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Strong PV end-market demand pushing product pricing higher – EnergyTrend
Sep 18, 2015 | PV-Tech
By Mark Osborne
Taiwan-based market research firm EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce expects prices for polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules to steadily increase through the second half of the year as downstream demand in China, US, Japan and India remains strong. -
Biden: U.S., China Must Show Will to Cut Emissions
Sep 18, 2015 | Bloomberg BNA
By Carolyn Whetzel
The U.S. and China must show the world they have “the will and capacity” to achieve the carbon emissions reduction targets included in the joint agreement signed last November, Vice President Joe Biden said Sept. 17 in Los Angeles. -
Obama Sets Up Cost Of US Solar Energy For Another Freefall
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Tina Casey
Solar energy is already cost competitive with conventional fuels in 14 US states, and that’s pretty amazing considering that the bottom has dropped out from under the coal, natural gas, and petroleum markets. Well, the other 36 states better brace themselves because here comes more than $102 million in US Energy Department funding for new projects to make solar energy even cheaper. -
Yingli Jumps After Signing Biggest Solar Panel Pact in China
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Bonnie Cao
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd. rebounded from a record low after signing its largest ever solar panel supply agreement in China. -
China Electric Car Startup Seeks $1 Billion in Tesla Challenge
Sep 18, 2015 | Bloomberg BNA
By Tian Ying
A Chinese electric-car startup with ambitions to challenge Tesla Motors Inc. as of Sept. 16 has raised about half the $1 billion it is seeking, roping in investors including Sequoia Capital and Joy Capital as part of plans to develop affordable, connected green cars. -
Utility-scale battery storage to reach 12 GW, $8.44 billion by 2024
Sep 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Utility-scale grid connected battery storage is set to reach up to 12 GW by 2024, while annual revenues will grow to around US$8.44 billion. The U.S. will be a leader, followed by China, Japan and Germany. Despite an overall positive outlook, there are significant market challenges to overcome. These are the findings of a new report by Frost & Sullivan. -
UK Government Renewable Energy Policy Leaving “Investors And Consumers Baffled,” EY States
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Joshua S Hill
The most recent Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index put out by EY highlights the dangers of the UK Government’s current renewable energy policy. -
India May Set Up National Renewable Energy Certification Lab
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
The Indian Government may be considering to set up a national lab for testing, standardisation, and certification of renewable energy systems and projects. -
Canada Investment in Renewables Surged Last Year, Led by Ontario
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Jeremy Van Loon
Investment in renewable energy in Canada almost doubled last year as developers largely in Ontario and Quebec built solar, wind and hydropower projects, Clean Energy Canada said. -
Sweden Boosts Renewables to Become First Fossil-Fuel-Free Nation
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Anna Hirtenstein
Sweden said it’s targeting to become one of the first nations in the world to be free of fossil fuels and that it will invest 4.5 billion kronor ($546 million) in climate-protection measures next year as a step toward that goal. -
Brazil doubles PV deployment target to 7GW by 2024
Sep 18, 2015 | PV-Tech
By Tom Kenning
Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has introduced a new solar PV target of 7GW of installed capacity by 2024, almost doubling its previous target.
Industry News
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Strong PV end-market demand pushing product pricing higher – EnergyTrend
Sep 18, 2015 | PV-Tech
By Mark Osborne
Taiwan-based market research firm EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce expects prices for polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules to steadily increase through the second half of the year as downstream demand in China, US, Japan and India remains strong.
EnergyTrend said that not only were China-based tier-1 PV module manufacturers running at full-capacity but many tier 2 producers were also in the same position, driven by expectations that China could exceed the government targets of over nearly 18GW this year.
Polysilicon pricing has so far been dampened due to overcapacity and the imposition of anti-dumping duties on primarily US polysilicon producers.
However, key Chinese producers such as GCL-Poly and Daqo New Energy are scrambling to add capacity. However, EnergyTrend expects a rebound in ASPs over the next few months from US$13.5/kg to US$14/kg on average, currently.
Demand is also helping ASP recovery in wafers and cells.
Taiwanese cell manufacturers were said to have been able to keep ASPs at around US$0.32/W, due to higher efficiency rates, which were said be around 17.8%.
Taiwanese cell ASPs are expected to rise to the US$0.325/W level, while the Chinese cells will be approaching to the range of RMB2.25~2.3/W.
However, PERC-based cell demand was said to be weak at the moment due to low volume production and processes yet to be dialled-in before efficiency rates become stable.
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Biden: U.S., China Must Show Will to Cut Emissions
Sep 18, 2015 | Bloomberg BNA
By Carolyn Whetzel
The U.S. and China must show the world they have “the will and capacity” to achieve the carbon emissions reduction targets included in the joint agreement signed last November, Vice President Joe Biden said Sept. 17 in Los Angeles.
Speaking at the close of a two-day climate summit in Los Angeles, Biden said the two nations need to pave the way for an ambitious, effective and durable global agreement to emerge from the Paris climate talks this fall.
“As the world's two largest economies and biggest emitters, the U.S. and China have an overwhelming self-interest as well as shared interest and shared responsibility to lead the world,” Biden said in remarks closing the Sept. 15-16 U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit.
For others to follow, “we have to engage all levels of governments—our cities, our states, our provinces as well as the private sector to reduce emissions,” he said. “We have to work together and find solutions and lead the world in setting achievable targets ahead of the UN climate conference in December.”
The two-day summit and Biden's address come a week before Chinese President XI Jinping's meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington.
Biden cited the emissions reductions pledges made by cities, states and other local jurisdictions in both countries announced at the Los Angeles summit as the type of cooperative efforts needed to develop solutions to address climate change and spur global action (179 DEN A-17, 9/16/15).
Protecting Trade Secrets
The vice president also stressed the importance of information- and technology-sharing agreements, like the one the U.S. has with China, in helping other countries curb carbon emissions.
Biden said he and Obama will do everything possible to support such partnerships.
“Our joint efforts generate so many possibilities,” Biden said of the bilateral partnership between the U.S. and China.
“Our leadership is vital in achieving a successful global climate agreement in Paris,” Biden said. “But we must reach an agreement that is ambitious, effective and drives down global emissions.”
All countries must step up to the plate, Biden said.
A successful climate agreement must include provisions to ensure transparency and accountability and articles that are durable and dynamic enough to adapt as the world and its economies change, he said.
Also, the global agreement must protect the intellectual property and trade secrets of the private businesses that will be developing the technologies and tools to reduce carbon emissions, Biden said.
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Obama Sets Up Cost Of US Solar Energy For Another Freefall
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Tina Casey
Solar energy is already cost competitive with conventional fuels in 14 US states, and that’s pretty amazing considering that the bottom has dropped out from under the coal, natural gas, and petroleum markets. Well, the other 36 states better brace themselves because here comes more than $102 million in US Energy Department funding for new projects to make solar energy even cheaper.
The new solar energy funding was announced yesterday along with a new Energy Department energy efficiency roadmap that aims to double — yes, double — energy efficiency in the US by 2030 through standards for utilities, vehicles, and consumer goods.Troubleshooting Solar Energy Technology
Of the total pile, about $7 million will go to six projects designed to improve solar system performance and gain a better understanding of how solar modules degrade, under the Energy Department’s existing PREDICTS initiative.
In its first round, PREDICTS awardees modeled microinverters and concentrating solar systems as well as photovoltaic (PV) systems. The new round will focus on accelerating the testing of PV systems, the ultimate goal being to more accurately assess lifespan and reduce financial risk.
The awardees are the Electric Power Research Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, SunPower Corporation, Case Western Reserve University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Underwriters Laboratories.Energy Dept Still Hearts CSP
CSP: APOLLO, the Energy Department’s concentrating solar power initiative, will get a $32 million chunk of the total. This round of funding carries on work from the agency’s ongoing CSP program, aimed improving CSP performance throughout the system.
The work so far has been so successful that the cost of CSP hardware is now less than the cost of operating and maintaining a CSP system over its lifespan, so this new round of funding includes a package of projects focused on operating and maintenance costs. Here’s the breakdown from the Energy Department:
Abengoa Solar, LLC has two projects in the works. One will optimize the use of molten salt in the collector field, with the aim of developing a more efficient “next-generation” collector. The other project involves a new receiver design that includes a new strategy for heat pipes (yes, this Abengoa).
Boston University will work on self-cleaning solar technology with heliostat mirrors and parabolic troughs in large-scale solar plants, including scalable, low-cost manufacturing methods (for those of you new to the topic, CSP plants use special flat mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight on a central receiver in a tower, or they use mirror-like troughs, all to heat a liquid that can run a steam turbine).
Oregon State University is continuing its work on solar receiver that uses supercritical CO2 for heat transfer (supercritical refers to CO2 in a liquid state). This technology is not commercially viable yet, but if and when it breaks into the market you’ll see a “radical reduction” in the size of the receiver.
SolarReserve LLC will work on receiver improvements that can handle much higher temperatures than conventional receivers.
Dartmouth College is tasked with a nanoparticle coating that will also enable CSP systems to operate at higher temperatures, with the aim of achieving thermal of more than 90% at 700°C.
Argonne National Laboratory has a graphite foam in the works that will improve latent heat thermal energy storage. The overall goal is compatibility with the aforementioned supercritical CO2.
Purdue University is looking to create high-temerature heat exchangers, also with the aim of supercritical CO2 compatibility.
Southern Research Institute has paired up with Precision Combustion, Inc. the Electric Power Research Institute, Clariant, Inc., and Southern Company to adapt its high temperature, calcium-based thermochemical storage system for CSP systems.
Brayton Energy is also working on sCO2 compatibility, with a high-density thermal energy storage arrangement that can be mounted near the top of a CSP tower. The idea is to eliminate extra pipes and connections.
Southwest Research Institute has teamed with Samsung Techwin to do this:
…develop an integrally-geared compressor-expander (compander) and a novel centrifugal compressor impeller design for use in 10 MW scale CSP applications utilizing a supercritical CO2 (sCO2) cycle. This integrally-geared compander has the potential to improve efficiency, modularity, and process control over other proposed CSP turbomachinery configurations utilizing a sCO2 power cycle.
Got that?
General Electric — GE Global Research are developing a new compression system for sCO2.
Ceramatec, Inc. and the Georgia Institute of Technology have a new power block in the works that is much more efficient than conventional thermoelectric generators. The secret sauce, patented by Ceramatec, is a pair of highly conductive electrolytes.
The University of Wisconsin is also working on compatibility improvements to the sCO2 cycle, with a company called FlowServe. The team will use a test bed at Sandia National Laboratory.Solar Energy, Coming Soon To Somewhere Near You
The Energy Department is also ramping up its SPARC program for recognizing best practices models for solar energy adoption by local communities. Two organizations will divvy up about $13 million in this category.
The International City/County Management Association will create a competitive — friendly style, that is — national program with a focus on solar energy workforce building to speed up solar adoption in communities.
The Solar Foundation will be providing technical assistance to communities interested in attaining SPARC (Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities) status.More And Better PV Modules On The Way
A full half of the entire pot — $50 million — will go to new funding opportunities designed to ramp up PV efficiency andbring new technology to market faster. The aim is to push solar energy far beyond the Energy Department’s original SunShot goal of competitiveness with fossil fuels, and beat them on cost in many more markets.
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Yingli Jumps After Signing Biggest Solar Panel Pact in China
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Bonnie Cao
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd. rebounded from a record low after signing its largest ever solar panel supply agreement in China.
The American depositary receipts rose 4.6 percent to 57 cents in New York. Trading volume of 4.4 million shares was about 3.5 times of daily average of the past three months.
The stock regained momentum as the agreement with CFC Group Construction will allow Yingli to supply 170 megawatt solar panels for utility-scale power plants in China’s Hebei province. Yingli had fallen almost 80 percent this year through Wednesday, and the decline accelerated last week as it cut its outlook for shipments and said it will write down the value of its assets, resulting in a “significant” charge in the third quarter.
“This is a pretty substantial deal,” Mahesh Sanganeria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a phone interview from San Francisco on Thursday. “Part of the concern was whether the company will survive or not. This gives you another reason to say no, they are in business.”Global Oversupply
Other Chinese solar companies also advanced. JinkoSolar Holdings Co. rose 2.3 percent to $23.85, the highest since late July. Trina Solar Ltd. gained 0.1 percent to $9.61. Sky Solar Holdings Ltd. increased 9.5 percent to $6.76.
Yingli, which was the biggest solar panel maker until last year, was among dozens of Chinese companies that flooded into the industry over the past decade. The influx helped push panel prices down more than two-thirds since 2010. It also led to a global oversupply that pushed at least 30 companies in bankruptcy.
China’s gross domestic product expanded 7 percent in each of the first two quarters of this year, compared with a five-year average of 10.2 percent, while Barclays Plc this week cut its forecast for 2016 gross domestic product growth to 6 percent from 6.6 percent.
The Bloomberg gauge of U.S.-traded Chinese stocks fell for the first time in three days, retreating 0.4 percent. The biggest exchange-traded fund tracking mainland Chinese stocks lost 2.4 percent after the Shanghai Composite Indexsank in late trading on Thursday.
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China Electric Car Startup Seeks $1 Billion in Tesla Challenge
Sep 18, 2015 | Bloomberg BNA
By Tian Ying
A Chinese electric-car startup with ambitions to challenge Tesla Motors Inc. as of Sept. 16 has raised about half the $1 billion it is seeking, roping in investors including Sequoia Capital and Joy Capital as part of plans to develop affordable, connected green cars.
NextEV Inc., set up last year by founder William Li and a group of Internet entrepreneurs, is backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Hillhouse Capital.
The carmaker is targeting to roll out a supercar model in 2016 that can match the “Ludicrous” speed mode for Tesla's Model S and plans to outsource production to traditional auto manufacturers, Li said in a phone interview.
A number of startups have sprouted in China in the past year, backed by investors and Internet companies that see opportunities in the government's policies to promote electric cars and upgrade traditional manufacturing industries.
“Talking big is pointless,” said Li, who is also chairman of car-pricing portal Bitauto Holdings Ltd. “We develop the car purely from the angle of consumers. We most value what they would like the car to be. We want them to experience sheer pleasure of driving our car.”
Besides the supercar, NextEV plans to offer mass-market models that will cost less than half the Tesla Model S, which starts from 620,000 yuan ($97,000) in China. The goal is to offer Chinese consumers smart connected electric vehicles that they can afford, Li said.
“Most consumers go for electric cars for the free license. With more cities capping issuance of license plates, it will be the biggest motivation for motorists to buy electric vehicles,” said Yale Zhang, Shanghai-based managing director at Autoforesight Shanghai Co. “If NextEV can make their cars solid, better than Tesla in terms of manufacturing quality, they will find a big market here.”
NextEV was set up in Shanghai by Li and investors including Li Xiang, the founder of car-pricing website Autohome Inc., and JD.com Inc. The carmaker has hired former Maserati and Ford executive Martin Leach to head its operations and now has about 300 employees, mainly research and development staff, and offices in Silicon Valley, Munich, London, Beijing and Shanghai.
Both Sequoia Capital and Joy Capital cited the market potential for electric vehicles and the depth of the management team for their decisions to invest in NextEV.
The company plans to team up with two automakers by the end of this year to outsource manufacturing, Li said without providing details. NextEV will expand to overseas markets in the future, though China will remain its primary focus, he said.
“Chinese consumers are very picky, given that pretty much all the brands and models are available in this market,” Li said. “If we can win over Chinese consumers, it will be easier to attract motorists in other markets.”
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Utility-scale battery storage to reach 12 GW, $8.44 billion by 2024
Sep 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Utility-scale grid connected battery storage is set to reach up to 12 GW by 2024, while annual revenues will grow to around US$8.44 billion. The U.S. will be a leader, followed by China, Japan and Germany. Despite an overall positive outlook, there are significant market challenges to overcome. These are the findings of a new report by Frost & Sullivan.
In a report, the Global Utility-scale Grid-connected Battery Energy Storage Systems Market, Frost & Sullivan says a period of "dynamic growth" is on the cards, with commercialization expected to accelerate after 2017. This will bring "huge opportunities for companies that have the technological capabilities to compete," writes the consultancy firm.
Demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) is being driven by the need for grid modernization on the back of increased uptake of renewable energies and new regulatory policies. Growth in the electric vehicle and consumer electronics markets are also playing a role.
While there are just 430 MW of BESS operating in the current market, between 10 and 12 GW are expected to be online by 2024. This will see annual market revenues increasing from $0.46 billion in 2014, to around $8.44 billion in 2024, says Frost & Sullivan.
As indicated by various other reports, and projects, lithium ion (Li-ion) technology will continue to dominate the market, "at least for the next two to three years," it says, remaining the top technology in terms of installed power.
Geographically, Frost & Sullivan says the U.S. will lead, followed by China, Japan and Germany. In terms of key companies, it mentions, among others, NGK Insulators, AES Energy Storage, Sumitomo Electric, LG Chem, Samsung SDI, NEC Energy, BYD, Toshiba, GE and Saft.
"Battery storage has the ability to impart flexibility to the grid across a variety of end-use applications," comments Frost & Sullivan energy & power research analyst, Ross Bruton. "Its greatest advantages are the provision of distributed, variable renewable energy firming and energy time-shift, and rapid short-term electricity balancing for ancillary markets."
There are a number of hurdles the nascent market needs to overcome, however, including:High costsLow technology maturityLack of a clear business case and value propositionLimited practical application data to support laboratory efficiencies and safety standards Inadequate incentives, targets, and supporting policies, andFew market consolidations for turnkey solutionsLow oil and gas prices
"Overall, attractive pricing, combined with a surge in manufacturing and supportive policies for renewable energy development, will increase the bankability of renewable energy associated storage projects," concludes Bruton.
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UK Government Renewable Energy Policy Leaving “Investors And Consumers Baffled,” EY States
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Joshua S Hill
The most recent Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index put out by EY highlights the dangers of the UK Government’s current renewable energy policy.
EY published its quarterly Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) this week, which saw a major reshuffling of its top 10 most attractive countries in terms of their renewable energy potential and growth. One of the biggest losers in the RECAI was the United Kingdom, which dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since the RECAI was first established in 2003. Specifically, according to EY, “A wave of policy announcements reducing or removing various forms of support for renewable energy projects has left investors and consumers baffled.”
This, despite concerted efforts on the part of the national renewable energy industry, experts, and intelligence agencies the world over.
“We concluded in the previous issue of RECAI that post-election stability provided the new Conservative government with a unique window of opportunity to reconcile its somewhat contradictory energy objectives and address the conflict between its liberalized market rhetoric and policy that is clearly picking winners and losers, regardless of market signals. Based on developments over the past quarter, however, it seems the UK Government has decided to pass on that opportunity.”
Passed on the opportunity is has, as we have seen time and time again over the past few months. EY highlights the “plethora of policy-related announcements” that it believes has “sentenced the UK renewables sector to death by a thousand cuts:”support for onshore wind under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme is now set to end on 1 April, 2016 — a year earlier than planned.a proposal to close the RO for solar projects under 5 MW by 1 April, 2016, a year earlier than scheduleda proposal to end the “grandfathering” to the RO for solar projects less than 5 MWthe proposed removal of pre-accreditation that guarantees a certain Feed-in Tariff levelPlans to impose an annual spending cap on the country’s Feed-in Tariff schemeEnergy supplied under renewable source contracts will no longer be exempt from the climate change levy with effect from 1 August, 2015Road to Grid Parity
Projected overspend of the existing and past government subsidies is often cited as the reason renewable energy subsidies are being scrapped. A desire to keep “hard working” Britons from having to pay extra on the electricity bills and taxes — ignoring for the moment the massive spend taxpayers are forking out to subsidize the fossil fuel production and generation industry. As EY notes, “new Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd maintains that the proposals are designed to minimize consumer energy bills, while simultaneously claiming that falling costs mean many renewables projects can survive without subsidies.”
The latter statement, ironically, is not one anyone is disagreeing with — many within the industry believe that onshore wind and solar PV are within three to five years of reaching grid parity. Only this month we’ve seen UK developer PS Renewables claim that they have reached grid parity on the development of large-scale solar projects.
However, the sticking point is the impact cutting renewables subsidies will have on the short-term growth of the industry. EY believes that “withdrawing support prematurely … arguably risks stalling or killing projects that would otherwise maintain the momentum to get the market” to its critical grid-parity moment.
A mixture of already-announced renewable energy subsidy cuts, mixed messages from those in charge, and rumors surrounding the future of vital renewable energy subsidy schemes like the Renewables Obligation and Feed-in Tariff schemes has severely dampened investor confidence in the UK’s onshore wind and solar industries. In a separate piece of research conducted by EY for Scottish Renewables and published earlier this month, the country’s renewable energy trade body, it was discovered that investors had been put off investing in onshore wind because of recently-announced and rumored cuts to onshore wind subsidies.
According to Scottish Renewables, the recent decisions by the UK Government to end financial subsidies to the UK’s renewable energy industry — including onshore wind development — is “having a significant impact on investor confidence and their ability to lend to onshore wind farm developers.”Is Offshore the Single Silver Lining?
One of the only potential silver linings to come out of EY’s RECAI is the UK’s continued supremacy at the top of the offshore wind industry. According to EY, the UK Government “apparently intends to redirect the money saved by cutting support for onshore wind to less mature technologies such as offshore wind” — an industry that the UK is already dominating, ranking 1st in offshore wind in the RECAI for at least the last two reports. The UK is the world’s largest offshore wind market, with just over half of all globally installed capacity, and many believe that the UK can lead the way in reducing offshore wind costs.
But concern remains over the likelihood of investors hanging around in the UK solely for its offshore wind industry, or whether the existing uncertainty “will generate sufficient developer and investor uncertainty to trigger an exodus from the UK market,” having already prompted Forewind to scrap the 2.3 GW third phase of its huge Dogger Bank offshore wind complex.
EY is right to question the inconsistencies in the current UK system, and ask whether “the UK renewables sector continue to fight policy tinkering by a Government with unclear motivations, or is this an opportunity for it to throw off the shackles of policy dependency and establish itself at the forefront of unsubsidised renewables in Europe?”
In the end, the UK Government looks to be content in minimizing its financial involvement in its renewable energy industry, leaving “throwing off the shackles of policy dependency” as the only legitimate means of going forward.
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India May Set Up National Renewable Energy Certification Lab
Sep 18, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
The Indian Government may be considering to set up a national lab for testing, standardisation, and certification of renewable energy systems and projects.
The Minster for Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal, recently highlighted the need for such a lab, stating that such testing and certification would be essential to achieving the ambitious renewable energy targets set by the country.
India has set a target to have an operational renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by 2022, and have at least 15% electricity generated from renewable energy projects by the same year; this would include 3% electricity coming only from solar power projects.
While several state governments, and the central government as well, have already allocated thousands of megawatts of solar power capacity through competitive auctions there exists no dedicated agency or body that keeps track of the health of these power plants, the quality of construction, and whether or not the plant load factor is what it should be.
Testing and certification is also important to provide a level playing field to all developers. Additionally, some of the projects are receiving government subsidies, and thus it would be essential to track their performance. Data from performance reviews of power plants and equipment used would provide crucial information on the best equipment suited for Indian conditions.
Testing of equipment is also necessary to introduce new equipment and technologies. India is planning to set up canal-top solar power projects on a large scale and across various states. Since this has not been attempted anywhere else in the world, testing and impact of such plants on the local environment would be critical.
Another market segment India is planning to open up is offshore wind power. Review of operations and testing of equipment would be highly beneficial for new developers to set up projects.
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Canada Investment in Renewables Surged Last Year, Led by Ontario
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Jeremy Van Loon
Investment in renewable energy in Canada almost doubled last year as developers largely in Ontario and Quebec built solar, wind and hydropower projects, Clean Energy Canada said.
Spending on generation capacity rose 88 percent to C$10.9 billion ($8.3 billion), according to a report published Thursday by the Vancouver-based research group. The industry now employs about 27,000 people, the group’s executive director, Merran Smith, said in an interview.
While still a fraction of the oil and natural gas industry’s more than C$60 billion for this year, the investment will likely continue to outpace growth in other sectors, Smith said. Federal support for the construction of power lines to connect generation to demand centers, in addition to provincial policy, would accelerate spending.
“Most other big industries in Canada including oil and gas, and aerospace get federal support,” Smith said. “Canada risks falling behind other countries that are moving faster to make this transition.”
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Sweden Boosts Renewables to Become First Fossil-Fuel-Free Nation
Sep 17, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Anna Hirtenstein
Sweden said it’s targeting to become one of the first nations in the world to be free of fossil fuels and that it will invest 4.5 billion kronor ($546 million) in climate-protection measures next year as a step toward that goal.
The government will increase support for solar, wind, energy storage, smart grids and clean transport. Investment in photovoltaics will rise nearly eightfold to 390 million kronor per year between 2017 and 2019, with a plan to spend a total of 1.4 billion kronor, the government said on Wednesday in Stockholm.
Sweden got about two-thirds of its electricity generation capacity from clean and low-carbon sources last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It plans to significantly reduce its emissions by 2020. It didn’t set a target date for the nation becoming fossil free, though Stockholm may reach that goal by 2050.
More investment in renewable energy is needed to meet the target of lowering emissions by 40 percent by 2020, Environment Minister Aasa Romson said at a press conference.
Sweden will also spend 50 million kronor annually on electricity storage research, 10 million kronor on smart grids and 1 billion kronor to renovate residential buildings and make them more energy efficient. The government is also planning to invest in clean transportation such as electric buses.
The Scandinavian country will also increase its funding of climate-related projects in developing countries, raising its budget to 500 million kronor. The government hopes it will send an “important signal” before the United Nations conference in Paris in December. It has said in the past that sustainable development assistance is fundamental to Sweden and the EU’s credibility in the climate negotiations.
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Brazil doubles PV deployment target to 7GW by 2024
Sep 18, 2015 | PV-Tech
By Tom Kenning
Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has introduced a new solar PV target of 7GW of installed capacity by 2024, almost doubling its previous target.
Rodrigo Sauaia, executive director of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar) told PV Tech that the previous target was “relatively conservative” and has been revised upwards after the successful results in contracting PV projects last year and the successful solar auction this year. In December 2014, the MME had announced an aim for just 3.5GW of solar by 2023.
Referring to the doubling of the target, Sauaia added: “We believe this is a very important step forward in giving the right signals to the market of the commitment and interest of the government on developing a solar PV value chain and bringing the market to the country.”
The country’s previous expectation was to contract around 500MW of PV annually, but after discussions with the sector, a stronger signal has been put out by the government to help bring the value chain into Brazil. Sauaia said the aim is to help justify investments in bringing module assembly lines and solar cell manufacturing to the country as well as making PV projects more affordable.
Sauaia added that three key areas of demand, financing and industrial policy need to be developed for the government to reach its goal. For example Absolar recently claimed that Brazil must establish a “specific industrial policy” for domestic PV manufacturing so it can produce the 2GW of solar equipment necessary to operate 61 solar plants planned for 2017.
In related news, Brazil’s energy regulator EPE also forecast that around 1.3GW of small-scale distributed generation PV will be installed in Brazil by 2024.
Sauaia said this marks a significant growth from the current 10MW of distributed generation capacity, but added: “Absolar considers this to be a little bit of a conservative target. We believe it will be possible with the right policies in place to bring on board roughly one million PV systems by 2025 (one year later). With that we will be able to include into the matrix about 2.5GW of small-scale distributed PV capacity online.”
However, Sauaia said the distributed generation market is not so much in the hands of the government, because it relies more heavily on electricity prices, exchange rates for equipment and components, and taxation. States and municipalites can also create their own programmes to support this technology, making it even harder for the government to predict distributed generation growth.
Meanwhile, Brazilian renewable energy research company Instituto Ideal also announced its findings that the cost of distributed generation PV projects dropped by 6.5% in Brazil in 2014. Sauaia commented that prices internationally have dropped by around 5-6% per year so the Instituto Ideal findings reveal that Brazil is following the international trend of PV costs declining.
He added: “Nevertheless several of the projects for distributed generation are still relying on imported goods and components and, as a consequence of that, the segment price and competitiveness is still a bit exposed to exchange rate fluctuations.”
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