roofing considerations for solar photovoltaic installers

Proper and safe PV installation means adhering to electrical code and manufacturer’s requirements thus ensuring that both roofing and PV warranties are maintained.

Operational Energy Data on Solar Financing

Acquisitions of operational utility-scale solar plants increased dramatically in 2013. For the investor or lender it’s all about risk mitigation and understanding the expected annual energy production.

Hurricane Sandy Puts Solar Installation to the Test

Case studies such as this point to how well solar works and that today’s installation techniques can stand up to unprecedented environmental challenges.
http://www.solarnovus.com/10-most-re...day_N7331.html

Quote:
Strong Venture Capital Funding for Solar in 2013
Published on 7 January 2014

Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, released its report on funding and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity for the solar sector in 2013.

Global venture capital (VC) investments dropped 40% to $600 million in 97 deals in 2013 compared to $992 million in 106 deals in 2012. Total corporate funding into the solar sector, encompassing VC, debt and public market financings was up 25% in 2013 to almost $10 billion, compared to about $8 billion in 2012.

VC funding in Q4 2013 totaled $87 million in 24 deals compared to $197 million in 28 deals in Q3 2013.

Since mid-2012 the new normal for VC funding has been smaller funding quarters and smaller deal sizes. “While venture funding levels were down, overall fundraising was up and public market financings were really strong in 2013,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group. “Higher valuations among public solar companies have opened up the capital markets again as an avenue for fundraising at attractive terms. IPOs are back.”

Solar downstream companies saw the largest amount of VC funding in 2013 with $262 million in 34 deals, accounting for 45 percent of venture funding. Investments in CSP reached $109 million in 12 deals and PV companies were close behind with $104 million in 17 deals. Thin film saw a 77 percent drop in funding from 2012, with $72 million in 2013 compared to $314 million a year earlier.
http://www.solarnovus.com/strong-ven...013_N7338.html
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  #344  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2014, 7:45 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Energy News
New Battery Material Could Help Wind and Solar Power Go Big
Low-cost materials could make storing hours of power from a wind farm economically feasible.

By Kevin Bullis on January 8, 2014

Utilities would love to be able to store the power that wind farms generate at night—when no one wants it—and use it when demand is high during the day. But conventional battery technology is so expensive that it only makes economic sense to store a few minutes of electricity, enough to smooth out a few fluctuations from gusts of wind.

Harvard University researchers say they’ve developed a new type of battery that could make it economical to store a couple of days of electricity from wind farms and other sources of power. The new battery, which is described in the journal Nature, is based on an organic molecule—called a quinone—that’s found in plants such as rhubarb and can be cheaply synthesized from crude oil. The molecules could reduce, by two-thirds, the cost of energy storage materials in a type of battery called a flow battery, which is particularly well suited to storing large amounts of energy.

If it solves the problem of the intermittency of power sources like wind and solar, the technology will make it possible to rely far more heavily on renewable energy. Such batteries could also reduce the number of power plants needed on the grid by allowing them to operate more efficiently, much the way a battery in a hybrid vehicle improves fuel economy.

In a flow battery, energy is stored in liquid form in large tanks. Such batteries have been around for decades, and are used in places like Japan to help manage the power grid, but they’re expensive—about $700 per kilowatt-hour of storage capacity, according to one estimate. To make storing hours of energy from wind farms economical, batteries need to cost just $100 per kilowatt-hour, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The energy storage materials account for only a fraction of a flow battery’s total cost. Vanadium, the material typically used now, costs about $80 per kilowatt-hour. But that’s high enough to make hitting the $100 target for the whole system impossible. Michael Aziz, a professor of materials and energy technologies at Harvard University who led the work, says the quinones will cut the energy storage material costs down to just $27 per kilowatt-hour. Together with other recent advances in bringing down the cost of the rest of the system, he says, this could put the DOE target in reach.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news...-power-go-big/

Quote:
Organic mega flow battery promises breakthrough for renewable energy
Harvard technology could economically store energy for use when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine

January 8, 2014

Cambridge, Mass. – January 8, 2014 – A team of Harvard scientists and engineers has demonstrated a new type of battery that could fundamentally transform the way electricity is stored on the grid, making power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar far more economical and reliable.

The novel battery technology is reported in a paper published in Nature on January 9. Under the OPEN 2012 program, the Harvard team received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) to develop the innovative grid-scale battery and plans to work with ARPA-E to catalyze further technological and market breakthroughs over the next several years.

The paper reports a metal-free flow battery that relies on the electrochemistry of naturally abundant, inexpensive, small organic (carbon-based) molecules called quinones, which are similar to molecules that store energy in plants and animals.

The mismatch between the availability of intermittent wind or sunshine and the variability of demand is the biggest obstacle to getting a large fraction of our electricity from renewable sources. A cost-effective means of storing large amounts of electrical energy could solve this problem.

The battery was designed, built, and tested in the laboratory of Michael J. Aziz, Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Roy G. Gordon, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science, led the work on the synthesis and chemical screening of molecules. Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, used his pioneering high-throughput molecular screening methods to calculate the properties of more than 10,000 quinone molecules in search of the best candidates for the battery.



“Our studies indicate that one to two days' worth of storage is required for making solar and wind dispatchable through the electrical grid,” said Aziz.

To store 50 hours of energy from a 1-megawatt power capacity wind turbine (50 megawatt-hours), for example, a possible solution would be to buy traditional batteries with 50 megawatt-hours of energy storage, but they'd come with 50 megawatts of power capacity. Paying for 50 megawatts of power capacity when only 1 megawatt is necessary makes little economic sense.

For this reason, a growing number of engineers have focused their attention on flow battery technology. But until now, flow batteries have relied on chemicals that are expensive or difficult to maintain, driving up the energy storage costs.
http://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/201...newable-energy

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Shunfeng Aims For 10,000 MW Of Solar PV Projects By 2016 (That’s A Lot!)

It’s no secret — China is installing solar power faster than you can say “Bob’s your uncle.” The recently announced goal of one large Chinese solar developer is just another indication of that, but it’s certainly a big one. Shunfeng Photovoltaic says that it is now aiming to install 20,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power capacity by 2016. To put that into perspective, the largest solar PV power plant in the world is 600 MW in size, and the next behind it is currently about half that size. All but a dozen or so solar PV power plants are less than 100 MW in size. So… 10,000 MW by 2016 is huge.

Shunfeng is apparently already to 890 MW. So, just another 9,110 MW in ~3 years. “We aim to add 3GW in each of this year, next year and 2016, so that by the end of 2016 we will have 10 GW,” Shunfeng chairman Zhang Yi recently told the South China Morning Post. Good luck to the company!
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/08/...016-thats-lot/

Quote:
420 MW(!) Solar Project For Japan To Use ReneSola Solar Panels

ReneSola earlier this week announced that it has been selected to supply 420 megawatts (MW) of solar panels for a (huge!) solar power project in Japan. (For a little bit of perspective, the largest “solar PV power project” currently in operation is a 600 MW project in India, while the second-largest is going to be 397 MW when it is complete.)

“ReneSola’s Virtus II 300W 72-cell high-efficiency polycrystalline PV panels will be installed in over ten ground-mounted power plants in the mountain regions of Japan, and will provide power to the surrounding residential homes,” the press release stated.

“We are pleased that this project enables us to grow our presence in Japan, one of our target markets,” Mr. Xianshou Li, chief executive officer of ReneSola said. ”Our local sales office is supporting our growth amidst the increasing demand for solar products in Japan. ReneSola is committed to producing high-quality cost-competitive products, and we will continue to expand our presence in new markets in the coming years.”
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/08/...-solar-panels/

Quote:
Quantum mechanics explains efficiency of photosynthesis
9 January 2014

Light-gathering macromolecules in plant cells transfer energy by taking advantage of molecular vibrations whose physical descriptions have no equivalents in classical physics, according to the first unambiguous theoretical evidence of quantum effects in photosynthesis published today in the journal Nature Communications.

The majority of light-gathering macromolecules are composed of chromophores (responsible for the colour of molecules) attached to proteins, which carry out the first step of photosynthesis, capturing sunlight and transferring the associated energy highly efficiently. Previous experiments suggest that energy is transferred in a wave-like manner, exploiting quantum phenomena, but crucially, a non-classical explanation could not be conclusively proved as the phenomena identified could equally be described using classical physics.

Often, to observe or exploit quantum mechanical phenomena systems need to be cooled to very low temperatures. This however does not seem to be the case in some biological systems, which display quantum properties even at ambient temperatures.

Now, a team at UCL have attempted to identify features in these biological systems which can only be predicted by quantum physics, and for which no classical analogues exist.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-artic...photosynthesis

Quote:
SolarCity’s Market Share Jumps to 32% in US Residential PV
The solar financier’s stock price isn’t the only thing breaking records this week.

Mike Munsell
January 9, 2014

SolarCity installed nearly a third of all U.S. residential PV in the third quarter of 2013, installing almost four times as much as its closest competitor, Vivint Solar, according to GTM Research's US PV Leaderboard, released today.

The leaders in Q3 residential solar installs in the United States:
  • SolarCity
  • Vivint
  • Verengo
  • REC Solar
  • Real Goods Solar

With a newfound ability to raise public capital and a mandate to continue its rapid expansion, SolarCity remained aggressive throughout 2013. "In addition to a steadily growing market share, the company made a bevy of moves over the course of the year, ranging from the first securitized distributed solar deal to the acquisitions of Paramount Solar and Zep Solar," said Shayle Kann, Senior Vice President, GTM Research. "SolarCity's 2014 guidance suggests another rapid year of growth, barring bottlenecks in component costs, project finance or regulation."
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...re-jumps-to-32

Quote:
Solar support cuts put German PV transition at risk, warns BSW
By John Parnell - 09 January 2014, 13:33
In News, Power Generation, Market Watch

The current rate of cut backs to support for solar energy could put the German energy transition at risk, the country’s solar trade body has warned.

The Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) has claimed that while the cost of solar fell by 25% in the past two years, support schemes for the technology have been cut in half.

The country installed 3.3GW in 2013 according to BSW, figures in line with the Federal Network Agency’s data in early December. That compares to 7.6GW in the previous year.

Carsten Körnig, managing director of BSW-Solar, warned the new government’s continued feed-in tariff degression plans must be slowed.

"The further expansion of solar energy as the main pillar of energy supply is an indispensable climate policy and is now affordable. Now is the time to take advantage of the considerable potential of solar energy for the energy revolution," he said.

"It cannot be that we stall the development of solar energy just now where photovoltaics has become so inexpensive,” added Körnig.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/solar_su...risk_warns_bwe

Quote:
Goldpoly sets sights beyond China with new 500MW PV deal
By Lucy Woods - 09 January 2014, 12:10
In News

Solar park developer and operator Goldpoly New Energy Holdings is continuing its downstream acquisition spending spree with an additional 500MW of solar projects.

The deal is thought to be the first time Goldpoly has looked at PV projects outside China since it began an aggressive drive into project development last year.

In partnership with engineering company, China Triumph International Engineering Co (CTIEC), and Chinese telecommunications company, Huawei Technologies, Goldpoly aims to add a further 500MW to its pipeline portfolio.

According to an agreement between the three parties, Goldpoly is to acquire solar power plants developed and constructed by CTIEC, in China, Europe, North America and Japan. Huawei is to supply inverters and other information technology equipment for the 500MW of so-called ‘target projects’.

The 500MW pipeline is the first batch of projects between the three companies, with an estimated minimum return on investment of 9%.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/goldpoly...500mw_pipeline

Quote:
China pledges further support for solar industry
SHANGHAI Thu Jan 9, 2014 5:17am EST

(Reuters) - China pledged further support support for its ailing solar power industry on Saturday as the government seeks to revive a sector struggling with overcapacity and falling prices.

The State Council, China's cabinet, said in July that the country aimed to more than quadruple solar power generating capacity to 35 gigawatts by 2015 in an apparent bid to ease a glut in the domestic solar power industry.

The State Council, in a statement published on its website, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was taking measures to "promote the healthy development of the photovoltaic industry".

The ministry, it said, was implementing the July directive by supporting consolidation in the industry, drafting guidelines for mergers and acquisitions and promoting standardization.

It said the ministry was encouraging technological innovation, especially related to decentralized solar power installations not connected to the power grid. It was also supporting research and development efforts for batteries that can store solar electricity.

The ministry sought to improve standardization and ensure "orderly competition" in the industry, the statement said.

The State Council said the solar industry had enjoyed a recovery in 2013. Total installed solar power generating capacity increased by around 8 GW, of which 6 GW were in power plants and 2 GW were in decentralized instillations, the statement said, citing preliminary estimates from the China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A080E220140109
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Sandler O’Neill to Provide $100 Million for Wiser Solar Projects
9 January 2014

Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) — Sandler O’Neill & Partners LP, a New York-based investment bank, agreed to arrange at least $100 million in financing for Wiser Capital LLC to develop commercial solar systems.

Sandler will solicit funds from investors including community banks and individuals, and Wiser will match them with property owners seeking rooftop solar systems, Nathan Homan, a managing partner at Santa Barbara, California-based Wiser, said in an interview.

Prices for photovoltaic panels have slumped 57 percent since the start of 2011, making solar power more competitive with electricity from other sources and spurring demand for rooftop power systems. The deal will expand the potential market for mid-size commercial solar projects, Wiser said today in a statement. The arrangement may reduce the cost of financing by as much as half compared with rates from traditional lenders.

Wiser expects to develop projects with 50 kilowatts to 2 megawatts of capacity, worth about $250,000 to $5 million each, a market that has about “$300 million to $400 million of creditworthy transactions on an annual basis,” Homan said. The systems will belong to Wiser, which will sell power to the property owners.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/sand...olar-projects/

Quote:
Hareon Solar to invest US$294 million in 200MW of northern China projects
By Andy Colthorpe - 10 January 2014, 12:51
In News, Power Generation, Project Focus

China-based PV manufacturer Hareon Solar has announced that it will develop 200MW of solar power plants in northern China, after the company’s board of directors approved CNY1.78 billion (US$294 million) of investment.

Via three separate announcements the company said investment had been approved for a 100MW project, and two 50MW projects. The 100MW installation will be built in the Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, requiring CNY892.1 million (US$147.4 million) of investment, while one of the two 50MW projects will be built in Chahar Right Back Banner, which is also in Inner Mongolia, with around CNY446.1 million (US$73.7 million) of investment required. The other 50MW project will be built in Heibei province, with Hareon investing CNY440.6 million (US$72.8 million) to finance it.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/hareon_s...china_projects

Quote:
PV provided 7% of Italy’s electricity in 2013, says transmission operator
By Andy Colthorpe - 10 January 2014, 11:47
In News, Power Generation

Early data for 2013 electricity demand released by Terna, Italy’s electrical transmission system operator, indicates that 7% of electricity produced in Italy was generated through PV last year.

Domestically produced electricity met 86.7% of overall national demand, with the remaining 13.3% provided by exchanging the balance of electricity with other countries.

PV outperformed geothermal (1.7%) and wind power (4.7%), with only hydroelectric providing a higher percentage among renewable sources, at 16.5%. Renewable sources contributed 29.9%, around 94.9TWh of generation. Domestically generated electricity from thermoelectric stood at 56.8%.

The figures, which are “early estimates”, also show that photovoltaic electricity production in the country saw an increase of almost 19% compared to 2012. PV generated electricity production increased by 18.9%, while hydroelectric saw a 21.4% increase, wind power generation increased by 11.6% and geothermal saw a modest 1% increase. Thermoelectric production however, declined by 12%.

Overall, electricity demand for 2013 showed a decline from the previous year of around 3.1% when adjusted for the extra working day in 2012, which was a leap year. Total demand was 317TWh. Terna stated that the general trend for electricity demand continued to show a decline after figures for 2012 showed a fall from 2011 demand levels of around 1.9%.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/italys_p..._by_19_in_2013

Quote:
California’s 579MW Solar Star begins partial operation
By Ben Willis - 10 January 2014, 10:51
In News, Power Generation, Project Focus

California’s 579MW Solar Star project has begun partial operation and is now supplying electricity to California’s grid.

Owner MidAmerican Solar and SunPower, which is building the project, announced this week that the first portions of the two projects that together make up Solar Star are around 10% operational, with the first 57MW now on line.

The project, previously dubbed Antelope Valley, was acquired by MidAmerican from SunPower last year for a reported US$2 billion. MidAmerican is part of investor Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway empire.

Work began on Solar Star last April and it is currently the world’s largest PV project under construction.

It will use SunPower's modular Oasis Power Blocks technology, developed for large-scale PV power plants.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/californ...tial_operation

Quote:
MidAmerican's giant California Solar Star power plant enters service
Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:49am EST

(Reuters) - Renewable power companies MidAmerican Solar and SunPower Corp said they have connected the first 57 megawatts to the power grid from California's 579-MW Solar Star solar power plant, one of the biggest in the United States.

Their Solar Star project, which involves two plants in Kern and Los Angeles counties, are expected to power about 255,000 homes once complete, the two companies said in a release late on Thursday.

"We are fulfilling our promise ... to help California meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020," Mike Fehr, MidAmerican Solar's general manager at the Solar Star projects, said in the statement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A090NV20140110

Quote:
EnerVault Nears Completion of Its First Commercial-Scale Flow Battery
The company says it’s prepared to beat DOE’s cost targets for redox flow batteries.

Stephen Lacey
January 9, 2014

Founded in 2008, California-based storage startup EnerVault has remained relatively quiet on its progress.

The flow battery market is, after all, defined more by grandiose claims from companies than by commercial projects in the ground.

But with $24.5 million in funding and an executive team hailing from SunPower, Tesla, and a range of battery, power plant engineering and fuel cell companies, EnerVault is now going public with its performance expectations.

"We've been particularly quiet about achievements," said Jim Pape, EnerVault's CEO and former president of residential and commercial solar at SunPower. "Part of that is our investors; part of that is that we don't want to put out statements we have to later jump over."
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...e-flow-battery

Quote:
SOLAR WAR: CEO Of Upstart Solar Company Vivint Takes A Huge Shot At Elon Musk's SolarCity
Jay Yarow Dec 18 2013, 7:35 AM

Things are getting a little feisty in the world of residential solar installation.

Todd Pederson, CEO of solar installer Vivint, had some harsh words for rival SolarCity when I spoke to him on the phone last week.

He says SolarCity is constantly trying to poach his employees because it has no idea how to cost-effectively acquire customers and build out a big national solar business.

Pederson is one of the more interesting executives that we’ve come across. He started off selling pest control out of a trailer in Arizona. After doing pest control sales for a few years, he pivoted into home security. From there, he started doing home automation.

Today, Vivint is working on solar installation, wireless internet, home automation, and much more. Blackstone paid $US2 billion for Vivint in 2012.

Both SolarCity and Vivint do solar insallation. That is, installing solar panels on people’s homes, and wiring up the systems.

Over the phone, we asked Pederson how he feels about going up against Elon Musk’s solar company.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/vi...arcity-2013-12

Last edited by amor de cosmos; Jan 10, 2014 at 7:08 PM.
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Old Posted Jan 11, 2014, 5:35 PM
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Chile to build 110MW CSP tower
By Lucy Woods - 10 January 2014, 16:52
In News, Project Focus

Chile’s Ministry of Energy and government agency for entrepreneurship, COFO, has awarded a tender for South America’s first concentrated solar power (CSP) plant.

The tender for the 110MW molten salt power technology plant was awarded to sustainability technology developer, Abengoa.

The CSP plant will use molten salt power technology, allowing energy to be stored for up to 17.5 hours, without direct solar radiation.

A subsidy of US$20 million in government funding is being provided for the project, and access to US$500 million in additional funding from the IDB, Clean Technology Fund and the German development bank KfW and the European Union.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/chile_to...10mw_csp_tower

Quote:
6 January 2014
Energy: too valuable to waste
Synthetic natural gas from excess electricity


"Power to gas" is a key concept when it comes to storing alternative energy. This process converts short-term excess electricity from photovoltaic systems and wind turbines into hydrogen. Combined with the greenhouse gas CO2, renewable hydrogen can be used to produce methane, which can be stored and distributed in the natural gas network. Empa researchers have now succeeded in further optimising this process.

The methanation process uses CO2, for example from biogas production, and this combined with hydrogen (H2) from excess renewable electricity, produces methane, which can not only be distributed simply and cost-effectively in the natural gas network, but can also be stored for longer periods of time. This means renewable energy is being used to produce a "quasi-fossil" fuel – the basic principle of "power to gas".

The Sabatier reaction, which produces combustible methane from hydrogen and CO2, has been known for a long time. Now researchers in the Empa "Hydrogen and Energy" Department have succeeded in greatly optimising the process. A catalyst is required to bring about the reaction of CO2 with hydrogen using as little energy as possible; this catalyst can, for example, be made of nickel. The gas molecules react more easily with each other on the surface of such a catalyst, reducing the energy required for the reaction to take place. This is referred to as sorption catalysis. Empa researcher, Andreas Borgschulte, and his team have now combined a nanoscale nickel catalyst with a zeolite. Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicates with the ability to absorb water molecules and release them again when heated.

The principle is simple: the chemical reaction of hydrogen with CO2 produces not only methane (CH4), but also water (H2O). The researchers use the hygroscopic (i.e. water-binding) property of the zeolite to remove the resulting water from the reaction mixture. The chemical equilibrium then moves towards methane. Result: a higher yield of pure methane and a more efficient catalytic process. As soon as the zeolite is saturated with water, it can be "unloaded" again by heating and evaporation of the water, and is then re-used.
http://www.empa.ch/plugin/template/e...143418/---/l=2
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Old Posted Jan 12, 2014, 6:19 PM
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Solar Power Reduces Wholesale Electricity Prices (4 Charts)

A reader recently shared some great Fraunhofer reports on renewable energy in Germany with me. One of them I had already written a pretty long article about back in November, but the second I don’t think I’d seen. It’s an extensive look at electricity prices and production data in 2013. It’s got more charts on electricity prices than I care to count. However, a few of these I thought I’d share just to make a point I haven’t made in a while.

The point is that solar PV production comes at times we need it most. When the sun is shining, we also tend to be using a lot of electricity. Historically, due to a limited amount of power capacity on the grid, that increase in demand meant an increase in the wholesale price of electricity bid on the spot market. However, when solar PV penetration really starts to get up there (as it has in Germany), that boost in midday production results in a drop in wholesale power prices — solar bids everyone down.

In the first chart below, you can see how electricity prices trend up with electricity production/demand in the middle of the day (when not much electricity is being produced from solar energy).








http://solarlove.org/solar-power-red...ices-4-charts/
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China Solar PV Forecast for 2014 Upgraded to 12 GW
Posted by Steven Han in Solarbuzz, Solar on November 15, 2013 | 1 Comment

On 14 November 2013, the Chinese Bureau of Energy released a draft of proposed solar power installations for China in 2014. Under this proposal, new solar installations in China are expected to reach 12 GW in 2014 . This includes 8 GW of distributed PV generation and 4 GW in the ground-mount segment.

Jiangsu Province is expected to have the leading market share with 1.3 GW of quotas within the pipeline. This is followed by Shandong Province (1.2 GW) and Zhejiang Province (1.1 GW). Other provinces in the top ten quota list include: Hebei, Guangdong, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Henan and Gansu.


http://www.displaysearchblog.com/201...aded-to-12-gw/

Quote:
Asia-Pacific Region to Account for Half of Global Solar Photovoltaic Demand in 2014, According to NPD Solarbuzz

Thailand to join China, Japan, Australia, and India as the major PV markets in the APAC region next year


Santa Clara, California, December 19, 2013—Solar photovoltaic (PV) demand in 2014 will be dominated by the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which will account for approximately 50% of all new solar PV demand next year. According to findings from the latest NPD Solarbuzz Asia Pacific PV Markets Quarterly report, almost 95% of new solar PV capacity in the APAC region in 2014 will come from just five countries: China, Japan, India, Australia, and Thailand.

APAC countries are forecast to install more than 23 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV in 2014, setting a new record for solar PV installed annually within any region. This record PV level represents more than the entire global PV industry installed in 2010, and it is even greater than the 19.2 GW installed in Europe in 2011, when Germany and Italy were the leading global solar-PV countries.

“APAC will dominate both manufacturing supply and end-market demand in 2014, with more than 80% of module production also coming from the region,” according to Steven Han, analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. “This milestone marks the final chapter in the transition from historic European domination to a new PV industry, where supply and demand from APAC will determine the basis of the 50 GW global PV industry going into 2015.”

The record level of solar PV demand from the APAC region during 2014 will represent 35% annual growth, compared to 2013, when more than 18 GW of new solar PV is expected to be installed in APAC. Demand from the APAC region this year is dominated by China and Japan, which together account for more than 85% of APAC installations.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/recent...-2014-accordin

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Strong Growth Forecast for Solar PV Industry in 2014 with Demand Reaching 49 GW, According to NPD Solarbuzz

Six-month period to March 2014 will result in 22 GW of demand, equivalent to a new 5 MW solar farm installed every hour


Santa Clara, Calif., December 23, 2013—Solar photovoltaic (PV) demand is poised for explosive growth in 2014, and is set to reach 49 gigawatts (GW), up from 36 GW in 2013, according to findings in the latest NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly.

“The solar PV industry has reached a critical tipping point, with end-market demand hitting record levels almost every quarter,” added Finlay Colville, vice-president at NPD Solarbuzz. “This growth is being driven by leading module suppliers and project developers that returned to profitability during 2013, and which have now established highly-effective global sales and marketing networks.”

Q4’13 will be another record quarter for the solar PV industry, exceeding the 12 GW barrier for the first time ever. Furthermore, demand in Q1’14 will also achieve record-breaking status, as the strongest first-quarter ever seen by the PV industry.

Over the six-month period from October 2013 to March 2014, the solar PV industry will install almost 22 GW, which is greater than all the solar PV installations that occurred between 2005 and 2009, during the previous high-growth phase of the industry that was driven by the European market.

This 22 GW of demand is equivalent to 120 megawatts (MW) of solar PV installed every day for six months, and equates to one new 5 MW solar farm being completed every hour of the day.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/recent...reaching-49-gw

Quote:
California and North Carolina to Achieve Top-10 ‘Country’ Status in 2014 Global PV Industry

Posted by Michael Barker in Solarbuzz, Solar on January 10, 2014 | No Comments

The US solar PV industry continued to set new installation records in 2013, surpassing previous demand levels for both quarterly and annual periods. The new installation rates confirm that the US is now the leading market outside of the Asia-Pacific region.

However, despite having grown to above 4 GW, to refer to the US as a ‘single’ country market misses many of the nuances underlying the market at the state level. The US is one of the more complicated markets for PV industry participants to understand.

When discussing trends in the US market, it is common to use the phrase: ‘there is no US market; there are 50 state-level markets with a layer of federal policy on top’. And then there are more than 2,000 utilities that can have unique permitting, licensing, or incentive policies.

Because of this complexity, each state has different segmentation trends, business models, and challenges. In addition to having a strong influence on the size of the US market, the leading states are large enough to influence the global supply/demand landscape. The figure below examines four of the top US state markets and ranks them against other single-country global markets.

If each US state were analyzed as an individual market, California would rank as the fourth largest driver of PV demand globally during 2013. During 2014, we forecast that North Carolina will join California as a global Top-10 driver of PV demand. Furthermore, at least four states will be in the Top-20 for global demand in 2014.
http://www.displaysearchblog.com/201...l-pv-industry/

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New York to add $1 billion to state solar program
13. January 2014 | Top News, Markets & Trends, Industry & Suppliers, Global PV markets | By: Edgar Meza

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to champion solar energy in the state with more ambitious goals and secure funding for the next decade.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled ambitious solar energy plans as part of his State of the State address last week, including $1 billion in additional funding for the state’s NY-Sun Initiative.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has filed a petition with the state's Public Service Commission requesting $1 billion to ensure long-term program certainty for the NY-Sun Initiative and expand New York’s solar market.

Specifically, NYSERDA is requesting $864 million to continue the annual funding level of $108 million from 2016 through 2023 for the state's PV incentives.

With a total of $1.08 billion for PV programs, including funds previously authorized for 2014-2015 plus the newly requested $864 million), NYSERDA expects to achieve an estimated 3 GW of installed PV capacity in the state.

The state is also looking to reduce soft costs of solar development by helping local governments adopt model zoning and permitting procedures and providing innovative financing options.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ram_100013918/

Quote:
Enerparc installs Russia's largest PV park
13. January 2014 | Applications & Installations, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Investor news, Markets & Trends | By: Max Hall

German EPC provider Enerparc helped install a 1 MW ground-mount project in Dagestan in just two weeks. Three German companies were involved in the Russian installation.

German companies Enerparc, Mounting Systems and Skytron joined forces to help develop what is claimed to be the largest PV park in Russia.

The 1 MW ground-mount project at Kaspiysk in the Republic of Dagestan was assembled in just two weeks with Hamburg-based Enerparc providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services and Berlin company Skytron co-ordinating the commissioning process.

Using more than 4,000 Trina Solar modules, the 1 MWp plant is expected to generate more than 1.2 GWh per year in the northern Caucasus location.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ark_100013921/

Quote:
Goldpoly targets 1 GW portfolio expansion
13. January 2014 | Applications & Installations, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Investor news, Markets & Trends | By: Max Hall

Chinese developer Goldpoly wants to expand its solar project portfolio by 1 GW in 2014. On Thursday, the company committed to acquire 500 MW of projects worldwide from China Triumph International Engineering.

Having acquired China Merchants New Energy in June, Goldpoly New Energy Holdings Ltd has announced a plan to treble its solar portfolio by adding a further 1 GW of projects this year.

Goldpoly's Qiu Shaomeng told pv magazine the deal announced on Thursday to acquire 500 MW of projects worldwide constructed by China Triumph International Engineering Co. Ltd, is part of a strategy to 'test the water' of international markets.

"The year 2014 will witness rapid growth of the company," said Goldpoly chairman and chief executive Alan Li in a statement on the Goldpoly website revealing details of the developer's commitment to acquire projects in China, Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ion_100013917/

Quote:
Australia begins 2014 with almost 3.1GW of rooftop PV
By Andy Colthorpe - 13 January 2014, 11:19
In News, Power Generation

Australia ended last year with over 1.6 million PV systems installed on rooftops, representing almost 3.1GW cumulative capacity of rooftop solar power installed across the country.

In total, around 0.7GW was added in 2013, with the figure for installed rooftop capacity at the end of 2012 standing at around 2.4GW. At the end of 2011 around 1.3GW had been installed, meaning capacity has more than doubled in two years.

According to monthly figures published by Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator, as of 31 December 2013, there were 1,161,245 rooftop PV systems which made up a total of 3,096,067kW capacity installed. This figure includes 1,723 new systems, 7.5MW, installed in December, although December figures are provisional and widely expected to be revised upward for the regulator’s January statistics release.

At present, December figures show a sharp decline in new installations from the preceeding three months – in November around 44.7MW was installed, in October 61.9MW was added while September saw 55.9MW installed.

New systems are registered with the country’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme, which is aimed at supplying 20% of Australia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Australian prime minister Tony Abbot, who took office in September 2013, has made clear his intention to drastically cut spending on climate targets and highlighted the possibility of scrapping the RET, citing high consumer energy prices as a more eminent priority.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/australi...ed_on_rooftops

Quote:
The top 10 clean energy developments of 2013
By Laurie Guevara-Stone on 13 January 2014

2013 was an exciting and inspiring year in many regards. And we’re not just talking the arrival of Prince George or the fact that the new Pope rides an electric bicycle. There were many remarkable clean energy developments that are helping to bring us closer to a clean, prosperous, and secure energy future. Here we list our top ten:

1. Renewables become cheapest option for many utilities

2. Utilities look toward new business models

3. Storage goes mainstream

4. Electric vehicles have banner year

5. Transportation apps are on the rise

6. Cities get serious about building efficiency

7. Deep energy retrofits are the new black

8. China tackles air pollution

9. Companies put a price on carbon

10. Industry gets efficient
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/the-...s-of-2013-2013
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Old Posted Jan 14, 2014, 7:39 PM
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England’s Clouds Part for Solar as Panels Carpet Fields
14 January 2014

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) — Cloudy Britain is emerging as Europe’s hottest market to build solar parks.

Cheaper equipment costs and steady subsidies are attracting developers of large-scale, ground-mounted projects from nations like Germany and Spain that pioneered solar on the continent. Britain may build more big plants — 2 megawatts or larger – than any European country, adding as much as 2,000 megawatts of capacity this year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Those panels would occupy about 16 square miles, enough to cover most of central London.

While much of the continent has scaled back solar aid to favor economic growth over green policies, the U.K. pledged subsidies through 2020 with no limit on the size of projects. Investors raised at least 750 million pounds ($1.2 billion) last year for megawatt-scale projects, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“The boom in large-scale solar started much later in the U.K. than in most of Europe, so the country has been able to learn from others,” said Daniel Guttmann, PwC’s head of renewable energy strategy. “Projects are developed at much lower cost than earlier ones abroad. This right level of support, along with policy stability, is driving fast growth.”

The new installations would power about 600,000 average homes. Such growth however depends on the U.K.’s Conservative Party-led government keeping solar subsidies in place amid a political storm over rising energy costs, which have been blamed in part on the environmental levies.

First Funds

Britain is attracting investors and developers from across the region including Portugal’s Martifer SGPS SA and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund BV. The country’s first solar funds listed last year: Foresight Group LLP raised 150 million pounds in October for one, while Bluefield Partners LLP got 130 million pounds in July for another. Both attracted retail and institutional investors, which increasingly are interested in the industry.

“We expect the U.K. to be a multibillion-pound solar market over the next few years,” said James Armstrong, a partner at Bluefield, which seeks as much as 400 million pounds within two to three years.

Britain, one of the gloomiest countries in the region, could have as much as 20 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2020 from almost 3 gigawatts now, Energy Minister Greg Barker has said. That would beat Italy’s current 16.5 gigawatts and Spain’s 4.7 gigawatts, while trailing Europe’s biggest solar nation, Germany, with 35.4 gigawatts.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/engl...carpet-fields/

Quote:
Qbotix Supplying Robots for 45 Megawatts of Solar Projects (1)
13 January 2014

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) — Qbotix Inc., a closely held supplier of robotic systems for solar farms, agreed to supply equipment for 45 megawatts of U.K. power plants under development by Castillium Ltd.

The first Castillium projects using Qbotix systems will begin construction in mid-2014, according to a statement today from the Menlo Park, California-based robotics company. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Qbotix’s battery-powered robots ride a rail around solar arrays and tilt the panels toward the sun as it moves across the sky. They increase panel output by as much as 45 percent and may lower the cost of building power plants by as much as 20 percent, Chief Executive Officer Wasiq Bokhari said.

“Our approach adds value, including in conditions where sunlight is poor,” Bokhari said in a telephone interview. “We are a global company, and solar is a global market.” The company is deploying its technology in Japan and may expand into Chile, he said.

Qbotix is seeking to raise $12.5 million in equity financing, including contributions from existing investors, by the end of the first quarter, Bokhari said. It has raised about $12 million to date.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/qbot...olar-projects/

Quote:
UK solar panels reach half a million rooftop milestone
Government figures suggest British solar industry past major landmark last week, as installers work towards delivering one million roofs by 2015

By Jessica Shankleman
14 Jan 2014

The solar power industry appears to have installed its 500,000th set of panels in the UK in recent days, in a move that marks a major milestone for the burgeoning sector.

According to figures by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, 499,687 solar schemes had been installed by January 5 under the feed-in tariff scheme that supports solar arrays with a capacity smaller than 50kW.

With the solar market installing around 1,900 schemes on average per week over the past year and work now picking up after the Christmas holidays it is highly likely more than 313 would have been installed last week, taking the industry past the half a million mark.

However, it remains to be seen how close the industry is towards its goal of installing one million solar arrays specifically on homes by 2015. On one hand, the figures show that only 478,875 of the installations were definitely fitted on domestic rooftops, with larger installations likely to have featured on offices and commercial properties. But Leonie Greene of the Solar Trade Association argued that several thousand panels were installed on rooftops before the feed-in tariff began, meaning that the industry is likely to have delivered around half a million domestic installations.

She welcomed the data as further evidence of the growing popularity of solar technology in the UK and predicted that the sector's target for 2015 now looked "very achievable".

"Politicians may be fighting about energy and climate change in Westminster, but the public are just getting on with it," she told BusinessGreen. "A quiet solar revolution has been taking place led by half a million everyday households. Polls show over and over that the public back renewables and they have indeed put their hands in their pockets to prove it."
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/anal...ftop-milestone

I would have thought the Okanagan area would be a good place for solar:

Quote:
Will British Columbia’s Solar Industry Rise?
Originally published on Reviving Gaia
by Roy L. Hales

It was a hot August day. Thanks to the ten solar panels recently installed on his garage roof, Hans Wekking was getting more than enough energy for his house and his EV. Pointing to his meter box, he said, “Right now, its showing that we are putting power in the grid.” There would have been nothing unusual about this scene in California, but in British Columbia it made the news.

According to Alevtina Akbulatova, of BC Hydro, there are 250 rooftop solar installations in the province.

By way of comparison, California has 167,878.

British Columbia’s solar presence is slight even in Canadian terms. The only province where rooftop solar has taken hold is Ontario, which had 759.4 MW of installed PV systems in 2012. Alberta and BC, the nation’s #2 and #3 rooftop provinces, produced 2.2 MW and 2.1, respectively.

Why hasn’t solar caught on in BC?

The model that most people look to is Germany, which produces a third of the World’s solar energy.

According to Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, “Germany gets only about as much annual sun as Seattle or Alaska; its sunniest region gets less sun than almost anywhere in the lower 48 states. This underscores an important point: solar power works and competes not only in the sunniest places, but in some pretty cloudy places, too.”

“Germany is the world’s leading country of solar installations per capita and their annual solar energy availability is consistent with BC,” said Jim Musselwhite, of G.E.T. Solar Solutions. “Additionally, Victoria is one of the sunniest cities in the province with half the annual rainfall of Vancouver and an estimated 2,223 hours of sunshine every year!”
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/14/...industry-rise/

Quote:
SolarWorld unveils record-setting test module
14. January 2014 | Research & Development, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Michael Fuhs, Edgar Meza

TÜV Rheinland has confirmed a world record of 306 W for a 60-cell format module produced as part of a second-generation Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology research project.

SolarWorld on Monday unveiled a record-setting 306 W test module at its research and development facility in Freiberg, Germany, that utilizes a number of new technologies, including second-generation Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) innovations.

"TÜV Rheinland has certified the second-generation modules with a power output of 306 W. This sets a world record for PERC modules in standard 60-cell format," said Dr. Holger Neuhaus, head of SolarWorld Innovations GmbH, the group’s research and development facility.

SolarWorld oversaw the three-year development of the module while working with more than a dozen companies and research institutions as part of Germany’s Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance Sonne research project, which is supported by the German government.

The companies joined forces in 2011 to develop highly efficient and low-cost solar cells and modules. The team managed to increase the performance of the test module from the standard 240-260 W to up to 300 W thanks to the new PERC technology.

SolarWorld currently produces 265-275 W first-generation PERC modules, which the company says dramatically reduces system costs for customers by producing the same amount of energy in smaller areas and thus reducing area-based costs for installations.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ule_100013935/

Quote:
US surpasses 5 GW of utility-scale solar capacity
14. January 2014 | Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Edgar Meza

U.S. solar capacity more than doubled in 2013 thanks to the addition of substantial new capacity around the country in mid-size projects between 4 and 92 MW.

The United States soared to the top spot in utility-scale capacity and overtaken China in the process after a storming last quarter, according to the latest data from Wiki-Solar.

The bustling solar market allowed the U.S. to leapfrog over China, which had ranked No. 1 in utility-scale capacity early in 2013.

Recent figures from CAISO, California’s transmission grid operator, show that major new capacity came online between October and December from several of the world’s largest solar power stations, including three partly-complete First Solar projects: Desert Sunlight being built for GE and others, which now has 470 MW connected out of an eventual 550 MW capacity; Topaz Solar Farm for MidAmerican (237 of 550 MW); and Exelon’s Antelope Valley (230 of 250 MW).

The latest figures also include several 100+MW projects now fully connected, including First Solar's 290 MW Agua Caliente, SunPower’s 250 MW California Valley for NRG Energy, Sempra's 165 MW Mesquite I, Tenaska's 130 MW Imperial South and GE's 127 MW Arlington Valley.

Coupled with substantial new capacity around the country in mid-size projects between 4 and 92 MW, this raised total U.S. capacity to over 5 GW -- more than double the 2.2 GW existing at the start of 2013, Wiki-Solar reported.

"We've known for some time that America's pipeline of giga-scale projects would take it to the top of the table," said Wiki-Solar's Philip Wolfe. "Thanks to a further 12 GW still in development, it should stay there for some time, though China's progress is also impressive – and they have a habit of springing new capacity on us with little warning."

"We've known for some time that America's pipeline of giga-scale projects would take it to the top of the table," said Wiki-Solar's Philip Wolfe. "Thanks to a further 12 GW still in development, it should stay there for some time, though China's progress is also impressive – and they have a habit of springing new capacity on us with little warning."


http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ity_100013933/

Quote:
Top 10 US states offer more than 40GW of solar PV pipeline capacity
By Michael Barker - 14 January 2014, 12:59
In Guest Blog

At the end of 2013, based on annual market demand, the top 10 states for solar PV in the US had an aggregate project pipeline of approximately 2,000 non-residential projects. This represents almost 40GW of potential PV capacity.

Project pipelines provide significant insight into individual projects, but also help understand market structures, business models, and future demand levels.

Figure 1, to the left, shows the total project pipeline levels (all projects yet to be completed), for the top 10 US states, based on total pipeline capacity.

California dominates the 40GW pipeline, with over 60% of capacity, firmly cementing its place as the leading US market. In fact, if California alone was compared on a global level, it would have ranked as the fourth largest global PV market in 2013.

By examining where states are ranked – in terms of pipeline capacity – long-term demand trends can be established. States with smaller pipeline levels may be in danger of declining year on year, as project development activity slows down and current pipeline activity gets depleted.


http://www.pv-tech.org/guest_blog/to...eline_capacity

Quote:
Pioneering Solar Technologies (INFOGRAPHIC)
by Zach
on January 14, 2014

In 1839, the photovoltaic reaction was first observed. Since then, mankind has harnessed the power of the sun in many different ways.

From powering everyday devices like wrist watches (1968) and calculators (1978) to sending orbiting satellites (1962) and spaceships (1967) through the cosmos.

What is exciting is that we are only at the early stages of how important solar technologies could be to our planet. Here, we take a look at some of the projects that are currently being tested and developed that would redefine the way we transport ourselves, look after the planet, and connect with each other:


http://solarlove.org/pioneering-sola...s-infographic/

Quote:
Missouri utility continues to embrace solar with renewable energy centre
By Lucy Woods - 14 January 2014, 11:17
In News, Power Generation, Project Focus

The investor owned electric and gas utility, Ameren Corporation is continuing its major solar energy initiative, with a 5.7MW solar centre in Missouri.

With some utilities increasingly keen on solar, and the technology preferred over other sources for additional utility power, Ameren is to start constructing its multi-million-dollar O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center.

Built in the city of O’Fallon, across 7.7 hectares of land already owned by Ameren, the renewable energy centre will have 19,000 solar panels installed to power 650 houses in the St. Louis area with clean energy.

The array should be complete by December, creating 50-70 construction jobs at a site opposite Ameren Missouri's Belleau substation in St. Charles County.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/missouri..._energy_centre

Quote:
Scientists develop a more efficient and economical solar cell based on graphene and perovskite
14 January 2014 Asociación RUVID

The Group of Photovoltaic and Optoelectronic Devices (DFO) at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, led by the professor of Applied Physics Juan Bisquert, together with researchers from the prestigious University of Oxford, have created and characterized a photovoltaic device based on a combination of titanium oxide and graphene as charge collector and perovskite as sunlight absorber. The device is manufactured at low temperatures and has a high efficiency.

The results of this study were recently published in Nano Letters, a prestigious scientific journal with an impact factor of 13,025, which leads the dissemination of news in all branches of the theory and practice of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The article is the result of the research work carried out the last year by the Group of Photovoltaic and Optoelectronic Devices on a topic of high impact within the scientific community of photovoltaic solar cells based on solid pigments with perovskite structure.

This scientific work has combined new and promising materials based on perovskite structure, which absorb sunlight very effectively, with graphene, a material that arouses most interest today for its properties, versatility and low cost. Graphene is a material consisting of carbon monolayers. Its use has generated huge expectations in new advanced technologies, such as high-performance lithium batteries, electronics, video screens and technological applications.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem...CultureCode=en
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Old Posted Jan 15, 2014, 6:40 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Posts: 7,556
Quote:
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/

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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

Quote:
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

Quote:
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

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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

Quote:
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

Quote:
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

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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

Quote:
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/

Quote:
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

Quote:
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

Last edited by amor de cosmos; Jan 15, 2014 at 7:11 PM.
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Old Posted Jan 16, 2014, 6:24 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Quote:
panasonic initiates 'cut out the darkness' solar lantern campaign

panasonic has launched the 'cut out the darkness' campaign which aims at bringing light to the over 1.3 billion people who live without any access to electricity. since 2006, the corporation has been donating solar lanterns to those in need, with the goal of distributing 100,000 by its 100th anniversary in 2018. the lighting devices generate electricity during the day, storing that energy within the lamp's secondary battery for use during the night.


http://www.designboom.com/design/pan...gn-01-16-2014/

Video Link


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Quote:
beta.ey spherical glass solar device charger by rawlemon

for the past three years, our friend, german architect andré broessel of rawlemon has developed efficient concentrated solar energy systems. his previous endeavour, the 'betaray spherical glass solar energy generator', implemented a glass ball lens into its design for improving energy efficiency by up to 35% over traditional PV panels. building on the existing technology, broessel has presented his latest stand-alone energy harvesting concept: 'beta.ey', a solar cell phone charger and atmospheric lamp, which is available now for funding on indigogo.


http://www.designboom.com/technology...on-01-16-2014/

Quote:
UK Rises Above 500,000 Solar Homes, Prices Keep Dropping (Infographic)

The UK has now risen over 500,000 solar homes. CompareMySolar.co.uk decided to make the following infographic in order to commemorate the milestone. Check it out:


http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/15/...g-infographic/

Quote:
What’s Behind the 2013 Decline in Renewable Energy Investment?
“The top-line figures don’t tell the whole story.”

Katherine Tweed
January 15, 2014

Global investment in renewable energy and clean energy technologies has dropped for the second year in a row, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Investment figures came to $254 billion in 2013, a 12 percent drop from 2012. The record high for renewable energy financing came in 2011 at nearly $318 billion, according to BNEF. Declines in Europe dragged down the whole market, but there are some bright spots.

“A second successive year of decline in investment will come as unwelcome news to the clean energy sector,” Michael Liebreich, founder and chairman of the advisory board for BNEF, said in a statement. “But the top-line figures don’t tell the whole story.”

There's actually a silver lining in the numbers. Part of the decline was caused by the improving economics of solar and wind, said Liebreich. But advocacy groups estimate that annual investments must increase to $500 billion by the end of the decade -- and eventually $1 trillion annually by 2030 -- in order to stabilize global temperatures.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...-again-in-2013

Quote:
Shunfeng to invest $4.1 billion in solar projects
16. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Edgar Meza

The company will build most of its 3 GW of new installations this year in China's northwestern regions, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia.

China's Shunfeng Photovoltaic International is planning to invest some CNY 25 billion ($4.1 billion) to develop its own solar projects this year, according to a report on Thursday by Bloomberg.

Citing comments by Shunfeng Chairman Zhang Yi, the news agency said the company expected to install 3 GW in China this year as part of a plan to build a total of 10 GW of projects through 2016.

In view of the fact that power consumption is rising in China and the government has set a goal of 35 GW of solar capacity by 2015, Zhang said the solar market had "broad prospects," Bloomberg reported.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...cts_100013960/

Quote:
California greenlights 485 MW PV project
16. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Edgar Meza

While considerably smaller than originally planned, the $1.13 billion project will spur California's transition to renewable energy and help advance its climate change goals, say regulators.

The California Energy Commission on Wednesday approved NextEra Energy's plan to use photovoltaic technology rather than the previously approved solar parabolic trough system for its planned 484 MW Blythe Solar Power Project.

NextEra, which took over the project in April 2013, filed a revised amendment with the commission to reduce the original project's planned physical size and generation capacity.

The company is set to build the facility on 4,070 acres () of public land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in four phases, with the first three consisting of 125 MW and the fourth generating 110 MW. The site is located some 13 kilometers west of the city of Blythe in eastern Riverside County.

The original project owner, a subsidiary of Solar Millennium, had filed an amendment with the commission in June 2012 to switch to solar PV, which led to a commission review of the plans.

"The project will spur California's transition to renewable energy and help advance its aggressive climate change goals," said Commissioner Karen Douglas, who is the presiding member of the committee reviewing the Blythe Solar Power Project amendment.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ect_100013955/

Quote:
Japan adds nearly 4 GW of PV capacity
16. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Edgar Meza

The country's cumulative installed solar capacity reached nearly 11.3 GW by October 31.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has reported the installation of 3,993 MW of PV capacity in the country between April 1 and October 31, 2013.

METI's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) compiled the data covering the status of new facilities generating renewable energy in the time period.

"Photovoltaic power facilities steadily continue to be introduced, and the total combined capacity of such facilities as of October 31, 2013, reached 5,852,000 kW after the feed-in tariff scheme was introduced," METI said on its website.

As of Oct. 31, 2013, Japan's cumulative installed PV capacity had reached 11.226 GW.

Of the 3.99 GW of new PV capacity, residential accounted for 870 MW, while non-residential systems made up the rest, 3,123 MW.

From July 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, Japan's total PV capacity reached 1,673 MW, with residential making up 969 MW and non-residential 704 MW.

Prior to the introduction of Japan’s feed-in tariff program, which went into effect July 1, 2012, combined total solar capacity in the country was at about 5.6 GW.

Japan became the first country in the world to surpass the 1 GW of cumulative PV capacity back in 2004.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ty-_100013954/

Quote:
JCM Capital starts US$150 million fund for PV projects in Africa and Latin America
By Mark Osborne - 16 January 2014, 15:27
In News, Power Generation, Finance, Project Focus

Canadian-based private equity firm, JCM Capital has launched a targeted fund of up to US$150 million to support PV power plant projects in Latin and South America and Sub Saharan Africa.

The firm has previously focused on emerging markets and has funded more than 70 projects in the last five years. Such markets have been difficult to develop due to access to early-phase investment by PV project developers.

“This fund will provide investors with an attractive value proposition: the steady cash flows of infrastructure combined with the growth of emerging markets," said Tom Heintzman, JCM Capital – managing director, Infrastructure Group. "JCM’s solar PV projects in Africa and Latin America will provide clean energy necessary to support the significant growth underway in these regions. In Africa alone, the African Development Bank estimates that more than US$40 billion annually of new electricity generation capacity is required in order to support economic growth, and solar PV will be the fastest growing form of generation in these markets.”

The company said that the fund had already secured a lead investor and secured commitments of US$15 million.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/jcm_capi...ca_and_latin_a

Quote:
Cobalt catalysts allow researchers to duplicate the complicated steps of photosynthesis
By Jared Sagoff • January 13, 2014

ARGONNE, Ill. – Humans have for ages taken cues from nature to build their own devices, but duplicating the steps in the complicated electronic dance of photosynthesis remains one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for chemists.

Currently, the most efficient methods we have for making fuel – principally, hydrogen – from sunlight and water involve rare and expensive metal catalysts, such as platinum. In a new study, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have found a new, more efficient way to link a less expensive synthetic cobalt-containing catalyst to an organic light-sensitive molecule, called a chromophore.

Although cobalt is significantly less efficient than platinum when it comes to light-induced hydrogen generation, the drastic price difference between the two metals makes cobalt the obvious choice as the foundation for a synthetic catalyst, said Argonne chemist Karen Mulfort.

“Cobalt doesn’t have to be as efficient as platinum because it is just so much cheaper,” she said.

The Argonne study wasn’t the first to look at cobalt as a potential catalytic material; however, the paper did identify a new mechanism by which to link the chromophore with the catalyst. Previous experiments with cobalt attempted to connect the chromophore directly with the cobalt atom within the larger compound, but this eventually caused the hydrogen generation process to break down.

Instead, the Argonne researchers connected the chromophore to part of a larger organic ring that surrounded the cobalt atom, which allowed the reaction to continue significantly longer.

“If we were to directly link the chromophore and the cobalt atom, many of the stimulated electrons quickly fall out of the excited state back into the ground state before the energy transfer can occur,” Mulfort said. “By coupling the two materials in the way we’ve described, we can have much more confidence that the electrons are going to behave the way we want them to.”

One additional advantage of working with a cobalt-based catalyst, in addition to its relatively low price and abundance, is the fact that scientists understand the atomic-level mechanisms at play.
http://www.anl.gov/articles/cobalt-c...photosynthesis

Quote:
OYA Solar Commissions Rooftop Solar Installation in Canada
Published on 16 January 2014

OYA Solar Inc. (OYA), a developer of solar PV systems based in Ontario (Canada), announced the commissioning of its largest solar project with Atlas Tube (Atlas).

OYA in conjunction with Atlas, a manufacturer of hollow structural steel sections, has developed Canada’s largest rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (PV) plant. The 718.08kW solar plant, which spans over nearly 120,000 square feet of roof top space (7 hockey rinks), is located at Atlas, a division of JMC Steel Group located in Harrow, Ontario and is the first phase of a planned 3.5 Megawatt (MW) rooftop project.

Currently, the rooftop solar installation in Canada, will supply enough electricity to power 60 homes for a whole year, with an annual power output of 897,128 kilowatt-hours (kWh). The plant will offset over 420 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of planting over 25,000 trees. The project features 2,244 solar modules and over 30 tons of steel tubing supplied by Atlas Tube and Polar Racking’s (Polar) rooftop ballasted mounting system.
http://www.solarnovus.com/oya-solar-...ada_N7369.html
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Old Posted Jan 17, 2014, 6:49 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Quote:
U.K. Proposes Onshore Wind, Solar Capacity Auctions
By Alex Morales Jan 17, 2014 3:44 AM PT

The U.K. plans to force onshore wind developers to compete head-to-head for the first time with solar generators when they bid for green power subsidies as the nation seeks to reduce the cost of renewable energy for consumers.

Joint auctions for the most mature kinds of renewables such as energy from waste, hydropower, and landfill gas and sewage gas would start in the autumn, according to a consultation paper posted on the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s website.

“The government clearly hopes that there will be a sufficient number of projects to create competitive tension so that bids come in materially below the administrative strike prices,” Peter Atherton, an analyst at Liberum Capital Ltd., wrote today in a note to investors.

The U.K. is seeking 110 billion pounds ($180 billion) of power-industry investment through 2020 while trying to keep a lid on consumers’ bills. More competitive auctions would spur developers to bid for the government’s guaranteed rates at below the so-called strike prices offered for different technologies.

“Current indications, based on our understanding of the pipeline for renewable energy projects, are that there will be a high level of demand for government support schemes,” the department said in the paper published on its website late yesterday. “We are better placed than we had previously anticipated to introduce competitive forms of allocation.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...-auctions.html

Quote:
Low Carbon and Macquarie fuel solar boom with latest phase of 300MW expansion plan
Two further UK solar farms announced as investors back fast-expanding industry

By BusinessGreen staff
17 Jan 2014

The UK's fast-expanding solar farm industry received another boost yesterday renewable energy investors Low Carbon and Macquarie Capital announced plans for two new sites boasting 34MW of capacity.

The projects in Wiltshire and East Anglia are designed to provide 13MW and 21MW of capacity respectively and mark the second phase in the two companies' plans to deliver 300MW of UK solar capacity.

The companies said they now had three projects boasting 26MW of capacity under construction and due to come online in the first half of 2014, while the two new sites are also expected to be completed by the end of June.

Under the partnership, the two companies have agreed to work together to develop a series of projects, with Macquarie Capital having committed to providing the necessary construction funding.

"We've really hit the ground running in 2014 and are excited to get another two sites into construction from this investment," said John Cole, chief investment officer at Low Carbon, in a statement. "These projects demonstrate again our ability to quickly and effectively manage and package low risk renewables projects for investment. We are firmly committed to creating a low carbon future by reducing carbon emissions whilst making use of technological advances in photovoltaics to provide returns to investors."
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news...expansion-plan

Quote:
Solarcentury and Santander ink deal to support solar expansion drive
Bank provides £16.5m loan facility as developer seeks to expand presence in emerging economies

By BusinessGreen staff
17 Jan 2014

UK-based renewable energy developer Solarcentury has secured £16.5m in loans from Santander to support plans to grow its business at home and in Latin America.

The company announced today that the loan facility had been confirmed, adding that the finance will now be used for investments in solar farms and rooftop projects.

Neil Perry, chief financial officer at Solarcentury, said the company was seeking to build on its success of last year, which saw revenues grow to £80m delivering pre-tax profits of £2.4m.

"To fuel this growth, we were seeking an additional banking partner and we are delighted that Santander has chosen to work with us," he said in a statement.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news...xpansion-drive

Quote:
2014 solar trends episode 2: The Utility Strikes Back & the Return of the Utility
January 16th, 2014
Written by Mark Liffmann

The double title really says it all about the relationship between the solar industry and utilities. Are utilities a force for good, or do they represent the “dark side” when it comes to solar?

In reality, the solar industry needs utilities. Utility-scale solar relies on the infrastructure provided by utilities to deliver energy to customers. Meanwhile, owners of distributed rooftop solar systems need utilities to distribute excess energy as it’s produced, and to provide energy when their system is not producing enough to meet their needs.

While distributed solar needs the utility, it is also forcing the utility to evolve. Some prognosticators have hypothesized that the utility is going the way of the landline phone company. As mobile phones continue to grow in popularity, the percentage of American households who no longer have a landline hit 34% in 2012. At the current rate of decline, the last landline will be cut sometime in the middle of the next decade.



In fact, many utilities are already looking at ways to evolve their business models and continue to profit as technology changes, and this solar trend will continue strong in 2014. Where some see a threat in distributed solar, others see an opportunity. The list of traditional electrical utilities and diversified energy companies that are investing in distributed solar and utility-scale solar outside of their regulated territories is growing by the day.
  • PG&E Corporation, parent of California regulated utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company, has invested in both residential solar finance company SunRun, and integrated distributed solar developer SolarCity.
  • Edison International, parent company of Southern California Edison, recently purchased SoCore Energy, a developer of commercial solar rooftops, to enter the commercial solar space directly. This follows an earlier investment in residential solar finance company Clean Power Finance.
  • Clean Power Finance seems to have perfected the art of getting utilities to consider evolving their business model, as they also have received investments from the largest electric holding company in the U.S., Duke Energy.
  • Integrys Energy Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc., a large Midwestern utility holding company, also created a residential solar finance fund through Clean Power Finance’s online platform.
  • Duke Energy, the nation’s largest utility holding company through subsidiary Duke Energy Renewables, is a major investor in utility-scale solar nationwide. Of course, when you are the largest utility in the U.S. you need lots of ways to profit from solar, so they have also formed a new group within their regulated utility to look at ways to invest in distributed solar.
  • NextEra, the parent company of Florida Power and Light and a large independent power producer, has been investing in utility-scale solar for years. Their most recent foray into the commercial solar market has been the acquisition of Smart Energy Capital.
  • NRG Energy, another leading independent power producer, is investing in utility- and commercial-scale solar through subsidiary NRG Solar, and in residential solar through subsidiary NRG Residential Solar Solutions.
  • Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway are also investing in some of the largest solar plants in the country through subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company.

If you’ve written utilities off as dinosaurs clinging to coal plants and outdated business models, it’s time to look again. In the not-so-distant future, those same utilities just might own the solar on your roof. The force runs strong in utilities, and time will tell which utility will be the AT&T or Verizon of distributed solar.
http://www.cleanpower.com/2014/2014-solar-trends-e2/

Quote:
Peering Over the 2017 Horizon for Solar, Part 1: Securitization
Yuri Horwitz and Will Graves dissect solar securitization as the industry prepares for a post-ITC future.

Yuri Horwitz and Will Graves
January 17, 2014

In 2017 the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) will be cut by 66 percent, falling from 30 percent to 10 percent of the total solar project value.

This legislative change will be significant for the industry, and it will also be a test. Overall, we believe that while the industry may be overestimating its ability to reduce the cost of capital (even in a mature marketplace with a mature asset class), the future is quite promising for solar in a number of markets as project costs continue to decline.

This two-part series provides the reader a strategy with which to analyze the changing solar landscape and the interactions between declining costs of capital for the solar project asset class, declining install costs for these projects, and electricity offtake rates. It also offers certain key perspectives and observations based on this analysis.

The Promise of Securitization and New Financial Structures

The solar industry continues to focus on financial innovation as a means to drive down the cost of capital available to investors and developers interested in the asset class. These efforts are premised on the idea that if the industry can access “cheaper” capital -- meaning capital demanding less aggressive returns -- more projects will be viable and the industry will grow more quickly.

For example, a solar energy project selling electricity at 6 cents/kilowatt-hour and providing a 4 percent IRR does not interest most investors, while a project selling electricity at 15 cents/kilowatt-hour and providing 9 percent or 10 percent IRR generally does.

So, the theory goes, if more investors are willing to invest at 6 percent or 7 percent, then more solar projects should be viable because the project itself does not have to generate as much cash, which means the project does not need to charge the offtaker as much for the electricity the project is selling. This in turn means that there should be a greater number of potential customers willing to purchase the electricity from the solar project, and therefore more solar projects will be built.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...r-solar-part-1

Quote:
SolarCity shares rise on Deutsche Bank recommendation
17. January 2014 | Applications & Installations, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Investor news, Markets & Trends | By: Max Hall

Deutsche Bank sets a $90/share target price for SolarCity. Analysts predict grid parity in the U.S. in 2016 to drive the company's customer numbers – and stock price.

U.S. solar leasing company SolarCity has enjoyed another fillip to its share price after Deutsche Bank analysts upgraded its stock to 'buy' yesterday.

Stock market analysts at the German bank set a $90/share target price for the stock, which was trading at $77.6/share at the time of going to press, and said it could rise as high as $150/share over the next two years in bull market conditions.

SolarCity was a U.S. pioneer of the rooftop system leasing model which allows householders to avoid the upfront purchase price of panels in return for a monthly payment and lower energy bills and the company claims to install almost one in three of new rooftop solar systems in the country.

With more than 80,000 customers on its books, Deutsche Bank says that figure could double by the end of the year and SolarCity is aiming for a million customers by 2018.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ion_100013976/

Quote:
Solar power saves the day during Australia's record heatwave
17. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets | By: Ian Clover

As 40C-plus heat pours strain on traditional power plants, solar panel systems throughout Australia have taken up the slack.

While tennis players have wilted and bush fires have raged, solar power systems in Australia have come to the fore this week as the nation battles with the effects of the latest debilitating heatwave.

Temperatures across many parts of the country – including Melbourne, where the Australian Open is being held – have soared past 40C for the last few days, melting plastic bottles where they stand and proving once and for all that the sun's heat can, in fact, fry eggs cracked on to flat metal surfaces.

But it is Australia’s coal-fired power plants that have really been feeling the strain. As the middle of the day sees peak demand for power-hungry air conditioning units, the country’s traditional power supplies have had that demand alleviated by solar power systems.

Throughout the country, both rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations have upped their share of power use and generation, helping to rein in wholesale pricing and reduce the number of power outages.

At the midday peak this Wednesday, findings from the Australian Solar Council revealed that the state of South Australia drew 9.41% of its energy needs from solar systems. That figure was 9.13% for Western Australia, 8.64% for Queensland, 3.59% for New South Wales and 2.8% for Victoria.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ave_100013970/

Quote:
Solar puts heat on big generators as demand peaks subside
By Giles Parkinson on 17 January 2014

A few weeks ago when discussing some of the frustrations about the poisoned politics of solar PV over a pre-Christmas glass of wine, one solar industry executive ventured this idea: Maybe the only way to point out the value of solar PV is to switch off all modules at the same time on a sunny day. Then we might see what happens to the electricity market.

Of course, that would be impossible to do, and unwise to boot. But given the heatwave that has struck the southern states of Australia and the stress it has put on the electricity network, it might be worth pondering what might have happened if the country did not have the 3,000MW of solar PV strung out across more than a million rooftops.

The problem is there is no direct measurement of the PV output – just estimates – because a lot of the output is consumed at home, and is just not seen by the grid. There seems no doubt, however that solar has played a significant role in not just moderating demand, but also in reducing the severe pricing peaks that have occurred in recent years.

The Electricity Supply Association of Australia, which represents most of the networks and large scale generators that feed electricity into the grid acknowledges that solar was playing a role, although it described this as “small”.

The ESAA puts solar at just 2.5% of peak demand in Victoria at 3.30pm on Wednesday, and noted it produced the most at noon. It said that in South Australia, solar accounted for just 2 per cent at that state’s peak at 6pm on the same day.

The Australian Solar Council, which represents the rooftop solar industry, puts the figures much higher. It said Victoria , and like other states, produced 2.80 per cent during peak periods, and in some states it was nearly 10 per cent.

9.41% in South Australia

9.13% in Western Australia

8.64% in Queensland

2.80% in Victoria

and
 
3.59% in NSW

It also noted that the output was pretty solid between 2:30pm and 5:00pm, at the hottest part of the day when electricity use is also at its peak.

This is borne out by data compiled by the Australian Photovoltaic Institute. The first graph shows what happened in Victoria, the second across the country on Wednesday. The APVI data suggests that the contribution of solar PV in South Australia at 6pm (local time) on Wednesday was nearly double that estimated by the ESAA – at more than 3.4 per cent.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/solar-23763

Quote:
Global investment in clean energy falls 12%, despite 20% increase for solar
17. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Top News | By: Ian Clover

Findings from Bloomberg New Energy Finance reveal a 41% slump in investment across Europe, while Japan's solar-fuelled clean energy landscape saw a 55% surge in investment.

Figures released this week by Bloomberg New Energy Finance show that global investments in clean energy fell by 12% in 2013 as falling PV costs and unsteady investor confidence continued to erode the sector’s previously impervious growth.

After falling by 9% in 2012 following a record year of investment in 2011, the top-line figures for 2013 – a total of $254 billion was invested in clean energy last year – obscure the true picture, however. Although investment in solar fell from $142.9 billion in 2012 to $114.7 billion last year, the market’s volume actually increased by as much as 20% thanks to falling solar system costs and an increased focus in newer and cheaper emerging markets.

Japan, meanwhile, bucked the trend completely, plowing $35.4 billion into its clean energy sector – an increase of 55% on 2012. This investment growth has been largely rooted in small-scale solar installations, which are seen as the easiest, safest and most reliable replacement for the nation’s now-redundant nuclear energy capabilities.



"A second successive year of decline in investment will come as unwelcome news to the clean energy sector, but the top-line figures don't tell the whole story," said Bloomberg New Energy Finance's founder and chairman, Michael Liebreich. "Investment in Europe crashed, in large part because of the falling cost of solar installations, whose volume worldwide actually grew by around 20% to a new record."
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...lar_100013968/

Quote:
French President calls for ‘Airbus’ style Euro solar manufacturer
By John Parnell - 17 January 2014, 13:38
In News, Fab & Facilities, PV Modules

France’s President Francois Hollande has called for an ‘Airbus’ style model of collaboration for the European solar industry.

On Tuesday, Hollande said collaboration with Germany in the energy sector would be a “beautiful alliance”.

"Germany has a head-start in renewables, but we have our vanguard in energy storage and power grids," he said.

"We have to work together to expand new industrial branches. We are very proud of Airbus, now we want joint action for the energy transition."

The announcement received a cool reception in Europe.

The German Economy and Energy Ministry told broadcaster Deutsche Welle it welcomed the plans and was open to discuss them.

It was unclear specifically what form of collaboration the president was referring to, however his overtures are in line with the goals of the ambitious HERCULES research project.

The project’s name is derived from High Efficiency Rear Contact solar cells and Ultra powerful moduLES.

The research collaboration between universities, research bodies and private sector firms including EDF and Meyer Burger, aims to drive cell efficiencies to 25% and module power conversion over the 21% mark while keeping the cost at around €0.7 per Watt.



“Ultimately, this type of project would need several billion Euro’s, with much of this falling at the taxpayer’s expense,” Finlay Colville, vice president of NPD Solarbuzz told PV Tech.

“It certainly forms an interesting anecdote at a time when the European Commission has just been asked to investigate government backed support of the Chinese PV manufacturing base as part of the anti-dumping investigations in Europe,” he said.

“European PV manufacturing and R&D has suffered over the past few years, having been heavily funded at the country and European level over many years. In particular, French and German investments into PV go back well over 10 years, with each having some of the first R&D institutes that were meant to bring domestic competitiveness to local PV manufacturers,” said Colville, adding that overcapacity had also hampered the PV equipment supply sector.

“There is no shortage of drivers at play to provide the basis for such a European superpower of the PV industry, but it has to be questioned if this is in reaction to the malaise that has befallen the European sector in the past few years, or is something that is market-led and could even come close to being cost-competitive,” he concluded.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/french_p...r_manufacturer

Quote:
From Avatar to wind farms - Ingenious announces plan for £160m clean energy investment IPO
Investment company reveals plan to secure funding for solar PV, onshore wind and energy efficiency projects

By James Murray
17 Jan 2014

The investment firm that made its name backing a series of high-profile films such as Avatar and Life of Pi has today announced plans to beef up its investment in the clean energy sector through a £160m IPO for one of its offshoots.

Ingenious Capital Management Ltd, a division of investment firm Ingenious, announced it intends to launch an initial public offering for Ingenious Clean Energy Income plc, a newly incorporated UK closed-ended investment company, which the company says has been established "for the purpose of providing investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of renewable energy generation assets and energy efficiency projects".

The proposed listing on the London Stock Exchange is designed to raise £160m through an offer for subscription of ordinary shares, but the company has secured an option to increase the size of the issue up to £200m.

The company said the aim was to provide investors with "stable, long-term dividends rising in line with RPI whilst preserving the capital value of the investment portfolio".
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news...investment-ipo

Last edited by amor de cosmos; Jan 17, 2014 at 7:12 PM.
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  #353  
Old Posted Jan 18, 2014, 4:28 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Kenya to generate over half of its electricity through solar power by 2016
Government invests $1.2bn jointly with private companies to build solar power plants across the country

Gitonga Njeru
theguardian.com, Friday 17 January 2014 14.19 GMT

Kenya has identified nine sites to build solar power plants that could provide more than half the country's electricity by 2016.

Construction of the plants, expected to cost $1.2bn (£73m), is set to begin this year and initial design stages are almost complete. The partnership between government and private companies will see the state contributing about 50% of the cost.

Cliff Owiti, a senior administrator at the Kenya Renewable Energy Association, said the move will protect the environment and bring down electricity costs. "We hope that when the entire project is completed by 2016, more than 50% of Kenya's energy production will consist of solar. Already we are witnessing solar investments in Kenya such as a factory that was opened here in 2011 that manufactures solar energy panels."

He said that over $500m had already been invested in solar projects in Kenya. "The costs related with hydro electricity are very high, considering they are influenced by the low water levels in major supply dams. With high investments in solar, we will witness almost no blackouts and power charges will reduce because electricity will be in high supply."

Germano Mwabu, an economics professor at the University of Nairobi, said the solar plan could have a dramatic impact on energy prices. "When the project is complete and solar is in good use, electricity costs could go down by as much as 80%."
http://www.theguardian.com/environme...r-power-plants
http://inhabitat.com/more-than-half-...power-by-2016/

Quote:
Principal Solar Seeks to Buy 250 Megawatts of Projects, CEO Says
17 January 2014

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) — Principal Solar Inc., a U.S. builder and buyer of solar farms, plans to purchase as much as 250 megawatts of U.S. power projects this year with backing from Carlyle Capital Markets Inc.

Principal Solar expects to complete 100 megawatts of deals by mid-year, Chief Executive Officer Michael Gorton said today in an interview. The Addison, Texas-based company already owns about 4 megawatts of systems.

Solar projects of at least 10 megawatts that have long-term power-purchase agreements with utilities are the most attractive, Gorton said. Prices for photovoltaic panels have slumped about 59 percent since the start of 2011, making solar power more competitive with electricity from other sources.

“There are places around the world where grid parity already exists — it’s kind of an inevitability,” Gorton said. “There are lots of solar-power generation facilities around the country that are cash-flow positive — or very close to cash-flow positive — and we’re interested in buying those because we’ve figured out ways to make them more efficient.”
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/prin...ects-ceo-says/

Quote:
Today’s Solar Manufacturing Paradox: Profitless Prosperity
Bringing gigawatt-scale solar manufacturing to the U.S. requires new thinking.

Brad Mattson
January 17, 2014

SolarCity stock is up 500 percent from its IPO price. There's a solar recovery happening that is not only lifting the industry’s dealers and installers -- the stocks of the leading panel manufacturers such as First Solar, SunPower and Yingli are also up 300 percent on the year.

Deutsche Bank reported that by the end of 2013, two-thirds of the world's markets could economically use solar without government subsidies. And this growth will likely continue for decades.

So, the good times are back?

Not so fast.

There is a dilemma in the numbers.

The industry’s growth has been based on continually declining prices for solar panels. Low prices are good for the installers, but bad for panel manufacturers. In fact, despite rising share prices, almost all of the module makers are still losing money. In China, the top solar manufacturers have a combined $16 billion in debt. Their bankers are beginning to believe they might never get paid interest and might even have to forego the principal.

So if growth is to continue, who is going to loan these indebted companies the money to build new factories? The panel makers need higher prices to return to profitability and pay back their debt, but the market needs lower prices to sustain its growth. What will give?

Having seen this before in the semiconductor industry, I believe the probable scenario is that we will split the difference. Prices will muddle along, moving slowly downward to maintain growth, and what little margin is eked out will be 100 percent consumed by debt payments. High growth with no profit means we could be entering an era of “profitless prosperity” for the solar industry.

A solution exists, however. The current solar manufacturing capacity was built years ago, but designed even further back in the era of solar hobbyists. Call this Solar 1.0, the megawatt era of solar.

With demand set to reach between 45 and 55 gigawatts next year, we are truly entering the era of Solar 2.0.

Now we just need factories designed for gigawatt capacity.

If this is done properly, manufacturing costs can decline fast enough to get margins back to the 20 percent to 40 percent range seen in the past. But it will require innovation -- not just in R&D, but also in factory design.

The problem is that the current solar factories expanded so fast that their owners did not really scale operations. To see how margins can increase through economies of scale, we need only look as far as other semiconductor-related industries such as flat-panel displays and integrated circuits. (By the way, solar is a semiconductor-related industry. A solar cell is merely a diode, which is a semiconductor device.)

Each of these industries has scaled by increasing substrate size. Flat-panel displays enlarged substrate size by over 50X, and integrated circuits by over 20X. What has solar done? Would you believe less than 2X? If these other industries scaled the way solar has scaled, there would be no iPhone 5, or any iPhone at all.

The solution is simple: scale, don't replicate.



Brad Mattson is CEO of thin-film solar company Siva Power.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...ess-Prosperity

Quote:
Solar saved southern states from new and costly demand peaks
By Kerry Burke on 18 January 2014

Victoria and South Australia have just finished a week which put the highest stress on the electricity grid since a similar heatwave occurred on 28th-30th January 2009. Despite the population of Victoria and South Australia increasing at least 7%2 since then, the electricity demand supplied by the grid during the heat wave was just lower than the peak usage reached on the 29th of Jan 2009.

Electricity demand from the grid in the recent heatwave peaked on Wednesday. There were initially warnings of potential load shedding1 from the grid operator after the usually baseload Loy Yang A3 brown coal unit and one of the Torrens Island gas units tripped offline on Tuesday. However, demand came in slightly lower than forecast and apart from some minor local transmission outages, demand was fully supplied.

Speculation has already started on the effect of solar on electricity demand during the heat wave, with the Electricity Supply Association (ESAA)3 and the Australian Solar Council4 each producing different estimates of the amount solar contributed to reducing demand. Peak demand is an important driver of the cost of electricity as both the network and the generation fleet is sized to meet the largest credible demand forecast.



The figures below show the 10-minute estimates of solar energy added back to the 5-minute metered electricity demand from Thursday to give the true native demand. Not only did solar reduce the peak demand, it actually shifted the apparent time of maximum demand to much later in the day for South Australia.




http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/sola...nd-peaks-92609

Quote:
Energy Storage in Miniaturized Capacitors May Boost Green Energy Technology

Jan. 17, 2014 — The capacitors of electronic circuits function something like batteries -- storing electrical charge that can be quickly dumped to power devices like camera flashes. So-called "supercapacitors" take the energy-storing abilities of capacitors a step further, storing a far greater charge in a much smaller package.

In a paper published in the journal AIP Advances researchers describe the possibility of fabricating a new class of high heat-tolerant electronics that would employ supercapacitors made from a material called calcium-copper-titanate, or CCTO, which the researchers have identified for the first time as a practical energy-storage material.

Devices using CCTO supercapacitors could compete with similar devices currently in use and could operate at much higher temperatures than standard silicon circuits, "more like the temperature in an engine," says William Stapleton, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Texas State University (TSU) in San Marcos, Texas. CCTO had been identified as a promising supercapacitor material before, but its development for practical applications faced unexpected hurdles.

The lead author Raghvendra Pandey, Ingram Professor of electrical engineering at Texas State University, San Marcos, TX along with Stapleton and other collaborators, showed that in CCTO two properties of fundamental importance for the efficiency of a capacitor device are tightly linked. The first property, called permittivity, is the physical property of the capacitor material that allows it to store energy- with higher permittivity values representing a better capacitor.

The second property, called loss tangent "has to do with how efficiently energy can be moved into and out of the capacitor, that is, how much is lost in the process to inefficiency," Stapleton said.

"When the loss tangent is high," explain Pandey, "the capacitor is 'leaky' and it cannot hold a stored charge for more than a few seconds."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0117153639.htm
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Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 7:30 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Largest Single-Unit Concentrated Solar Power Plant In World — Shams 1 (CT Exclusive)

I got the chance today to visit (for the second time) Abu Dhabi’s Shams 1 concentrating solar power (CSP) plant, the largest single-unit CSP plant in the world. I’ll run through an overview of this CSP plant again, and then will also add some other details I gathered at the site today. I also have video interviews with chief operators of the plant that will be coming shortly.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/18/...1-year-update/

Quote:
Top Solar Startups In 2013 VC Funding, Top Solar M&As, & Top Solar Projects

2013 saw less venture capital (VC) funding raised for solar startups than 2012. The 2013 total was $600 million across 97 deals, whereas the 2012 total was $992 million across 106 deals. While solar power is skyrocketing, VC funding has ironically fallen. However, a handful of top solar startups have certainly kept plowing forward. The top 5 solar startups in terms of 2013 VC funding in the US, according to Mercom Capital Group, are as follows:
  1. Chinese solar project developer Hefei Golden Sun Energy Technology raised $69 million.
  2. Clean Power Finance, a provider of third-party financing for distributed PV projects through its software platform, raised $62 million.
  3. Solexel, a developer of high-efficiency c-Si solar modules, raised $55 million.
  4. Sungevity, a provider of residential solar installations, raised $43 million.
  5. OneRoof Energy, a company that develops, owns and operates solar energy generation systems for the residential market, raised $30 million.

As you might have gathered from those top 5 solar startups, the downstream solar market was the focus of VC funding in 2013. Next was actually CSP, followed closely by PV and then other solar submarkets. Here’s the Mercom Capital breakdown again:
  1. Solar Downstream: $262 million in 34 deals
  2. CSP: $109 million in 12 deals
  3. PV: $104 million in 17 deals
  4. Thin Film: $72 million in 13 deals
  5. BOS: $38 million in 9 deals
  6. CPV: $9 million in 4 deals
  7. Service Providers: $5 million in 8 deals

*snip*

Third-party financing for rooftop solar projects gobbled up a great deal of funding, but it was actually the large-scale solar projects that dominated the funding pie. Residential/Commercial Solar Project Funds (aka, third-party financing/lease)
  • 2013 Annual – $3.34 billion in 22 deals
  • Q4 2013 – $936 million in 4 deals
  • Q3 2013 – $584 million in 6 deals
  • Q2 2013 – $1.36 billion in 5 deals
  • Q1 2013 – $463 million in 7 deals
  • 2012 Annual – $1.98 billion in 12 deals

Announced Large-Scale Project Funding
  • 2013 Annual – $13.6 billion in 152 deals
  • Q4 2013 – $6 billion in 46 deals
  • Q3 2013 – $2.9 billion in 37 deals
  • Q2 2013 – $2.9 billion in 35 deals
  • Q1 2013 – $1.8 billion in 34 deals
  • 2012 Annual – $8.7 billion in 84 deals

Top Large-Scale Project Funding Deals in 2013 by Dollar Amount
  1. $1 billion raised by Solar Star Funding for the Solar Star 1 and 2 projects
  2. $498 million raised by Samsung Renewable Energy for their Grand Renewable Solar Project
  3. $454 million raised by Moroccan Solar Energy Agency (MASEN) for their Noor II CSP Project
  4. $446 million raised by Moroccan Solar Energy Agency (MASEN) for their Noor III CSP Project
  5. $400 million raised by Recurrent Energy for their California (5) and Arizona (1) PV projects
  6. $400 million raised by Sempra Energy for their Copper Mountain 3 Solar Project

*snip*

Largest Disclosed Project Acquisitions by Dollar Amount in 2013
  1. Concord Green Energy acquired five Ontario solar PV projects totaling 49 MW from Canadian Solar for $277 million.
  2. Alterra Power and GE Energy Financial Services acquired the 50 MW ABW Solar Project in Ontario from First Solar for $237.5 million.
  3. BluEarth Renewables acquired four utility-scale solar power projects totaling 53.9 MW from Canadian Solar for $217 million.
  4. Bluefield Solar Income Fund purchased five large-scale PV projects in England with a total capacity of 61 MW for $107 million.
  5. TransCanada acquired the Brockville 2 and Burritts Rapids projects in Ottawa from Canadian Solar Solutions, totaling 16 MW, for $91.9 million.

*snip*

Top 5 Corporate M&A Transactions by Dollar Amount in 2013
  1. Though not a pure play solar transaction, the $9.4 billion acquisition of Tokyo Electron by Applied Materials accounted for most of the $9.8 billion. Included in the acquisition was the amorphous silicon (a-Si) equipment business of Oerlikon Solar, which Tokyo Electron had acquired earlier.
  2. Swiss power and automation technology group ABB acquired Power-One, a provider of renewable energy and energy-efficient power conversion and power management solutions, for approximately $1 billion in the second quarter.
  3. In the fourth quarter, Shunfeng Photovoltaic, a solar equipment manufacturer, acquired Wuxi Suntech Power, the main Chinese unit of Suntech Power Holdings, for $489 million.
  4. Chinese solar cell manufacturer Goldpoly New Energy Holdings acquired power plant developer China Merchants New Energy Holdings in a non-cash transaction valued at $273 million in the first quarter. Goldpoly already owned 7.8 percent of China Merchants New Energy Holdings.
  5. In the fourth quarter, Dow Corning acquired Mitsubishi’s 12.5 percent stake in Hemlock Semiconductor LLC, giving it 100 percent ownership, and 12.5 percent in Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, giving it 80.5 percent ownership for $240 million.

I expect that we’ll see a notable increase in VC solar funding in 2014, as well as more in the way of M&As. The solar industry as a whole is both growing (fast) and consolidating. It should be an interesting year.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/18/...olar-projects/

Quote:
German minister plans prompt cut to renewable energy tariffs
BERLIN Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:49am EST

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Germany's economy minister wants to cut the support price paid for electricity from solar and wind power generators by about a third by 2015, according to a draft proposal for one of the most challenging economic reforms facing Chancellor Angela Merkel's new government.

Under the draft proposal the feed-in tariffs paid to renewable power generators will be cut to an average across all technologies of 12 cents per kiloWatthour (cent/kWh) by 2015 from 17 cents/kWh currently.

And Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who also leads the Social Democrats (SPD), wants the reduction to start taking effect for some new projects from as early as next week, according to the draft seen by Reuters on Saturday.

"The old rates of support (under the old renewable energy law (EEG)) are applicable for wind energy plants that start operating by Dec 31, 2014 and that were authorised ... by Jan. 22, 2014," said the draft outline prepared for a cabinet meeting this week.

The economy ministry, has been merged under Merkel's right-left coalition with the energy portfolio and is run by Gabriel.

Europe's biggest economy is in the throes of shifting away from nuclear and fossil fuel-powered generation to so-called renewable sources, but the move has sent electricity costs for consumers soaring.

When striking a coalition deal late last year, Merkel's conservatives and Gabriel's SPD agreed to limit the growth of renewables and reform the discounts and subsidies afforded to industry for solar and wind power.

According to the draft, the capacity build-up of onshore wind plants and solar plants shall be reduced to 2,500 megawatts per year, while offshore wind parks will be expanded by 6,500 megawatts up to 2020. Bioenergy generation capacity will be increased by 100 megawatts a year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0KS07S20140118
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2014, 7:03 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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India Draws Bids for Triple Solar Capacity Offered
20 January 2014

Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) — India received bids for almost triple the 750 megawatts of solar capacity offered after enticing developers with grants for the first time that will cover part of the cost of the plants.

The state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India received 58 bids for 2,170 megawatts in the country’s first national auction of photovoltaic licenses in two years, Tarun Kapoor, joint-secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said in an interview today in New Delhi.

The technical bids will be opened today to check whether companies meet the qualifications to build plants, Rajendra Nimje, managing director of Solar Energy Corp., said in an interview. The financial bids will be opened in about a month after the initial evaluation is finished, he said.

The tender offers improved revenue security to investors seeking a foothold in a market, where the cost of sun power may equal that of other sources within three years.

The government is set to provide as much as 18.75 billion rupees ($303 million) in grants for the projects. That will reduce construction costs, allowing the winning developers to sell the electricity they generate at about the same price as conventional power.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/indi...ity-offered-2/

Quote:
NewCO2Fuels Uses Sunlight To Make New Fuels From Old Emissions

The name pretty much says it all: the Israeli company NewCO2Fuels has developed a solar powered carbon capture process that converts carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and oxygen, which are reclaimed and processed into fuels. The basic concept is well proven, so the real question now is, can the products resulting from carbon capture and recycling compete in commercial markets with fossil-based products.

Since NewCO2Fuels has just completed the first phase of tests for the new system, now is a good time to check in and see how they’re doing.

NewCO2Fuels

We had a chance to meet up with NewCO2Fuels during a technology tour of Israel sponsored by the organization Kinetis, but other than that the company has been flying under our radar (as has its parent company, Australia’s Greenearth Energy Limited), so let’s recap a bit.

NewCO2Fuels was founded in 2011 with the goal of developing a cost-effective CO2-to-fuel reactor, made so partly by the use of solar thermal energy to power the process. The system also integrates a process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Another fuel source for powering the system is industrial waste heat, which expands the field of potential sites beyond solar-friendly locations.

Also contributing to the cost-effectiveness of the new system is the use of components and materials that can be manufactured with existing processes.

The technology is based on eight years worth of research at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, resulting in the successful demonstration that CO2 can be dissociated into carbon monoxide and oxygen under high temperatures, as part of an integrated process leading to fuel production.

The Weismann Institute is also responsible for the solar technology used in the process, which enables the creation of a stable source of heat up to 1200 degrees centigrade.

As for GreenEarth Energy, the company is best known for its geothermal ventures but it has been branching out into other renewable energy technologies.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/20/...arbon-capture/

Quote:
How to tap the sun’s energy through heat as well as light
New approach developed at MIT could generate power from sunlight efficiently and on demand.

David L. Chandler, MIT News Office
January 19, 2014

A new approach to harvesting solar energy, developed by MIT researchers, could improve efficiency by using sunlight to heat a high-temperature material whose infrared radiation would then be collected by a conventional photovoltaic cell. This technique could also make it easier to store the energy for later use, the researchers say.

In this case, adding the extra step improves performance, because it makes it possible to take advantage of wavelengths of light that ordinarily go to waste. The process is described in a paper published this week in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, written by graduate student Andrej Lenert, associate professor of mechanical engineering Evelyn Wang, physics professor Marin Soljačić, principal research scientist Ivan Celanović, and three others.

A conventional silicon-based solar cell “doesn’t take advantage of all the photons,” Wang explains. That’s because converting the energy of a photon into electricity requires that the photon’s energy level match that of a characteristic of the photovoltaic (PV) material called a bandgap. Silicon’s bandgap responds to many wavelengths of light, but misses many others.

To address that limitation, the team inserted a two-layer absorber-emitter device — made of novel materials including carbon nanotubes and photonic crystals — between the sunlight and the PV cell. This intermediate material collects energy from a broad spectrum of sunlight, heating up in the process. When it heats up, as with a piece of iron that glows red hot, it emits light of a particular wavelength, which in this case is tuned to match the bandgap of the PV cell mounted nearby.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2014/h...ight-0119.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...-sunlight.html

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Quote:
MENA solar market worth $50bn by 2020
20. January 2014 | Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Max Hall

A new report predicts the MENA region will see $50bn of solar investment in the next six years. The opening of the WFES in Abu Dhabi saw the launch of the Solar GCC Alliance.

The middle east and north Africa region (MENA) could see $50 billion of solar investment by 2020 according to a new report by the region's solar energy trade body.

The Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), together with Meed Insights, has produced the MENA Solar Energy report, which says 37 GW of renewable energy projects are set to be commissioned across the region in the next six years, with solar providing 12-15 GW of the mix.

Saudi Arabia leads the way, at least in terms of ambition, with the kingdom aiming for 23.9 GW of renewables generation amid plans to plough $109 billion into solar and nuclear power by 2032.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to spend $102 billion on alternative energy generation by 2020 and is already working on two new PV parks, as well as the world's largest seawater desalination plant, in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

With the sultanate of Oman investing in solar-powered oil extraction, Qatar planning to use PV-powered air conditioning for its controversial 2022 football World Cup and Kuwait establishing a renewable energy park and Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Jordan boasting ambitious renewables plans, the MESIA report warned there are still hurdles to overcome in the region.

The research cites a lack of supportive policy frameworks, ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and a lack of access to financing as handicaps to the MENA renewables sector.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...020_100013985/
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/report_m...illion_by_2020

Quote:
OCI Solar Power breaks ground on its third Texan PV plant
20. January 2014 | Industry & Suppliers, Global PV markets, Applications & Installations, Markets & Trends | By: Ian Clover

The 39 MW Alamo 4 solar plant will be located in Brackettville, near to Greater San Antonio.

OCI Solar Power – a San Antonio-headquartered subsidiary of South Korea’s OCI Company Ltd. – has further extended its solar presence in the U.S. state of Texas with the announcement this week that it has broken ground on a 39 MW PV plant.

Alamo 4 will become OCI's third solar farm in the state, and is to be located in the town of Brackettville, some 170 km west of the city of San Antonio. The plant is scheduled for completion for later this year, and will generated clean solar power for some 6,000 homes in the Greater San Antonio area. CPS Energy, San Antonio’s municipal utility, has agreed a PPA with the plant to sell the power to consumers.

"Alamo 4 is our first Texas project outside of the Greater San Antonio area," said Tony Dorazio, CEO and president of OCI Solar Power. "Our fast movement around the state is reflective of the renewable energy landscape in the U.S. It’s growing quickly."

The plant will possess 150,000 solar panels once completed, covering an area of 600 privately owned acres of land. The plant is being constructed by Mortenson Construction, a Minneapolis-based building contractor that has formed a consortium with OCI Solar Power to create a number of permanent jobs in the region, even setting up a permanent office in San Antonio in order to closer oversee this and future projects.

For CPS Energy, an ongoing partnership with OCI Solar Power is expected to bring 400 MW of solar power to the Texas state grid, generating $700 million for the local economy, and adding an estimated 800 permanent jobs in a state that has hitherto been dominated by oil money.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ant_100013984/

Quote:
Singyes Solar’s PV project pipeline reaches 320MW
By Mark Osborne - 20 January 2014, 15:05
In News, Power Generation, Finance, Project Focus

China-based PV project developer and manufacturer, China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings, said in a Hong Kong financial filing that its project pipeline had reached 320MW.

The company noted that 60% of the pipeline was related to distributive generation projects power mainly located in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong, Fujian and Hebei provinces in China.

However, the company said that it had secured approximately RMB198 million of overseas projects, mainly located in Macau and South East Asia. The overseas pipeline included it general construction business for ‘curtain walls’ and ‘green buildings.’
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/singyes_..._reaches_320mw

Quote:
India installed over 1GW of grid solar in 2013
By Lucy Woods - 20 January 2014, 12:07
In News, Power Generation, Market Watch

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released figures revealing more than 1GW of grid-connected solar was installed last year.

As of 31 December 2012, a total of 1.176GW had been installed and grid connected in India. Throughout the 2013 calendar year, a further 1.004GW was added, taking the cumulative total to 2.180GW.

Just under 500MW of that – 495MW – was added during the current 2013-14 fiscal year, representing 45% of the grid-connected solar target of 1.1GW; by this time last year grid-connected solar was only 29% towards its target for the year of 800MW.

In the month of December, 2012 alone, 2.5MW of off grid solar was installed. In December 2013, 5.4MW of off grid solar was installed.

As of 31 December 2012, 106MW of off grid solar had been installed cumulatively, as of 31 December 2013; the cumulative total for installed off grid solar was 144MW.

India’s national solar mission (JNNSM), which uses government tenders and reverse auctions, as well as many state level policies, has helped to rapidly grow India’s solar generation.

Despite industry concerns, and trade disputes, India is still pushing forward with ambitious solar targets. In September the ministry set the target of 10GW of solar to be installed by 2017.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/more_tha..._india_in_2013

Quote:
Utility-scale Solar Energy Myths Debunked by Industry Insider
Often the general public is confused about renewable energy installed capacity verses the capacity factor of renewable energy power plants. Below, discover why capacity factor doesn't matter.

Susan Kraemer, Correspondent
January 17, 2014 | 0 Comments

California, USA -- An interview with SolarReserve CEO Kevin Smith may put to rest some of the more common misconceptions held about how renewable energy actually works in practice at utility scale.

Though SolarReserve is developing some photovoltaic (PV) projects, it is better known for its concentrating solar (CSP) power tower technology that includes molten salt thermal energy storage, which can be used to run turbines to produce electricity at any time. It has a 25-year contract with Nevada Energy for solar energy plus storage from their 110-MW Crescent Dunes project in Tonopah, Nevada, due online in 2014.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...dustry-insider

Quote:
Graphs of the day: Peaker plants vs green power
By Jeff St John on 20 January 2014
GreenTech Media

Wind and solar power are transitioning from marginal to central players in the grid energy landscape. But wind and solar are also subject to the vagaries of daily and seasonal weather patterns, which means they sometimes can’t be relied on to meet the grid’s critical needs.

That’s particularly true when energy demand is peaking, and the grid turns to rarely used yet critical natural-gas-fired “peaker plants” as its resource of last resort. But could energy storage, demand response and other next-generation grid technologies turn renewable power into both a stable and a peaking resource?

This proposition is fueling debates over the future of the grid around the world.

Take Germany, where gas-fired plants are losing money to solar and wind power. Or look at Southern California, where plans for new resources to make up for power plant closures are pitting traditionalists, who say gas-powered peaker plants need to be part of the mix, against green advocates, who say that renewables plus new technologies can fill the gap without gas.

So who’s right? The answer, of course, is complicated, but one useful measure to start getting at the core of the issue is “capacity factor.” That’s a measure of how much energy a generation resource actually creates over the course of a day or a year, compared to how much it’s capable of generating, or its “nameplate” capacity.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/duel...en-power-45671

Quote:
New Hampshire introduces virtual net metering of renewables for utility customers
By Andy Colthorpe - 20 January 2014, 11:15
In News, Power Generation, Tariff Watch

The eastern US state of New Hampshire has put in place new interim rules governing the use of virtual net metering for renewable energy generators of up to 1MW capacity.

New Hampshire passed a net metering bill in July which permits owners of net metered renewable energy facilities to share the proceeds of electricity generated with other holders of electricity utility accounts. The latest amendment to Senate Bill 98 (SB 98), the legislative bill enabling virtual net metering, also known as group net metering, came into effect at the beginning of this year after a consultation with the Public Utilities Commission.

Under the new rules, renewable energy generators will sign up as ‘hosts’ of the programme. Bill payers purchasing electricity from the same utility company the host is contracted with can register to join a group with the host responsible for keeping an up to date list of group members.

It will then be the role of a distribution utility company to pay for the host generator’s surplus electricity on a monthly basis. By the beginning of June each year, if the group of consumers has used less electricity than was generated by the host, the host will be eligible for a payment adjustment based on the amount by which the host’s generated exceeded the group’s total use.

Net metering for individual customers has been in place in the state since 1998, with systems of up to 1MW eligible if they generate electricity using solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, tidal, wave, biomass, landfill gas, bio-oil or biodiesel. Combined heat and power systems using natural gas, wood pellets, hydrogen, propane or heating oil are also eligible, providing they have a system efficiency of at least 80%.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/new_hapm...or_utility_cus

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GE Backs German Renewables Subsidy Cuts in Slow Gas Market
By Alex Webb Jan 20, 2014 3:38 AM PT

General Electric Co. (GE) favors reforms to Germany’s energy policy as proposed by new Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, saying the reduced renewable energy subsidies will make the market more efficient.

Germany needs to focus energy spending on research and development rather than subsidies, Stephan Reimelt, GE’s head of energy in Germany, said in a telephone interview today. The company today sealed a 100 million-euro ($136 million) contract from Vattenfall SE to supply a gas turbine to a plant in Berlin.

“The direct market requirements for renewable energy is very important, and that is something that we see spelled out very clearly and that we support,” Reimelt said. “Germany should focus on innovation rather than subsidies and building. There is 230 million euros of R&D budget for this space and 20 billion euros of subsidies for renewables.”

Gabriel is proposing to reduce aid for onshore wind units by as much as 20 percent in 2015 from 2013 levels as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s third-term government intends to cut the cost of her plan to shutter Germany’s nuclear plants and move Europe’s biggest economy toward renewables. She said one of her top priorities is to modernize the system of clean-energy aid after rising wind and solar costs sent consumer power bills soaring.

Not Competitive

“The more renewables you bring into the grid, you have to take the fossil power out of the grid,” Reimelt said. “And so the projects and the operating power in gas turbines are heavily decreasing and being reduced to situations where most of these projects are not competitive any more. If you plan a project based on 8,000 operating hours rather than 1,000, you can imagine there is a fundamental difference.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...as-market.html
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Old Posted Jan 21, 2014, 6:31 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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21/01/2014
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in Mojave Desert






http://www.arquitecturaviva.com/Info/News/Details/5384

Quote:
SolTech's Beautiful Glass Roof Tiles Heat Your Home With Solar Energy
by Frida Jeppsson, 01/20/14

SolTech Energy, a Swedish company selling solutions for clean solar power, has developed a unique home heating system contained within roofing tiles made out of ordinary transparent glass. The attractive house-warming tiles (somewhat ironically) give roofs a beautiful, icy appearance quite unlike anything else we’ve ever seen before.

In 2009, the SolTech Energy System was selected by a jury and nominated among nine as the year’s “Hottest New Material.” Based on votes by the people, the company’s glass tiles were awarded with a gold medal from the North Building Fair, Nordbygg. “The winning entry combines an attractive design with essential functions for clean and sustainable energy. It is an innovative product that is well in time,“ said the chairman of the jury, PhD. Bengt Toolanen.

So what makes the system so special and award worthy? For starters, the tiles are made from ordinary glass and have about the same weight as those made of clay. Secondly, the system doesn’t, like competitors’ versions, heat up water or vacuum pipes, but clean air. The tiles are installed on top of a black nylon canvas, under which air slots are mounted. The black colour absorbs heat from the sun and the air starts to circulate. The hot air is then used to heat up water, which is connected to the house’s heating system via an accumulator. The beauty of the system is that it cuts energy costs throughout the year, during dark winter days as well as night time, due to its capacity to store heat in the isolating layers of air under the canvas.




http://inhabitat.com/heat-your-home-...ss-roof-tiles/
http://soltechenergy.com/

Quote:
Panasonic, Epco to Form Venture to Sell Solar Power From Homes
21 January 2014

Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) — Panasonic Corp. will set up a venture with Epco Co., an energy management company, to sell power generated from residential solar panels.

The companies have decided to form their venture as Japan plans to fully liberalize its electricity retail business by 2016, according to a statement by the two today.

Panasonic, based in Osaka, acquired a 14.9 percent stake in Tokyo-based Epco in 2009, according to the statement.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/pana...er-from-homes/

Quote:
Panasonic in JV to sell aggregated electricity from residential solar in Japan
By Andy Colthorpe - 21 January 2014, 15:06
In News, Power Generation

Japanese consumer electronics company Panasonic and energy management firm EPCO have agreed to form a joint venture with the aim of selling aggregated power generated from residential solar installations. The partnership will begin from 31 January.

The JV will begin by rolling out aggregated residential power sales in the Kanto and Kansai regions of the country by summer of this year, pooling power from groups of houses.

The statement claimed the JV would combine the strengths of the two companies, Panasonic in building PV systems and panels and Epco in handling the logistics of the venture, with the Epco call centre able to handle more than 100,000 customer enquiries annually.

Epco is also involved with developing smart energy systems and home energy management systems (HEMS). The company has previously collaborated with battery storage rental company ONE Energy and the University of Cambridge. Work has included research on control technology and a leasing plan for storage batteries, energy efficiency for residences and other issues relating to smart homes and other HEMS.

Panasonic purchased a 14.9% stake in Epco in 2009. The two companies plan to initially invest around ¥300 million (US$2.9 million) into the JV, with Panasonic owning 51% and Epco 49%.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/panasoni...al_solar_in_jv

Quote:
01/17/2014 04:24 PM
New York Sets California-Like Path for Solar Energy
SustainableBusiness.com News

It looks like New York could be following in California’s gigantic footsteps on solar after hearing Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address this month.

In addition to laying out a strong, prescient plan to help NY State dramatically increase its resilence to the changing climate, Cuomo's promises on clean energy echo those that California Governor Schwarzenegger put forward in 2004.

That's when Schwarzenegger made a long-term commitment to solar, targeting 3 gigwatts in in 10 years - Exactly where California is today.

NY Sun Initiative

Cuomo affirmed his long term commitment to the successful NY-Sun Initiative (which installed 300 MW in two years) by expanding its goal to the same as California's - 3 GW in 10 years. He too set aside $1 billion to do that, in NY's case by by 2023. That's enough to power 465,000 homes in the state.
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/i...splay/id/25451

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Peering Over the 2017 Horizon for Solar, Part 2: Beyond the ITC
Yuri Horwitz and Will Graves explore the post-ITC future of the U.S. solar industry.

Yuri Horwitz and Will Graves
January 21, 2014

This is the second article in a two-part series on the post-ITC future of the U.S. solar industry. You can find part one, which explores trends in securitization, here.

The Importance of the Federal ITC

To illustrate the importance of the post-2017 investment tax credit (ITC), we have provided the following tables to compare certain electricity offtake prices for solar with the cost of capital and required all-in installation prices without the federal ITC and with a 10 percent ITC. This table is certainly not perfect, but it provides a framework and tool set via which to examine many of the questions in this article.

So, for example, at an effective cost of capital of 7 percent and a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $0.11 without the federal ITC, a developer would have to build a system at $1.35 per watt to break even.

The table assumes a twenty-year PPA with a 1 percent annual escalator, a California tax rate, degradation of .5 percent annually, no ITC, no additional incentives, and a production capacity ratio of 1500 kilowatt-hours annually. Importantly, there is no consideration for potential solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) or feed-in tariff income, and we do not take into account a potential step-up in basis.



Can the Solar Industry Scale Appropriately?

These prices may or may not comport with future projections, depending on one’s assumptions. Sol Systems reviews hundreds of projects a year on behalf of investor clients. In our experience, commercial rooftop solar systems are currently being installed at an all-in cost of $2.25 and $2.50 per watt. Small ground-mounted systems are currently being installed at $1.90 to $2.00 per watt, with larger systems over 2 megawatts being installed at $1.50 to $1.60 per watt. Residential rooftop systems are being installed at $2.90 to $3.00 per watt.

Current projections by Bloomberg estimate that these values will decline to around $2.15 per watt for residential rooftop systems and around $1.34 for large ground-mounted systems. Commercial systems will likely fall somewhere in the middle.

We take a slightly more aggressive view on pricing. But regardless of your perspective, the industry must scale considerably, and equipment costs and customer acquisition costs must come down significantly, in order for solar to truly compete nationally.

Our Key Observations and Conclusions

1. We Don’t Need $1-per-Watt Solar by 2020

The Department of Energy has set a $1-per-watt goal for all-in costs for solar. This is an aggressive and well-intended goal, but we do not think it is necessary for most projects. Even utility projects selling wholesale electricity at 8 cents per kilowatt-hour can be built for slightly more than $1 per watt and still attract capital in the 7 percent IRR range post-2017. From our estimates, commercial projects competing with retail electricity rates in many markets need to achieve all-in costs between $1.37 to $1.80 post-2017 to attract capital. Some projects will, and some will not, depending on their risks.

2. Reductions in the Cost of Capital Means More Residential and Commercial Systems

As the ITC steps down, the key drivers of all-in development costs and electricity offtake price become more important for the solar industry. Large utility-scale projects that are selling at wholesale rates (somewhere around $0.06 to $0.08 in most states) are unlikely to be able to compete -- even with a lower cost of capital and lower installation costs -- with the expanding distributed generation asset class.



3. Retail Rates Will Become More Important

As the market matures, there will likely be further differentiation in the residential and commercial markets where retail rates differ because the investment tax credit will be less influential. For example, retail electricity rates for commercial customers in Ohio in 2013 were $0.09 per kilowatt-hour, while retail electricity rates for residential customers in 2013 were $0.12 cents/kWh. Utilizing a 7 percent cost of capital, commercial solar projects will have to be developed at an all-in cost of around $1.19, while a residential system will need to be built at around $1.72. Both may be challenging.

4. SREC Programs Will Become More Important, and SRECs More Valuable

As noted, this analysis does not include additional project-level income from solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) like those available in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania or others. This analysis also does not include state or local rebates, or feed-in tariff income. If markets have low electricity rates, but also have a renewable portfolio standard, then project development will likely slow in those states (see the Ohio example above), while SREC prices will rise and will be of even greater importance in the long term.

5. The Solar Market Will Become a More Geographically Diverse Market

Securitization and the maturation of the financial market will provide the industry with a large enough boost to make solar competitive in an increasing number of places in the United States. The potential reduction to 6.5 percent blended cost of capital for the industry means a required install rate of $1.52 for commercial customers paying $0.103 cents per kilowatt-hour and $1.89 for residential customers paying $0.125 cents per kilowatt-hour.



Looking Forward to 2017

As the industry gears up for 2014, we now have two years to focus on solar projects' key cost drivers and attack them. It is an exciting time with massive opportunity. Sol Systems’ view is that the future is extremely promising for the industry and that solar will continue to grow quickly. A framework for exploring how we get to 2017 and beyond is critical to better understanding the obstacles we may face, as well as for prioritizing our policy initiatives. We believe this analysis is a good start.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...r-solar-part-2

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Solar on the rise at US military bases
21. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Ian Clover

Installed solar power at U.S. military bases now totals 125.5 MW — 33% of the military's total renewable energy capacity.

With sights trained on a target of 3 GW of installed and deployed renewable energy by 2025, U.S. military bases appear on course for a direct hit, having increased clean energy capacity by 43 in the past few years.

Since the introduction of the Obama administration policy in 2010, the number of military bases boasting renewable energy projects has grown from 454 to 700 in 2012, and is expanding on an almost daily basis.

Overall, as of 2013 the Defense Department could call upon 384 MW of renewable energy capacity, with the lion's share – 45% - being generated from a monolithic geothermal energy plant located at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California.

However, solar power is securely in second place in terms of installed capacity, and is also the most popular type of installation in terms of numbers. The U.S. military generates 125.5 MW of solar power a year, thanks largely to its 25-year partnership with solar company SunEdison, which is currently in the process of building a 14 MW solar array at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the state of Arizona.

This installation – forecast to save the army an estimated $500,000 annually – is just one of a number of planned solar power projects in the pipeline for the U.S. military. Early estimates suggest that the Defense Department will add almost 1.4 GW of renewable energy over the next two to five years, of which solar power will account for 68% based on current projections.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ses_100013996/

Quote:
Goldpoly to spend up to US$660 million on 400MW of PV plants
By John Parnell - 21 January 2014, 12:31
In News, Power Generation

Goldpoly has agreed to buy 400MW of PV projects in Ganshu province from GD Solar.

The company, which has completed a raft of solar farm acquisitions in the last few months, will pay no more than RMB4 billion (US$661 million) for the projects.

The exact final value of the deal will depend on an agreed model based on grid electricity prices and the condition that Goldpoly achieves at least a 9% return on investment, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Goldpoly claims this fee will not exceed RMB4 billion (US$661 million).

Alan Li, chairman and CEO of Goldpoly, said he was pleased the company was able to build on the momentum it had established at the end of 2013 and to continue work with a consortium of developers in China, the Photovoltaic Green Ecosystem Organization (PGO).
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/goldpoly...w_of_pv_plants

Quote:
German Logistics Company Generating 65% of Energy Needs with Solar
Published on 20 January 2014

The logistics company Waldau Trans in Döbeln in Central Saxony in Germany will bank on self-consumption and independence from electricity from the grid with its 190 kilowatt Conergy solar photovoltaic power plant installed on the company’s flat-roofed warehouse. The PV power plant was installed by Conergy’s certified partner Mitteldeutsche Energiekonzepte KG (MdEk), headquartered in Leipzig, Germany.

Waldau Trans saves some 3,500 euros per year on its electricity bill – in addition to the income from the energy fed into the grid, savings will amount to around 70,000 euros in the next 20 years. The solar installation supplies the company’s warehouse but also a neighboring private home. With a percentage of self-consumption of around 23%, Waldau covers up to 65% of its total energy needs with the Conergy power plant, the private home next door covers around one third of its electricity requirements.
http://www.solarnovus.com/german-log...lar_N7377.html

Quote:
Solar Energy Storage as Hydrogen Fuel
Written by Sandra Henderson 21 January 2014

Storing solar energy for nighttime use has long been a holy grail for the solar industry. A team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), with collaborators from North Carolina State University, both in the US, has now designed a dye-sensitised photoelectrosynthesis cell, or DSPEC, to store the sun’s energy for later use in form of hydrogen fuel, a potential tipping point for solar.

The new energy storage system splits water into hydrogen, which is sequestered and stored, and oxygen, which is released into the air. “It consists of a molecular assembly that absorbs light chemically linked to a second molecule where water oxidation occurs following oxidation,” says Thomas Meyer, Arey Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, who sees the most energy dense way to store energy is in the chemical bonds of molecules. “The resulting ‘chromophore-catalyst assembly’ is surface bound to a thin TiO2 oxide film on the surface of a mescopic nanoparticle film of the transparent conducting oxide ITO in a core-shell structure.The TiO2-assembly combination makes up the photoelectrode where visible light is absorbed by the chromophore, which transfers electrons through an external circuit to a separate cathode where hydrogen is produced.”

UNC’s work distinguishes itself from other groups’ attempts at producing solar fuel by adopting a hybrid approach that combines semiconductors and chromophore-catalyst assemblies “with the final piece of the puzzle,” as Meyer says: “The transparent conducting oxide/TiO2 core shell to achieve separation of the electrons produced by visible light excitation.”
http://www.solarnovus.com/advance-to...ell_N7379.html

Quote:
Scientists call for ‘Apollo-style’ push on energy storage
By Lucy Woods - 21 January 2014, 15:16
In News, Power Generation, Grid Connection

Leading economics and science experts in the UK have called for an international push akin to the Apollo space mission to kick-start the deployment of renewable energy storage technology.

Speaking at an event yesterday at the UK’s House of Lords, Sir David King, the former UK chief scientific advisor, Lord Richard Layard, programme director at the London School of Economics, and Mark Maslin, professor of climatology at University College London, called for a “viral” campaign to secure international renewable energy storage funding.

The event, ‘Running out of time – climate change’, hosted speakers and debate on resolutions to international energy issues. It was intended to explore solutions to energy problems ahead of the international climate change talks in Paris next year.

King, now a climate change advisor to the UK’s foreign secretary William Hague, highlighted how storage had become an “obstacle” to the full exploitation of renewable energy sources.

“We need an Apollo push [on storage]; we need a big programme, it’s not something we can debate endlessly about, we need action now, it’s not a distant promise, the technology is here,” he said.

It is not the first time King has advocated for solar power. Writing in the Financial Times last August he called for the G20 should lead global cooperation on solar energy development.

Layard urged governments to back initial storage technology funding, pointing out that most significant recent technological innovations were government funded, “not from the private sector".

"It’s a shocking abdication of responsibility not to focus on storage and international distribution," he said.

King cited the effect of the UK’s solar feed-in tariff as a “miracle” for PV prices.

“The volume of production started doubling, and every time production doubles, technology improves,” he said. “You can now install PV more cheaply per kilowatt than any other energy.”

He pointed out the opposite lack of incentive for crucial energy storage investment. “There is no [UK] incentive for energy storage. The US Department of Energy (DoE) understands the rapid roll out of renewables’ single obstacle is storage – which is why they are investing US$400 million in large-scale energy storage.”
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/scientis...energy_storage

Quote:
IRENA: 16.7 million renewable energy jobs by 2030
By Ben Willis - 21 January 2014, 11:50
In News, Fab & Facilities, Power Generation, Market Watch

Renewable energy industries could generate 11 million new jobs worldwide by 2030, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The agency’s report, ‘Renewable Energy and Jobs’, predicts jobs in the sector could hit 16.7 million by 2030, up from 5.7 million today, as deployment gathers pace.

According to IRENA, solar PV and biofuels currently account for the most jobs in renewable energy, with around 1,360,000 and 1,379,000 respectively.

IRENA highlighted PV as one of the sector’s strongest performers, having seen a 13-fold increase in employment within five years.

But the report predicts that as deployment increases, driven by the opportunities presented by emerging trends such decentralised generation, employment across all renewable energy technology types will mushroom between now and 2030, increasing by 11 million by that time.

The agency predicts that the rapid growth enjoyed by PV over recent years will not continue over this time, and that by 2030 employment within the industry will grow to around 2 million, split between manufacturing and development.

Bioenergy will emerge as the biggest employer, accounting for over 9 million jobs by 2030.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/irena_16...y_jobs_by_2030
http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...s_by_2030_2356

Solar is working so well in Germany they need a quota system

Quote:
Germany’s solar industry issues warning as government mulls 2.5GW annual PV cap
By John Parnell - 21 January 2014, 11:21
In News, Power Generation, Tariff Watch

Germany’s solar industry has warned that proposed changes to the country’s renewable energy support could damage its standing in the sector and block one route to secure, low-cost energy.

Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (BSW-Solar) claimed in an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel, that a proposed charge for self-consumption could lead to “another photovoltaic market slump”. A proposed cap on PV installations of 2.5GW has also emerged.

BSW-Solar agrees with the need to phase-out the support provided by the Energiewende (EEG) policies, it said the levy on self-consumed solar would have the opposite effect.

“The implementation of an eco-tax on self or community consumed green electricity would… [mean] the dependence on the EEG support would increase again. The energy transition costs would thus not fall in the coming years, but rise. This may not be in the interest of politics,” the group noted.

New "super minister", Sigmar Gabriel, head of the new junior coalition partner the SPD, has responsibility for both energy and the economy.

In his first major policy speech, he said the current subsidy regime was no longer sustainable.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/germanys....5gw_annual_pv

Quote:
01/17/2014 11:10 AM print story email story
19 Countries Form Africa Clean Energy Corridor
SustainableBusiness.com News

19 countries have committed to developing an Africa Clean Energy Corridor to help the continent leap frog to renewable energy in the face of rising energy demand.

Led by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), stakeholders believe a regional approach can attract the most investment and optimize the renewable energy mix.

The corridor will span eastern Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town, where transmission infrastructure is being built to meet growing energy demand.

Currently, Ethiopia hosts the continent's biggest wind farm and has plans for 800 megawatts of wind and 1 gigawatt of geothermal. The Corbetti Project is a new model for developing large scale power projects in Africa and is part of the Power Africa initiative that President Obama announced last summer.

IRENA will facilitate the large-scale, transborder initiative by:
  • identifying renewable energy development zones - areas of high potential - where solar, wind, geothermal or biomass projects would be clustered;
  • facilitating government planning so that renewable energy has bigger share of the energy mix;
  • fostering new financing models and investment frameworks that can rapidly get projects on the ground;
  • building the local knowledge base and leading public information campaigns.

Demand for electricity is expected to triple in Southern Africa, and quadruple in Eastern Africa over the 25 years, making the region’s current dependence on fossil fuels increasingly unsustainable both economically and environmentally, says IRENA.

80% of Southern Africa's energy comes from coal, which will need to expand without the growth of renewables because demand is growing at 4% a year. East Africa relies on natural gas for 60% of electricity, with demand rising 6% a year.

“Lifting the African population out of energy poverty cannot be fulfilled if a business-as-usual approach is followed,” says Mosad Elmissiry, Head of Energy at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, an African Union implementing body. “We need a drastic transformation in our approach to developing renewable energy, to be sure renewables are fully utilised. The Clean Energy Corridor can support and further advance the implementation of the regional and continental initiatives already on the ground for further utilisation of renewable energy in Africa.”
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/i...splay/id/25446

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Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 6:11 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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India Solar Auction Draws Goldman’s ReNew, First Solar
22 January 2014

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) — Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s solar venture and U.S.-based First Solar Inc. bid for projects in India for the first time, enticed by government grants.

ReNew Solar Power Ltd. bid for 50 megawatts, according to a list from state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India. The company is a unit of ReNew Power Ventures Pvt., a developer backed by a $385 million investment from Goldman Sachs, Sumant Sinha, chief executive officer of ReNew Power, said by e-mail.

First Solar, the world’s biggest maker of thin-film modules and a top panel supplier in India, bid for 30 megawatts. The Tempe, Arizona-based company is diversifying into building plants and selling power, betting that’s a better way to make money than competing with Chinese rivals on panel sales.

The tender is the most attractive yet in a market expected to draw $11.7 billion of investment by 2017 as the cost of solar power drops to equal that of other sources, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. For the first time, India is offering grants that will improve plants’ revenue security by allowing them to produce power more cheaply rather than relying on cash-strapped state utilities to pay above-market tariffs.

World Bank-backed Azure Power India Pvt. and Welspun Energy Ltd., a unit of Leon Black’s Apollo Global Management LLC-backed Welspun Group, entered bids for the most capacity, 200 megawatts and 160 megawatts respectively.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/indi...w-first-solar/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...rst-solar.html

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Solarcentury and Network Rail push button on world’s largest solar bridge
Blackfriars station secures half its power from solar panels as pioneering solar roof comes online


After nearly five years in the making, Network Rail has today cut the ribbon on the world's largest solar-powered bridge at Blackfriars Bridge across the River Thames.

As part of a project with solar installation firm Solarcentury, the roof of the bridge has been covered with 4,400 photovoltaic panels, providing up to half of the energy for London Blackfriars station.

First Capital Connect, which runs Blackfriars, expects the panels to cut the stations' carbon emissions by an estimated 511 tonnes a year, further reducing the carbon footprint of its train routes to the south east of England.

"Electric trains are already the greenest form of public transport - this roof gives our passengers an even more sustainable journey," said David Statham, managing director of First Capital Connect. "The distinctive roof has also turned our station into an iconic landmark visible for miles along the River Thames."

The bridge will also act as a major advertisement for London's efforts to become a sustainable city, with tourists and workers viewing the panels as they enter the capital.

The project was one of the most complex to date for Solarcentury, which installed the panels in a series of phases over the past two years, pausing to minimise the impact on the station during the 2012 Olympic Games.

"We had different sections of roof available at different times to fit in with this complicated jigsaw of getting everything up and going," explained Gavin Roberts, Solarcentury's senior project manager, adding that the company had even considered shipping some of the components in via the Thames.



And while ministers warns of the risk of a potential backlash against "monster solar farms" on green belt land, Solarcentury maintains a solar bridge in the centre of London can have quite the opposite impact on the landscape and perception of renewable energy.

"The fact that it's so visual is a real bonus," said Lashford. "I think as a statement, London often tries to be a sustainable city and I think it's great from that point of view."

She now hopes the project will inspire more big infrastructure developers to embrace the benefits of renewable energy.

"Network Rail has invested funds into the project is a great sign for the solar industry," she said. "They're an old English institution and they're looking to the future to make investments into non-core technologies for the business, and that's a great statement that other large corporations in the country can start realising."
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/anal...t-solar-bridge

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Quote:
Community-Owned Solar Creates a New Business Model in Massachusetts
Clean Energy Collective looks to equip “the other 85 percent” with solar.

Herman K. Trabish
January 21, 2014

Just 15 percent of residential rooftops are suitable for solar -- but a new law and a new business model allows anyone in Massachusetts to be a solar owner.

Massachusetts’ Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNEM) law permits people to buy solar panels in a community-owned and -sited array. The law also requires investor-owned utilities to reduce the panel owners’ utility bills by an amount commensurate with the power sent to the grid by the community-owned solar arrays.

By taking advantage of VNEM, the Colorado-based Clean Energy Collective expects to build 10 megawatts to 15 megawatts of new community-owned solar in Massachusetts by the end of this year, in 500-kilowatt to 2-megawatt increments.

“Virtual net metering provides the platform for our business model and the ability to build,” explained CEC founder and CEO Paul Spencer. “Our business model gives us the foundation to go into new markets.”
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...-Massachusetts

Quote:
Retiring California utilties commissioner warns colleagues of hostility to solar
By Andy Colthorpe - 22 January 2014, 11:02
In News, Power Generation

In his final address before retiring due to cancer, a member of the California Public Utilities Commission has issued a warning to his fellow commissioners to protect the state’s commitment to clean energy.

Commissioner Mark Ferron, pencilled in to remain in his post until 2017, has stepped down from his role at CPUC, the board responsible for regulation of utilities in California, having battled prostate cancer for two years.

Ferron’s outgoing final report to the commission included a strong defence of rooftop solar power generation and voiced fears that utilities would only make progress on clean energy if ordered to do so. Ferron said that while “there is no better place to be than California when it comes to energy and climate policy”, the commission needed to watch utilities’ “legalistic, confrontational” approach to regulation “very, very carefully".

Ferron described the state as “fortunate to have utilities in California that are orders of magnitude more enlightened than their brethren in the coal-loving states, although I suspect that they would still dearly like to strangle rooftop solar if they could".

Overseeing the regulation of net metering in California was recently placed into the hands of CPUC following the issuance of Assembly Bill 327. The bill removed a proposed suspension of the state’s net metering programme and allows CPUC to order utilities to procure more renewable energy.

“…the Commission will come under intense pressure to use this authority to protect the interest of the utilities over those of consumers and potential self-generators, all in the name of addressing exaggerated concerns about grid stability, cost and fairness. You – my fellow Commissioners – all must be bold and forthright in defending and strengthening our state’s commitment to clean and distributed energy generation.”
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/retiring...f_hostility_to

Quote:
India almost doubled its solar power in 2013, has big plans for more
By Ari Phillips on 22 January 2014
Climate Progress

India added just over 1 gigawatt of solar energy to its electrical grid last year, a major milestone that nearly doubles the country’s cumulative solar energy capacity to 2.18 gigawatts. After a slow start to the year, solar installation picked up rapidly — a good sign that India will be able to meet its ambitious solar targets going forward. India hopes toinstall 10 GW of solar by 2017 and 20 GW by 2022.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2010 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aims to help the country achieve success with solar energy deployment. India is currently in the planning stages of building the world’s largest solar plant, which would generate 4 gigawatts in the northwestern state of Rajasthan.

“This is the first project of this scale anywhere in the world and is expected to set a trend for large-scale solar power developments,” Ashvini Kumar, director of Solar Energy Corp, one of five public utilities that will run the plant, told Business Insider.

In the last decade India’s renewable energy capacity has gone from just under 4 GW to over 27 GW as of this month. Wind energy makes up about two-thirds of this total, with small hydropower contributing nearly 4 GW and biomass over 1 GW.

Last weekend India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate to promote renewable energy, especially solar.

“The MoU has come at a time when India is struggling to implement ambitious plans to reach out to the population without access to modern forms of energy across the country,” said Jarnail Singh, India Program Manager at the Climate Group.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/indi...ig-plans-79006

Quote:
Energy Efficiency Is About to Get a $200M Jolt From Wall Street
Joule Assets and Kilowatt Financial each announce $100 million funds for efficiency projects.

Stephen Lacey
January 22, 2014

The pipeline for energy efficiency projects is set to get a big boost from institutional investors.

Two organizations, Joule Assets and Kilowatt Financial, have unveiled separate $100 million funds for efficiency projects. The two funds were announced within one day of each other.

Kilowatt Financial, a financier of solar and efficiency projects, closed a $100 million credit facility with Citi yesterday -- creating a fund for ten- to twelve-year loans of up to $30,000 targeted at homeowners.

The fund may open the door to securitization, a financial tool that could expand efficiency investment to mutual funds, pension funds and big banks eager for new pooled assets.

"This transaction will allow Kilowatt to launch a much-anticipated market for the securitization of consumer energy efficiency loans in the U.S.," said Marshal Salant, Citi's managing director of alternative energy finance in a statement.

As Kilowatt's portfolio swells, Citi will be able to slice and dice the loans and sell them in tranches, much like was done in the mortgage industry. SolarCity recently announced the first securitization of solar projects, a $54.4 million pool with a 4.8 percent yield. That issuance was a landmark for the solar industry, and may soon bring similar deals from other large solar service companies.

Financial experts often mark the threshold for securitization at around $100 million. Without such a big portfolio of projects, it's very difficult to bundle projects and get institutional investors involved. This has led to the industry-wide effort to create large funds for projects.

"To attract the capital at pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies and others, these retrofits need to be packaged into something these funds can invest in," said Brandon Smithwood, senior manager of the policy program at Ceres, in an email.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...om-Wall-Street

Quote:
Understanding the Functioning of a New Type of Solar Cell

Jan. 21, 2014 — Photovoltaic energy conversion offers one of the best means for the future of renewable energy in the world. The efficiency of solar cells depends heavily upon the light-absorbing materials they use. Photovoltaic systems based on lead halide perovskite are a new, revolutionary type of device with efficiencies currently exceeding 16%. However, a detailed description of how these solar cells turn light into electrical current is still lacking. Publishing in Nature Photonics, scientists from EPFL have investigated how the generated electrical charge travels across the perovskite surface of solar cells built with different architectures.

Lead halide perovskites are materials that have recently attracted an immense interest, as solar cells based on these semiconductors demonstrate very high conversion efficiencies and an unsurpassed cell voltage of more than 1 V. However, it is not entirely clear how they work. A better understanding of their functioning mechanisms would help improve them in the future or even open up novel technologies with increased efficiency.

The groups of Michael Grätzel and Jaques E. Moser at EPFL, working with the Institute for Solar Fuels in Berlin, have used time-resolved spectroscopy techniques to determine how charges move across perovskite surfaces. The researchers worked on various cell architectures, using either semiconducting titanium dioxide or insulating aluminum trioxide films. Both porous films were impregnated with lead iodide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) and an organic "hole-transporting material," which helps extracting positive charges following light absorption. The time-resolved techniques included ultrafast laser spectroscopy and microwave photoconductivity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0121113449.htm
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  #358  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2014, 6:02 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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4 signs Africa could leapfrog fossil fuels (and 1 that it won't)
Sami Grover
Business / Corporate Responsibility
January 23, 2014

Large-scale solar is taking off in Africa

Solar lighting is replacing kerosene

Rural microgrids are becoming more viable

Wind power also beginning to take off

And for the naysayers: fossil fuels are still immensely powerful
http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-...1-it-wont.html

Quote:
Future solar cells may be made of wood
2 hours ago by Lisa Zyga

(Phys.org) —A new kind of paper that is made of wood fibers yet is 96% transparent could be a revolutionary material for next-generation solar cells. Coming from plants, the paper is inexpensive and more environmentally friendly than the plastic substrates often used in solar cells. However, its most important advantage is that it overcomes the tradeoff between optical transparency and optical haze that burdens most materials.

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland, the South China University of Technology, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have published a paper on the new material in a recent issue of Nano Letters.

As the researchers explain, solar cell performance benefits when materials possess both a high optical transparency (to allow for good light transmission) and a high optical haze (to increase the scattering and therefore the absorption of the transmitted light within the material). But so far, materials with high transparency values (of about 90%) have very low optical haze values (of less than 20%).

The new wood-based paper has an ultrahigh transparency of 96% and ultrahigh optical haze of 60%, which is the highest optical haze value reported among transparent substrates.

The main reason for this good performance in both areas is that the paper has a nanoporous rather than microporous structure. Regular paper is made of wood fibers and has low optical transparency due to the microcavities that exist within the porous structure that cause light scattering. In the new paper, these micropores are eliminated in order to improve the optical transparency. To do this, the researchers used a treatment called TEMPO to weaken the hydrogen bonds between the microfibers that make up the wood fibers, which causes the wood fibers to swell up and collapse into a dense, tightly packed structure containing nanopores rather than micropores.
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-future-...ells-wood.html

Quote:
Saudi Arabia taps German knowhow
23. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Trade show, Research & Development | By: Edgar Meza

Germany's Fraunhofer ISE will work with Saudi Arabia's renewable and nuclear energy agency K.A.CARE on research and development in areas such as PV technology, energy storage and grid integration.

Saudi Arabia's K.A.CARE, which oversees renewable and nuclear energy development, and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), have agreed to work together in diverse fields, including renewable energy research and development as well as testing and training.

The organizations signed a collaboration framework agreement on Jan. 20 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

“K.A.CARE and Fraunhofer ISE are both interested in developing, supporting and deploying renewable energy technology locally, regionally and around the globe. This strategic collaboration serves both organizations’ goals to develop research capabilities, human capacity and state-of-the art approaches to solving engineering challenges unique to the region of Saudi Arabia,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...how_100014023/

Quote:
France, Germany forging PV alliance
23. January 2014 | Top News, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers, Markets & Trends | By: Ilias Tsagas

French President Francois Hollande supports plans to build a giant PV module plant with an initial annual production capacity of 1 GW and which could expand up to 5 GW.

French newspaper Les Echos has revealed that Germany and France are discussing plans to build a large-scale PV modules plant referred to as X-GW.

The idea behind the project, Les Echos says, is to produce European modules that can compete with Chinese panels, whose prices are significantly lower.

Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), confirmed the plans to the French newspaper, saying that ISE was "working on the creation of a consortium with the French National Institute of Solar Energy (INES) and the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM)" aiming to assist the project.

Skeptics have expressed concerns about the ambitious project due to the global market suffering from overcapacity and several German players filing for bankruptcy in the past year. Weber pointed out, however, that demand for photovoltaic panels, which reached 45 GW in 2013, is expected to reach 100 GW a year until 2020.

"Photovoltaics is a strategic technology for Europe," Weber said, adding that either Europe allows the Asians to take the lead "or governments are willing to help us through credit guarantees, as with Airbus."
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...nce_100014015/

Quote:
Lux Research expects BOS costs to fall 30% by 2020
By Mark Osborne - 23 January 2014, 16:20
In News, Thin Film, CdTe, Power Generation, BOS, Market Watch

Market research firm, Lux Research expects balance of system (BOS) component costs to fall gradually through the rest of the decade, according to a new report.

Lux Research guided BOS costs for distributed generation applications are expected to decline between 15% and 30% by 2020 depending on geography.

However, combined with expected PV module conversion efficiency gains the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV is expected to decline in the range of U$0.04/kWh - U$0.08/kWh by 2020.

“Balance-of-systems costs are in developers’ crosshairs as the pressure to reduce costs extends downstream. Incremental cost reductions from racking and mounting, coupled with innovative system electronics changes, will accelerate system cost reductions and help reduce LCOE,” said Matthew Feinstein, Lux Research senior analyst. “Project volumes will also continue to drive M&A activity in the BOS industry, with plenty of opportunity for new entrants.”

Not surprisingly, residential BOS costs have the greatest opportunity for falling, according to the report, which expects these to be driven by lower labour costs as markets mature and best practices become widespread.

Germany is regarded by many industry observers to have the lowest residential BOS costs, while the US is perceived to have some of the highest.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/lux_rese...all_30_by_2020

Quote:
Balance of System Can Lower Capital Expense Cost of Solar by 20%
Published on 23 January 2014

Falling module prices have helped to bring down the cost of solar installations, but now balance of system (BOS) components such as racking and mounting are key targets of cost reduction, as distributed generation system prices fall by between 15% and 30% by 2020 depending on geography, according to Lux Research. Along with continuing module efficiency improvements, these advances will make the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar between $0.04/kWh and $0.08/kWh cheaper in 2020 than it is today.

The report titled, “The Squeeze: Trends in Solar Balance of Systems,” evaluated the factors driving BOS cost reductions in varied geographies and application segments. Among the findings:
  • Residential segment is poised for biggest gains. By 2020, residential BOS costs are set to drop more than any other application segment, driven largely by cuts in labor costs, thanks to ever-increasing adoption of time-saving best practices. Commercial systems will see cost reduction due to new, lower-cost racking and mounting hardware.
  • Thin-film systems’ costs fall fastest for utility scale solar. Standard utility-scale BOS costs fall fastest for CdTe systems, thanks largely to increasing module efficiency lowering the cost of racking and mounting hardware on a per-watt basis.
  • Electrical innovations hold out hope for further reductions. Innovations targeting the electrical side of the BOS industry have the highest potential for cost reduction. In distributed generation, the high-voltage trend will go as far as code allows, up to 1500 V, while utility-scale system developers will pursue automated installation technologies and high-voltage configurations.
http://www.solarnovus.com/balance-of...-20_N7391.html

Quote:
ReneSola eyes Africa expansion from new Cape Town base
By Lucy Woods - 23 January 2014, 12:59
In News, PV Modules

Chinese PV manufacturer, ReneSola has announced the opening of a new office in Cape Town, South Africa.

The regional office will serve as the headquarters for ReneSola’s sales and marketing operations in Africa, which the company said it was looking to expand.

Qasim Abrahams, general manager of ReneSola South Africa, said the new office would serve as a gateway to markets in Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia and Kenya.

“South Africa has shown tremendous potential for utility-scale, commercial, and residential solar PV projects,” said Abrahams. "The solar PV market here has grown tremendously since 2010, sparked by the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme.”

"Increasing our share in markets with strong growth trajectories like South Africa is a core component of our business development strategy”, said Xianshou Li, founder and CEO of ReneSola. “Having on-the-ground sales and marketing support is key to increasing our customer base across the vast Africa market and will allow us to respond to customer requests with greater speed and flexibility as we deepen our understanding of local market conditions,” said Li.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/renesola..._africa_office

Quote:
Six large-scale PV projects signed off in Puerto Rico
By Ben Willis - 23 January 2014, 12:10
In News, Power Generation, Project Focus

Six companies have been cleared to press ahead with the construction of large-scale PV plants in Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean territory’s energy regulator AEE said it had renegotiated cheaper power purchase agreements with the companies and was close to closing a seventh deal.

AEE announced last year that it would renegotiate previously agreed PPAs with renewable energy developers in order to drive down prices.

At the same time AEE said it was introducing new rules making it mandatory for renewable energy developers to include an energy storage system in projects equal to 30% of the project’s rated capacity.

The body this week said the renegotiated PPAs would save it a total US$60 million.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/six_larg...in_puerto_rico

Quote:
Chile update: More than 5GW approved but operating solar projects stagnant at 6.7MW
By Lucy Woods - 23 January 2014, 12:00
In News, Power Generation, Grid Connection, Market Watch

Chile’s pipeline of approved but unbuilt PV projects reached over 5.33GW at the end of December, according to the country’s renewable energy research centre CER.

According to CER’s January 2014 figures, 128MW of projects were under construction in December – up only 2MW since October.

But only 6.7MW of solar projects were in operation at that time, a figure unchanged since October 2013. In December, just 0.4% (1.2 GWh) of Chile’s grid energy came from solar plants.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/chile_up...ojects_stagnan

Quote:
Hanergy considers module fab in Ivory Coast
23. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Blanca Díaz López

The Chinese group's CEO, Li Hejun, met with Ivory Coast President Alassane Outtara to discuss a $500 million solar project.

Hanergy CEO and Chairman Li Hejun met on Wednesday with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara to talk about a large industrial solar project that would require an investment of $500 million.

Hejun said after the meeting that the Chinese company is considering setting up a thin-film solar module factory and building a large-scale solar park in the African country, according to Ivory Coast presidency press service. Petroleum and Energy Minister Adama Toungara also attended the meeting.

The Chinese company is currently targeting emerging markets. In December, representatives of Hanergy met with the governor of Rio Grande do Sul Tarso Genro to discuss an industrial solar project in the Brazilian state that the renewable energy company plans to carry out.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ast_100014025/

Quote:
The Thinkery Goes Green With New Installation of Solar Panels
January 22, 2014 Frank Andorka : 0 Comments

The Thinkery, the new Austin Children’s Museum, is turning to solar power to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Thinkery recently teamed up with Austin-based Freedom Solar Power to install over 196 solar panels. The 47 kilawatt rooftop array will harness the sun in order to power the new 40,000 square foot facility in the Mueller development.

Freedom Solar provided their latest financial leasing for non-profit customers, which allowed the Thinkery to go solar with no money down. The system is expected to generate over $6,000 in annual energy savings. Over the life of the system, the solar array will offset 1,296 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. This is the comparable to 485 tons of waste going to the landfill instead of being recycled, or the Carbon-dioxide emissions from 178 homes.


http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com...-solar-panels/

Quote:
01/22/2014 05:45 PM
Latin America Gets Its First Concentrating Solar Plant
SustainableBusiness.com News

Construction on Latin America's first concentrating solar plant starts this year, and Abengoa won the $1 billion contract.

The 110 megawatt solar tower project with molten salt energy storage will be built in Chile on the world's driest desert. Atacama Desert has the highest solar radiation concentration in the world.

While Abengoa's parabolic concentrating plant in Arizona is more than twice the size, Solana can only store energy for six hours. Chili's plant will be able to produce energy without sunshine for a very impressive 17.5 hours.
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/i...splay/id/25460

Quote:
Energy News
Startup Thinks Its Battery Will Solve Renewable Energy’s Big Flaw
Aquion has started production of a low-cost sodium-ion battery aimed at making renewable energy viable.

By Kevin Bullis on January 23, 2014

A former Sony TV factory near Pittsburgh is coming to life again after lying idle for four years. Whirring robotic arms have started to assemble a new kind of battery that could make the grid more efficient and let villages run on solar power around the clock.

Aquion, the startup that developed the battery, has finished installing its first commercial-scale production line at the factory, and is sending out batteries for customers to evaluate. It recently raised $55 million of venture capital funding from investors including Bill Gates. The money will help it ramp up to full-speed production by this spring.

Jay Whitacre, the Carnegie Mellon professor of materials science and engineering who invented the new battery, says it will cost about as much as a lead-acid battery—one of the cheapest types of battery available—but will last more than twice as long. And while lead is toxic and the sulfuric-acid electrolyte in lead-acid batteries is potentially dangerous, the new battery is made of materials so safe you can eat them (although Whitacre says they taste terrible). Nontoxic materials are also a good fit for remote areas, where maintenance is difficult.

Most importantly, by providing an affordable way to store solar power for use at night or during cloudy weather, the technology could allow isolated populations to get electricity from renewable energy, rather than from polluting diesel generators. Combining solar power and inexpensive batteries would also be cheaper than running diesel generators in places where delivering fuel is expensive (see “How Solar-Based Microgrids Could Bring Power to Millions”).

The batteries could allow the grid to accommodate greater amounts of intermittent renewable energy. As Aquion scales up production and brings down costs, the batteries could also be used instead of a type of natural gas power plant—called a peaker plant—often used to balance supply and demand on the grid. When recharged using renewables, the batteries don’t need fuel, so they’re cleaner than the natural gas power plants.

In some places, concerns over pollution make new natural gas plants hard to build, which could create an opening for Aquion’s technology, even if it’s somewhat more expensive.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news...rgys-big-flaw/

Quote:
Global utility-scale solar capacity climbs through 21GW in 2013
By Staff Reporter on 23 January 2014
Wiki-Solar

Another record year for utility-scale solar power took global installed capacity through the 21 GW level in 2013, according to figures published today by sector experts Wiki-Solar. Soaring activity particularly in the USA, China and India lifted the totals to a fourth consecutive record year.


http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/glob...w-in-2013-2013
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  #359  
Old Posted Jan 24, 2014, 6:15 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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China Installed a Record 12 Gigawatts of Solar in 2013
23 January 2014

Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) — Developers in China installed a record 12 gigawatts of solar panels in 2013, almost matching the total amount of solar power in operation in the U.S., and may exceed that in 2014, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The power plants were built mostly in China’s sunny, western provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai and make its state-owned power companies the world’s biggest owners of solar assets, the London-based research company said in a statement yesterday.

China was the biggest solar market last year, surpassing longtime leader Germany. Chinese installation more than tripled from 3.6 gigawatts in 2012, and the nation expects to add 14 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, according to New Energy Finance.

“The 2013 figures show the astonishing scale of the Chinese market,” Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at New Energy Finance, said in the statement. “PV is becoming ever cheaper and simpler to install, and China’s government has been as surprised as European governments by how quickly it can be deployed in response to incentives.”

The Chinese government is targeting 14GW of additional PV capacity in 2014. Transmission grid-connected projects were the vast majority of China’s solar market last year, but the government is aiming for at least 60% of this year’s installations to be rooftop capacity, which is connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. A shift to rooftops rather than remote deserts will bring additional legal and financial complications for developers and so Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects the target to be slightly undershot in 2014 – but with higher growth in 2015.
http://about.bnef.com/bnef-news/chin...solar-in-2013/

Quote:
China’s 12GW solar market outstripped all expectations in 2013
23 January 2014

Last year was a record year for PV installation worldwide, with a rush of activity in China on the back of a national feed-in tariff one of the main drivers

Beijing and Zurich, 23 January 2014 – China’s solar developers installed a record 12GW of photovoltaic projects in 2013, and a booming market at the very end of the year may even have pushed installations up to 14GW. No country has ever added more than 8GW of solar power in a single year prior to 2013, and China’s record outstripped even the most optimistic forecasts of 12 months ago.

A CNY 1 (16 US cents) per kWh feed-in tariff for large PV projects connecting to the transmission grid ended on 1 January, creating the year-end rush. China’s National Energy Administration announced earlier this month that there were 12GW of 2013 installations, but this preliminary estimate may be exceeded.

The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Industry Intelligence database, which tracks projects individually, identifying developer, owner, location and often equipment supplier or financer, already records 9.5GW of projects built in China in 2013. Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s research team continues to add projects, and will have nearly complete data by March.

China’s solar projects are heavily concentrated in its sunny and empty western provinces of Gansu (with 24% of all installations last year), Xinjiang (18%) and Qinghai (17%). Thanks to this activity in 2013, China’s state-owned power generators China Power Investment Corporation, China Three Gorges and China Huadian Corporation have become the world’s largest owners of solar assets.

The Chinese government is targeting 14GW of additional PV capacity in 2014. Transmission grid-connected projects were the vast majority of China’s solar market last year, but the government is aiming for at least 60% of this year’s installations to be rooftop capacity, which is connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. A shift to rooftops rather than remote deserts will bring additional legal and financial complications for developers and so Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects the target to be slightly undershot in 2014 – but with higher growth in 2015.

“The 2013 figures show the astonishing scale of the Chinese market, now the sleeping dragon has awoken” said Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “PV is becoming ever cheaper and simpler to install, and China’s government has been as surprised as European governments by how quickly it can be deployed in response to incentives.”
http://about.bnef.com/press-releases...tions-in-2013/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...allations.html
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/24/...ctations-2013/

Quote:
China lifts 2014 solar PV installation target to 14GW
By Giles Parkinson on 22 January 2014

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has reportedly increased the 2014 target for new solar PV capacity installations to 14GW – up from its previous target of 12GW.

The increase was noted by Deutsche Bank analysts, who said the target represents a near 50 per cent increase on the actual capacity installation of 9.5GW of solar PV in 2013.

Chinese officials had previously said that two thirds (8GW) of the 2014 target would come from distributed solar PV (on rooftops or in smaller arrays close to consumption), but it is not clear what the percentage is in the new target.

Earlier this month, Deutsche Bank said surging demand in China, Japan and the US would underpin a “second solar gold rush”. It tipped global installations to rise to 46GW in 2014 (based on the previous 12GW target for China), and to 56GW in 2015.

China is expected to be by far the largest installer of solar PV, followed by Japan, US and Europe, each with around 8GW.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/chin...get-14gw-18209

Quote:
China May Have Deployed More Solar in 2013 Alone Than America Has Installed Altogether
Last year brought record-breaking solar installations in China. But how much is actually connected to the grid?

Stephen Lacey
January 24, 2014

China has the fastest train in the world, the most megacities in the world, and the biggest population.

Now China can boast a new record: It has installed the most solar PV in one year.

Preliminary figures released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) show that China installed 12,000 megawatts of solar in 2013 -- beating Germany's record of 8,000 megawatts in 2010.

These figures merit a major caveat, however. China is a very tough country to track and estimates differ significantly. China's Renewable Energy Industries Association puts its preliminary estimate between 9,500 megawatts and 10,660 megawatts. GTM Research has not released its figures yet; it's waiting for a final number on actual grid connections.

The range of projections varies, but they all tell the same story: China's domestic solar market is now a major force.

In comparison, the booming U.S. market just surpassed 10,000 megawatts of cumulative installations last year, with around 4,200 megawatts deployed in 2013. That's a big deal for America, as it's the first time in fifteen years that the country has put up more solar PV than Germany, the historical global leader.

However, if BNEF's estimates are accurate, the U.S. only completed around a quarter of the installations that China was able to build last year.

As developers rushed to secure a feed-in tariff set to scale back at the close of December, the market surged in the fourth quarter. BNEF speculates that the installation count could potentially rise to 14,000 megawatts.

But there's a big difference between installations and actual grid connection. The "vast majority" of Chinese projects were large-scale installations connected to the transmission network. Since China's grid has been notoriously troublesome for the wind industry, it's unclear how many solar projects are facing the same interconnection problems. That could skew the numbers once everything is counted.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...alled-all-time

Quote:
WFES: A new realism for solar in MENA
24. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Global PV markets, Industry & Suppliers | By: Karl-Heinz Remmers

Reports from the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi suggest that MENA's PV potential is vast, provided legal, political and technical maturity continues apace.

The prevailing PV mood from this week's World Future Energy Summit (WFES) – held in Abu Dhabi from January 22-24 – was one of burgeoning potential in a MENA region on the cusp of political, legal and technical maturity.

The renewable energy event is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and this year attracted an estimated 25,000 visitors and some 650 exhibitors. With its focus split equally between water, waste, wind and solar energy, it was a good opportunity to gauge the PV appetite when pitched against other forms of renewables.

Amid a politicized backdrop, the PV portion of the show was dominated by Chinese companies, who boasted a heavy presence throughout proceedings. Contrasted with the U.S. – whose stand was smaller than that of the U.K. and even Norway – it was evident that the MENA region was likely to be beckoned east, rather than west, at least in the near-term.

Having enjoyed numerous false dawns in the international PV spotlight in recent years, the attitude towards MENA’s PV potential at WFES was more nuanced. Visitors and exhibitors were more realistic at the immediate prospects for PV in MENA, aware that progress may indeed be slow, hampered by a lack of local know-how, intermittent political unrest across pockets of the region, and an understandable sense of wanting to do things the right way.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco – each individual nation in the region has its own ambitious, its own timeframes, and its own way of doing business, and all start from varying technical and legal standpoints. Despite an almost blanket share of the chief resource – the abundant sunshine – no two countries in MENA are the same, meaning a country-by-country approach is essential in understanding how the PV sector is going to progress.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ena_100014037/

Quote:
NextEnergy targets €180 million PV investment on London Stock Exchange
24. January 2014 | Markets & Trends, Investor news, Financial & Legal Affairs | By: Ian Clover

The solar farm management group hopes to raise £150 million (€180 million) to invest in UK solar projects by floating NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltd on the London Stock Exchange.

NextEnergy Capital – a solar farm management group run by former Goldman Sachs banker Michael Bonte-Friedheim – has announced ambitious plans to float its NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltd subsidiary on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the hope of raising £150 million (€180 million) in funding for new solar PV projects in the U.K.

Boasting a solar PV portfolio of projects in Italy, South Africa and the U.K., NextEnergy's latest venture is intended to tap into the growing level of public and commercial support for solar in the U.K., which many consumers see as a sound long-term investment.

Despite government attempts to rein in the costs of adopting greater solar coverage across much of the country, Bonte-Friedheim believes that the industry now has a fair wind behind it, having won over its harshest skeptics – the general public. "The U.K. solar market has come of age as an investment proposition, offering long-term stable returns with RPI linkage while helping the country achieve its renewable energy targets," Bonte-Friedheim said.

A statement from the NEC Group that owns NextEnergy Solar Fund revealed that it estimates the U.K. must invest more than £11 billion (€13.3 billion) in the solar sector over the next few years if it is to achieve the government's aims of hitting its 2020 target to generate 15% of the country's power needs from renewable energy sources.
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...nge_100014031/

Quote:
Solar Frontier connects Asia's largest airport PV plant
24. January 2014 | Industry & Suppliers, Global PV markets, Markets & Trends | By: Ian Clover

Lift-off for the 11.6 MW PV plant at Japan's Kansai International Airport was confirmed today by Solar Frontier.

Asia's largest airport solar PV installation has been brought on-stream this week by Japan's Solar Frontier.

The solar development company has connected the 11.6 MW installation at Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan to the grid, and it is expected to start commercial operation on February 1st.

The project is the largest of its kind in Asia, and has become one of the world’s largest airport solar PV installations. Solar Frontier were joined in the project’s creation by the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), SF Solar Power and SF Kansai Mega Solar – subsidiaries of Solar Frontier.

"Bringing live an 11.6 MW project in Japan in seven months demonstrates Solar Frontier's comprehensive and robust project capabilities," said Solar Frontier president and representative director of sales, Hiroto Tamai. "We are proud to be part of the transition toward more environmentally friendly airports."
http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/deta...ant_100014029/

Quote:
Kenya sets record straight on solar goals
By Lucy Woods - 24 January 2014, 11:50
In News, Power Generation, Grid Connection, Market Watch

Wildly varying reports of Kenya’s plans for deploying solar energy have been dismissed by power industry and policy figures in the East African country.

Last week the UK’s Guardian newspaper reported that Kenya was planning to source over 50% of its electricity by 2016 from solar projects across just nine separate sites, at a cost of US$1.2 billion.

These claims, citing an employee of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KREA), were at odds with a report by the Bloomberg news service before Christmas suggesting some kind of moratorium had been placed on the issuing of licences for solar and wind projects in the country until 2017.

But following inquiries by PV Tech, both claims have been debunked by figures in Kenya’s energy ministry, regulator and national power utility company.

The Guardian report cited comments from Cliff Owiti, a senior administrator with Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA) claiming that the country had identified nine sites where it was planning to build solar plants to supply “half the country’s electricity by 2016”.

But Kevin Sang, communications officer for the electricity utility, Kenya Power, said The Guardian claims were “farfetched” and confirmed Kenya Power had been given no government direction in regard to a 50% penetration of solar.

Meanwhile, Lee Okombe, spokesman for Kenya’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), dismissed the Guardian report.

“I have liaised with KEREA and I can firmly report that the Guardian report is null and void. Cliff Owiti was not interviewed and so the information in that report has no basis. As of now there are no specific targets for solar energy in the country,” Okombe said.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/regulato...rium_and_50_en

Quote:
Pakistan announces long-awaited upfront solar FiT rates
By Andy Colthorpe - 24 January 2014, 12:48
In News, Power Generation, Tariff Watch

Upfront FiT rates for large scale photovoltaic (PV) projects in Pakistan have been announced by the country’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, set lower than rates recommended to agencies advising the regulator on the scheme.

The newly announced FiTs will apply to plants of between 1MW and 100MW capacity and are set at a different rate in the north and south of the country. The NEPRA publication detailing the upfront tariff rates refers to higher levels of solar irradiance in the south of Pakistan than the north. NEPRA referred to the division as a ‘Tiered Tariff Structure’ and described the system as “ideal” due to “the solar irradiance profile of Pakistan”. The tariffs are calculated as a payment to cover 25 years of operation.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/pakistan...ront_fit_rates

Quote:
How the Expiration of the Federal ITC Could Create a Boom in the Commercial Solar Market
Chris Williams, HeatSpring
January 24, 2014 | 2 Comments

Chris Lord of CapIron, Commercial Solar Finance Expert

All eyes are on the reduction or expiration of the 30 percent federal investment tax credit (ITC). While it's the prime goal of SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) to maintain the federal ITC, some have argued explicitly that it's time to dismiss solar tax credits on the local level, while others have argued the federal tax credit SHOULD be reduced or eliminated to help the solar industry.

In this 30-minute interview posted below, I talk with Chris Lord, of CapIron Inc, a solar finance expert. Chris works with property owners, developers and financiers to develop mid-market solar projects. Chris has extensive experience financing solar projects and because he deals with stakeholders on all sides of a project, I've found his perspective to be extremely valuable. We'll discuss investor trends in the commercial solar market, the possible impact of the expiration of the ITC, non-recourse bank lending trends, how EPCs should find investors in their local market, and the impact of crowdfunding.



In this interview, you will learn:
  • Why there are a lot of banks and funds investing in 2-MW+ and residential solar projects, but few focusing on commercial. I'll will share why I do not see a trend of more and more project investors focusing on smaller and smaller commercial projects even though there is a huge opportunity. (Note, there are some funds focusing on mid-market projects, click here to listen to an interview with a $20MM solar tax equity investor that only finances mid-market commercial projects.)
  • Why mid-market commercial projects are the hardest part of the market for investors to deal with. Hint: It's because of the high transaction cost relative to the size of the deal and the inability to aggregate deals.
  • Even though commercial financing is difficult, Chris will share how he sees projects are still being built.
  • The four characteristics of the right investors for mid-market commercial projects.
  • What are the three steps a developer must take to find project investors for their projects.
  • How an EPC's development plan for a project and the tax appetite of an investors are intimately linked.
  • How the tax appetite of an investor will be the limiting factor to an EPC's development plan and how you can quickly reverse engineer the tax appetite required from an investor to fund your development pipeline.
  • Why the standardization of documents (note: you can see the results of NRELs working group here and Tioga's open source PPA here) will only have a minimal impact on reducing the transaction costs for mid-market deals.
  • Why developers should work on creating a specific formula with their investor partners with a specific jurisdiction that can be replicated as much as possible.
  • How tax benefits are a double edged sword and how the expiration of the ITC could greatly simply financing and increase adoption of commercial solar.
  • The maximum transaction cost-to-project deal ratio that I see in the market.
  • The impact that the expiration of the federal ITC could have on local solar markets and how it will be different based on the rigidity of state incentive programs.
  • How low gas prices could shut down coal plants and increase electric rates, increasing solar adoption.
  • Why non-recourse debt is not getting substantially involved in the commercial solar market.
  • Why the expiration of the 2016 ITC could switch the market to using a hosts debt and their own balance sheet to finance projects, eliminating the need for a PPA because tax credit monetization is no longer needed.
  • Three advantages of crowd-funding over borrowing from banks for developers.
  • Two reasons why crowdfunding is attractive to investors.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...l-solar-market

Quote:
China's solar industry rebounds, but will boom-bust cycle repeat?
By Charlie Zhu
HONG KONG Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:21pm EST

(Reuters) - China's solar panel industry is showing signs of booming again after a prolonged downturn - raising fears of another bust when the splurge of public money that is driving a spike in demand dries up.

Lured by generous power tariffs and financing support to promote renewable energy, Chinese firms are racing to develop multi-billion dollar solar generating projects in the Gobi desert and barren hills of China's vast north and northwest.

The sweeteners have not only lured traditional energy investors like China Power Investment Corp, but also a host of solar panel makers and even companies such as toll road operator Huabei Express and Jiangsu Kuangda Auto Textile Group.

Some solar panel manufacturers, encouraged by a recovery in sales in the last two quarters - largely on surging demand from China and Japan - are expanding production capacity, even though the overall sector remains mired in a severe glut.

But industry officials worry fast-growing generation capacity will increase fiscal pressures on China and Japan and force them to cut subsidies which will then hit demand, just as happened with previous big solar users Germany, Spain and Italy.

"The key is whether the Chinese government is determined enough to boost solar generation," Sun Haiyan, senior executive at Trina Solar, said when asked if the current solar expansion in China was sustainable.

China already boasts solar manufacturing capacity of about 45 gigawatts (GW), enough to meet global demand this year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A0M1VJ20140123

Quote:
UK’s largest solar thermal installation completed in Shropshire
By Peter Bennett | 24 January 2014, 16:37 Updated: 24 January 2014, 16:43

TGE Group claims to have installed the UK’s largest commercial solar thermal installation for a game rearing business in Shropshire.

The 194kW system has been installed across two game rearing sheds at JE Barker & Sons. The 126-panel system will provide space heating in order to help combat the escalating energy bills related to pheasant rearing.

In addition to the solar thermal installation, TGE Group installed a 7.6kWp solar PV system. The company states that the multi-technology system complements each other and will help negate the emission of 34 tonnes of CO2 every year. In addition, the system is eligible under the Renewable Heat Incentive and 100% first year Enhanced Capital Allowance, netting the company over £450,000 in savings and income over the 20-year lifetime of the RHI.

“Using solar thermal to heat open spaces shows the versatility of this technology. Traditionally farmers might fit solar thermal for generating hot water for wash downs, when in reality there are a wide range of commercial heating applications that the technology can be used for,” said Matthew Evans, heat director, TGE Group.
http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/ne...hropshire_2356

Quote:
Germany Tax on Own Use of Renewables Is First in Europe
By Stefan Nicola and Marc Roca Jan 24, 2014 5:28 AM PT

Germany is set to become the first nation in Europe to charge owners of renewable energy plants for their own use of electricity, part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s effort to contain rising power bills.

Merkel’s Cabinet backed proposals to charge operators of new clean-energy plants 70 percent of the so-called EEG-Umlage, a fee paid by power consumers that they’re currently exempt from, according to an economy ministry document obtained today by Bloomberg News. That would translate into 4.4 euro cents (6 cents) a kilowatt-hour.

The solar industry says such a payment would curb investments in the technology in the nation that has the most installations of photovoltaics in the world.

“The fee will make the environmentally friendly self-consumption of solar power unattractive, especially for the Mittelstand, farmers and companies,” the BSW-Solar industry group said in a statement. Developers that consume their own solar power already lower the costs of Merkel’s energy program by not selling their power to the grid at above-market rates, the group said.

Germany would be the first European country to penalize the self-consumption of solar energy, something only Arizona has done so far. Spain is also working on a similar plan to ensure small solar power generators, which reduce total grid users, help pay for network costs. As many as a dozen U.S. states are also considering charges for solar rooftop owners.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...in-europe.html

Quote:
IKEA Doubles Size of Largest Single-Use Rooftop Commercial Array in Colorado
01/24/2014
Clean Edge News

IKEA has officially plugged-in an expanded solar energy system atop its Denver-area store that opened more than two years ago in Centennial, CO. Installation of the additional panels began this summer, and since then have more than doubled the size of the original array, which already was the state’s largest single-use rooftop array on a commercial building and now is the largest of any use.

The 83,700-square-foot solar addition consists of a 623-kW system, built with 2,492 panels, and will produce 961,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store. Including the existing system, IKEA Centennial’s total 1,121-kW solar installation of 4,704 panels now will generate 1,701,000 kWh of clean electricity yearly, the equivalent of reducing 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 250 cars or powering 180 homes (calculating clean energy equivalents at http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energ...alculator.html).
http://www.cleanedge.com/Resources/n...ay-in-Colorado

Quote:
17 Million North American Consumers Now in Competitive Electricity Markets
01/27/2014
Clean Edge News

Millions of electricity customers in North America live in states and provinces that allow them to shop for electric service. Seventeen million residential consumers have exercised their right to choose along with numerous business consumers, according to the Annual Baseline Assessment of Choice in Canada and the United States (ABACCUS), a report released today by Distributed Energy Financial Group LLC (DEFG).

“People choose from an ever-increasing diversity of retail electricity products,” said Nat Treadway, DEFG managing partner and lead author of the report. “In Texas, more than 300 different choices are available—somewhat like your grocery store cereal aisle—and this is a display of increased consumer participation and healthy competition.” Retail electricity competition grew in 2013 at an even more aggressive pace than in 2011 or 2012. “Competition and increased consumer shopping have prompted retail energy providers to deliver lower prices, and a great variety of innovative products and service choices. For commercial and industrial customers, the evidence is also quite clear. These customers participate in the market at extremely high levels in the states and provinces that allow direct access from supplier to consumer,” he said.

The ABACCUS report recognizes Texas as the leader in competitive retail electric markets for the seventh consecutive year.

“Texans save money when they take the time to shop for their electricity,” said Chairman Donna Nelson of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. “More than two dozen providers offer a variety of plans for the nearly seven million customers in the competitive Texas market.”

In addition, the Canadian province of Alberta, and the U.S. states of Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were all recognized as leading competitive retail electricity markets. These jurisdictions are at various stages of regulatory reform to create the policies that foster choice while ensuring basic consumer protections.
http://www.cleanedge.com/Resources/n...ricity-Markets
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Old Posted Jan 25, 2014, 6:34 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Quote:
Solar-Powered Federation of Korean Industries Tower Boasts One of the World's Most Efficient Facades
by Lidija Grozdanic, 01/24/14

The solar-powered Federation of Korean Industries Tower is now complete in Seoul – and it has one of the world’s most efficient solar facades. Adrian Smith + Gordon Architecture (AS+GG) designed the 240 meter high-rise with a self-regulating external skin that not only collects energy through photovoltaic panels, but also reduces internal heating and cooling loads.

The building’s unique façade features spandrel panels that can be oriented to reflect a large percentage of sunlight and minimize the amount of direct sun radiation and glare. The rippled skin incorporates building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) oriented towards the sky, while vision panels are oriented downward toward the ground.

The completed building boasts several indoor garden spaces, with natural materials such as bamboo and wood, along with an abundance of vegetation. Adjacent to the tower is an oval-shaped addition, located toward Yeoi-Dae-Ro Avenue. This podium piece houses a banquet hall, central restaurant and conference rooms of various sizes.

AS+GG collaborated with engineering firms Thorhton Tomasetti and Environmental Systems Design, as well as the local firm Chang-Jo Architects, on developing what will surely become a new city centerpiece and a beacon of Korea’s goal of developing energy efficiency in buildings.






http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-f...cient-facades/

Quote:
Color This New Solar Cell Efficiency Breakthrough Blue

If you had to pick the best color for solar cell efficiency off the top of your head, yellow – as in sunlight – would probably get the nod. However, there is a lot of efficiency to be mined in the blue end of the spectrum. The problem is, blue light has excess energy that conventional solar cell materials can’t capture efficiently, and away it goes in the form of heat.

That makes finding a cheap, blue light-friendly solar cell material one of the keys to kicking solar cell efficiency up to the next level while keeping costs down, and researchers over at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Texas at Austin believe they have found just such a one.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/25/...ts-blue-light/

five?
Quote:
The Budding Latin America Solar Market: 5 Key Takeaways
A strong growth market still fraught with peril

Eric Wesoff
January 24, 2014



Adam James and the GTM Research team have initiated coverage of Latin America's solar industry with the Latin America PV Playbook. Thursday's webinar provided a glimpse into this ongoing regional research.

As we've reported, Latin America is about to find out whether unsubsidized solar can be an economic market reality. "You don't need incentives for solar," said James in an earlier interview, suggesting that any market can grow as long as there is a transparent regulatory process -- along with high tariffs and high DNI.

Latin America will install more than 700 megawatts in 2014 and is poised for a pace of market growth that will rival the U.S. According to James, “The Latin American market as a whole represents a huge opportunity for PV. However, the complexities of local markets, financing and regulatory hurdles, and policy risk have all played a role in preventing solar development in the region from reaching its true potential.”

Here are five takeaways from a webinar that covered a lot of ground.

Global demand is becoming more diffuse

Project developers in Latin America face a volatile future

The 3 countries to watch are Mexico, Brazil and Chile

Don't Overlook Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and the Caribbean
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articl...a-Solar-Market

Quote:
Energy News
Startup Thinks Its Battery Will Solve Renewable Energy’s Big Flaw
Aquion has started production of a low-cost sodium-ion battery aimed at making renewable energy viable.

By Kevin Bullis on January 23, 2014

A former Sony TV factory near Pittsburgh is coming to life again after lying idle for four years. Whirring robotic arms have started to assemble a new kind of battery that could make the grid more efficient and let villages run on solar power around the clock.

Aquion, the startup that developed the battery, has finished installing its first commercial-scale production line at the factory, and is sending out batteries for customers to evaluate. It recently raised $55 million of venture capital funding from investors including Bill Gates. The money will help it ramp up to full-speed production by this spring.

Jay Whitacre, the Carnegie Mellon professor of materials science and engineering who invented the new battery, says it will cost about as much as a lead-acid battery—one of the cheapest types of battery available—but will last more than twice as long. And while lead is toxic and the sulfuric-acid electrolyte in lead-acid batteries is potentially dangerous, the new battery is made of materials so safe you can eat them (although Whitacre says they taste terrible). Nontoxic materials are also a good fit for remote areas, where maintenance is difficult.

Most importantly, by providing an affordable way to store solar power for use at night or during cloudy weather, the technology could allow isolated populations to get electricity from renewable energy, rather than from polluting diesel generators. Combining solar power and inexpensive batteries would also be cheaper than running diesel generators in places where delivering fuel is expensive (see “How Solar-Based Microgrids Could Bring Power to Millions”).

The batteries could allow the grid to accommodate greater amounts of intermittent renewable energy. As Aquion scales up production and brings down costs, the batteries could also be used instead of a type of natural gas power plant—called a peaker plant—often used to balance supply and demand on the grid. When recharged using renewables, the batteries don’t need fuel, so they’re cleaner than the natural gas power plants.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news...rgys-big-flaw/

Last edited by amor de cosmos; Jan 25, 2014 at 6:50 PM.
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