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SFCE Nov 2
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China Said to Mull Wind, Solar Power Tariff Cuts
Nov 2, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
China is considering cutting the preferential rate it offers wind and solar power developers because the surcharges tacked onto electricity bills to pay for clean-energy subsidies aren't high enough. The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning... -
Clean Energy Investment Up 25% In Q3
Oct 30, 2015 | Forbes
By Bill Tucker
There is a lot of money pouring into clean energy projects even as the prices of oil and gas fall. Clean energy investment rose 25% in the U.S. in the Third Quarter; total investment surged to $13.4-Billion. That puts the U.S. at #2, second only to China where investment in clean energy projects came in at $26.7-Billion. -
Yingli unveils 20 MW Turkish PV pilepline
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited subsidiary, Yingli Europe has said it will install 20 MW worth of solar PV projects in Turkey, with the help of partner, Motif Proje.The pipeline will be spilt into two, with 10 MW said to currently be under development. Work is scheduled to begin on the projects, located across four sites in the western part ... -
First Solar strengthens renewable energy portfolio in US with three deals
Oct 30, 2015 | Power Technology
Renewable energy developer First Solar has signed three separate deals in the US, strengthening its position in the country. The first of the deal with Strata Solar involves delivery of 400MW of First Solar's advanced thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules. -
Scotland OKs Statoil's pioneering Buchan Deep floating wind
Nov 2, 2015 | Recharge
By Darius Snieckus
The world's first floating wind power array, Norwegian energy giant Statoil's 30MW Buchan Deep development off northeast Scotland, has been given the green light by the country's government with the granting of a marine licence. Located 25km off the coast of Peterhead, the pilot project is built around five 6MW next-generation versions -
Germany: Just 127.5 MW of PV registered in September
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Sandra Enkhardt
Germany’s Federal Network Agency released the new solar PV figures for September on Friday. Overall, it reports that 127.472 MW worth of plants were installed, of which 53.854 MW were ground-mounted systems.Looking behind the figures, however, just 45.13 MW, across 3,194 systems, were actually grid connected in September. -
Suntech offering Tigo’s TS4 platform optimizers with HyPro modules
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Tech
By Mark Osborne
Suntech has announced the introduction of a new smart solar module to its product portfolio. The new application will enhance Suntech’s smart DC module system’s performance through the accessibility of wireless communications, the optimization of power output, and the availability of real-time monitoring, while ensuring a reduction in the... -
Suntech and Tigo introduce creative energy optimization to the solar market
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
Suntech has announced today the introduction of a new smart solar module to its product portfolio. Officially unveiled in September, Suntech’s smart DC modules integrate the Tigo’s modular TS4 platform. The new application will enhance Suntech’s smart DC module system’s performance through the accessibility of ...
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China Said to Mull Wind, Solar Power Tariff Cuts
Nov 2, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
China is considering cutting the preferential rate it offers wind and solar power developers because the surcharges tacked onto electricity bills to pay for clean-energy subsidies aren't high enough.
The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, plans to cut the tariffs annually in the five years through 2020 to make electricity from clean sources more competitive compared with coal power, according to a document seen Oct. 30 by Bloomberg.
China proposes reducing tariffs for wind farms by as much as 5.8 percent in 2016 from current levels and by another 19 percent in 2020 from the 2016 tariff levels. Reductions for solar power projects will be as much as 5.6 percent in 2016 and another 15 percent in 2020, according to the document.
The disparity between surcharges and what the government pays out to developers of renewable projects is threatening China's plans to use clean energy as part of efforts to combat climate change.
The cuts could have a larger impact on wind power because turbine costs are forecast to drop only about 9 percent by 2020, said Zhou Yiyi, a Shanghai-based analyst from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
“The room for a reduction in solar technology costs is bigger than that of wind power,” Zhou said.
“The reductions will be negative for developers or operators’ profitability,” discouraging the market, said Louis Sun, an analyst at Bocom International Holdings Co. in Shanghai.
Should operational costs decline sharply, the NDRC will study whether to cut the tariffs previously awarded, according to the document.
The NDRC is seeking comment from the two industries. Once agreement is reached, the cuts will come into effect from Jan. 1, 2016. A fax sent to the NDRC seeking comment wasn't immediately answered.
Link (subscription needed): http://news.bna.com/deln/DELNWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=78444248&vname=dennotallissues&fn=78444248&jd=78444248
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Clean Energy Investment Up 25% In Q3
Oct 30, 2015 | Forbes
By Bill Tucker
There is a lot of money pouring into clean energy projects even as the prices of oil and gas fall. Clean energy investment rose 25% in the U.S. in the Third Quarter; total investment surged to $13.4-Billion. That puts the U.S. at #2, second only to China where investment in clean energy projects came in at $26.7-Billion. These latest numbers are the work of Bloomberg New Energy Finance in a report published this month.
For those doubting the impact of these investments The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission just released figures showing that renewable energy investment accounts for more than 60% of new electricity generation capacity installed in the first nine months of the year. Wind is the number one new source, beating new natural gas capacity. Solar was third, accounting for nearly 16% of all new capacity followed by biomass, geothermal steam, and hydropower.
What the numbers from FERC show us is that renewable energy sources now account for 17.4% of total generation capacity
Part of the reason for the investments are purely competitive; wind already competes on a price basis with fossil fuels in parts of the world, and solar is approaching a competitive price point. Exactly how this is happening is a little sleight of hand, in that technological advancements in clean energy are pushing down costs of generation while costs for coal-fired plants are rising. But there is no trickery in what is happening in Texas. I spoke with BNEF analyst Luke Mills who told me that Texas enjoys the lowest wind costs in the world and the second cheapest solar cost in the U.S.
As clean energy makes dramatic strides, things are so dire in the coal industry these days that the president of Appalachian Power was recently quoted as saying it is no longer economically feasible to build new coal-fired power plants. Indeed, this past summer natural gas overtook coal as the number one fuel source for electricity generation according to the Energy Information Administration.
Investments are not all about competitive prices. Policy is paramount. According to BNEF analyst Mills, investment in Europe has fallen due to a lack of government support and poor economic conditions. In contrast, investment in China and the other Asian Pacific countries like India have continued to experience aggressive growth due to increased government support as they aim at hitting carbon emission targets while their economies are rapidly growing creating huge demand for more power. Mills’s bottom line is simple, “Generally, in order to meet competitive equity return rates, renewables still are dependent on subsidies to attract the sort of investment levels we see today,”
And here is another bottom line, global investment in renewable energy totaled $70-Billion in the third quarter. That is down 1% from the same time period last year but considering the 48% fall off in investment in Europe it’s a number that hides more than it shows.
Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/billtucker/2015/10/29/clean-energy-investment-up-25-in-q3/
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Yingli unveils 20 MW Turkish PV pilepline
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited subsidiary, Yingli Europe has said it will install 20 MW worth of solar PV projects in Turkey, with the help of partner, Motif Proje.
The pipeline will be spilt into two, with 10 MW said to currently be under development. Work is scheduled to begin on the projects, located across four sites in the western part of the country, in Q2 2016.
The second, 10 MW portfolio, is expected to be completed by the end of next year. No details were released on the projects, however.
"There are currently 200 MW of PV projects under construction and additional 5 GW under application in Turkey," commented Anian Schreiber, Turkey project manager of Yingli Europe. "With the support of Motif Proje, we can rapidly scale our development activities in this high-potential market." Yingli chairman and CEO, Liansheng Miao added that the company is looking to expand the pipeline in the future.
"We are confident that patient and sustainable companies will be successful in the Turkish PV market, " concluded Deniz Selkan Polatkan, managing director of Motif Proje.
Link: http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/yingli-unveils-20-mw-turkish-pv-pilepline_100021815/#axzz3qL66gxSr
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First Solar strengthens renewable energy portfolio in US with three deals
Oct 30, 2015 | Power Technology
Renewable energy developer First Solar has signed three separate deals in the US, strengthening its position in the country.
The first of the deal with Strata Solar involves delivery of 400MW of First Solar's advanced thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules.
According to the agreement signed between the two companies, First Solar is expected to make the module deliveries within 2017 to 2018.
The modules are likely to be installed by Strata across multiple solar projects in southern and eastern US.
The firms have maintained a long-standing relationship with Strata, purchasing more than 1GW First Solar modules.
The second deal represents a formal execution of power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) for the offtake of 10.8MW Rancho Seco solar project in Herald, California.
The solar project will be developed on the site of the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear generation station, and is expected to annually generate over 22,000MWh of clean, renewable energy for SMUD business customers.
SMUD will be distributing the power to customers under its Commercial SolarShares programme, which can help them achieve sustainability goals and reduce their need for purchasing fossil-fuel backed energy during peak demand.
Construction of the power facility is expected to start in the fourth quarter of the year with commercial operation scheduled for a mid-2016 start."The modules are likely to be installed by Strata across multiple solar projects in southern and eastern US."
First Solar Project Development - US West vice-president Brian Kunz said: "SMUD's innovative SolarShares programme exemplifies how a utility can serve its community in both environmentally and economically favourable ways."
SMUD chief generation and grid assets officer Frankie McDermott said: "This project will further enhance the renewable aspect of our power mix, which is already about 50% non-carbon-emitting, helping us meet our board of directors' and the state's carbon objectives.
"The use of previously developed land at Rancho Seco and existing SMUD-owned power lines also provides significant environmental benefit."
The third among the deals represents another power purchase agreement signed with Austin Energy, which entitles the latter to receive low-cost energy output from First Solar's 119MW AC East Pecos Solar Project in Texas.
First Solar intends to start construction for the East Pecos project in early 2016, and commission it in late-2016.
Link: http://www.power-technology.com/news/newsfirst-solar-strengthens-renewable-energy-portfolio-us-three-deals-4706402
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Scotland OKs Statoil's pioneering Buchan Deep floating wind
Nov 2, 2015 | Recharge
By Darius Snieckus
The world's first floating wind power array, Norwegian energy giant Statoil's 30MW Buchan Deep development off northeast Scotland, has been given the green light by the country's government with the granting of a marine licence.Located 25km off the coast of Peterhead, the pilot project is built around five 6MW next-generation versions of the pioneering spar-based Hywind concept, which as a prototype has been turning off Norway since 2009.
The Buchan Deep array, which will be moored in water depths of 90-120 metres, is expected to generate 135GWh of power a year, enough to supply electrity to almost 20,000 homes.
"Hywind is a hugely exciting project – in terms of electricity generation and technology innovation – and it's a real testament to our energy sector expertise and skilled workforce that Statoil chose Scotland for the world's largest floating wind farm," says Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney.
"The momentum is building around the potential for floating offshore wind technology to unlock deeper water sites.
"The ability to leverage existing infrastructure and supply chain capabilities from the offshore oil and gas industry create the ideal conditions to position Scotland as a world leader in floating wind technology."
Statoil's executive vice president for New Energy Solutions Irene Rummelhoff states: "Floating wind represents a new, significant and increasingly competitive renewable energy source.
"Statoil's objective with developing this pilot park is to demonstrate a commercial, utility-scale floating wind solution, to further increase the global market potential. We are proud to develop this unique project in Scotland, in a region that has optimal wind conditions, a strong supply chain within oil and gas and supportive public policies."
Statoil tells Recharge a final investment decision will be taken on Buchan Deep "in the near future".
The Hywind concept is based on a well-understood offshore technology — the spar, which has enjoyed a long and happy history in giant form as floating foundations for deepwater oil production platforms since the mid-1990s.
The second-generation Hywind 2 is an evolutionary advancement of the flagship unit, most of all because the hull's length has been trimmed to a more compact, lighter, "site optimised" design that stretches 76 metres below the surface — compared to the 100-metre draft of the prototype — which should open up a wider offshore market for the deepwater concept.
Hywind 1, designed around a hull fabricated by French contractor Technip and topped out with a 2.3MW Siemens turbine, has performed superbly since switch on in 2009, weathering winds of 40 metres per second (m/s) and winter waves 15 metres high — and churning out close to 35GWh at an average capacity of 50%.
The UK Carbon Trust believes that floating wind concepts have the potential to cut generated levelised cost of energy (LCoE) to below £100/MWh in commercial deployments, with Hywind calculated to be on track to reach an LCoE of £85-£95MWh.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks adds: "Successfully developing floating turbines could enable Scotland to secure even more clean energy from offshore wind in the future.
"With the right political support for offshore wind and other renewable technologies, Scotland is well placed to become the EU's first renewable electricity nation by 2030."
Make Consulting estimates some 3.4GW of floating wind power will be switched on by 2030, led by markets in Japan and France.
Link: http://www.rechargenews.com/wind/1415640/scotland-oks-statoils-pioneering-buchan-deep-floating-wind
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Germany: Just 127.5 MW of PV registered in September
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Sandra Enkhardt
Germany’s Federal Network Agency released the new solar PV figures for September on Friday. Overall, it reports that 127.472 MW worth of plants were installed, of which 53.854 MW were ground-mounted systems.
Looking behind the figures, however, just 45.13 MW, across 3,194 systems, were actually grid connected in September. The remaining MWs comprise projects already operational months or years ago, and which have only now been registered.
Also, no new ground-mounted plants were included in the system registry, due to the fact previously applicable tariffs for these plants expired at the end of August and are now only funded through tenders.
The FIT will not be reduced again in November. Thus, they have remained stable since September, at between €0.0853 and €0.1231/kWh, depending on the size of the solar PV plant. These values will also be maintained in December, because cumulative annual expansion has fallen below the 1.5 GW mark.
According to the EEG, in this instance, there is no further FIT reduction and revenue cap for all plants selling their generated energy on the market. These tariffs are between €0.0891 and €0.1270/kWh. All plants 500 kW and bigger must sell their energy on the spot market; from 2016 this will extend to all new plants 100 kW or bigger.
For the first nine months of 2015, new solar PV installations totaled just 1.165 GW, reported the Federal Network Agency. The real figure is likely to be much lower, however, given that many plants are delayed registrations. Meanwhile, it said the installed capacity of all funded plants at the end of September was just 39.4 GW.
Link: http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/germany--just-1275-mw-of-pv-registered-in-september_100021807/#axzz3qL66gxSr
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Suntech offering Tigo’s TS4 platform optimizers with HyPro modules
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Tech
By Mark Osborne
Suntech has announced the introduction of a new smart solar module to its product portfolio. The new application will enhance Suntech’s smart DC module system’s performance through the accessibility of wireless communications, the optimization of power output, and the availability of real-time monitoring, while ensuring a reduction in the overall maintenance costs. Problem
Compared to a traditional module, the smart DC module provides system with greater connectivity, efficiency, and output. Solution
Suntech’s smart DC module offers increased safety, flexible system design, reduced O&M costs, and real-time monitoring. The Tigo TS4 universal junction box platform enables choice over exact options wanted for any given project or customer, from safety features to module-level diagnostics and maximized energy harvest. The TS4 universal base plate can be matched with one of several TS4 covers containing the application electronics. Together they form a new generation of junction boxes; flexible, replaceable and upgradable, accompanied by a powerful PV 2.0 communication-centric architecture backend. Applications
Suntech plans to integrate the Tigo TS4 platform to a variety of its modules that cater to both rooftop and commercial markets in Europe and Australia. Platform
The smart module with the Tigo TS4 is fully integrated and compatible with all leading inverters, monitoring equipment, and mounting solutions. By providing shade tolerance at the cell level, the Suntech smart DC modules will produce more energy than modules equipped with the leading DC optimizers or micro-inverters. Increasing power output in constricted installation spaces, the Suntech smart DC module offer up to 30% longer strings that reduce BOS cost of system. Availability
September, 2015 onwards.
Link: http://www.pv-tech.org/product_reviews/suntech_offering_tigos_ts4_platform_optimizers_with_hypro_modules
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Suntech and Tigo introduce creative energy optimization to the solar market
Nov 2, 2015 | PV Magazine
Suntech has announced today the introduction of a new smart solar module to its product portfolio.
Officially unveiled in September, Suntech’s smart DC modules integrate the Tigo’s modular TS4 platform.
The new application will enhance Suntech’s smart DC module system’s performance through the accessibility of wireless communications, the optimization of power output, and the availability of real-time monitoring, while ensuring a reduction in the overall maintenance costs.
Suntech plans to integrate the TS4 to a variety of its modules that cater to both rooftop and commercial markets in Europe and Australia.
"2015 has been an exciting year for Suntech, with the launch of several new products that we’ve brought to the solar market,” says Victor Xiong, president of Suntech.
“This smart DC module design eliminates module-level or cell string mismatch, reduces the chance of module malfunction, and increases the overall cell performance. The Tigo TS4 is a remarkable new product application that we’re adding to many of our existing modules, particularly the HyPro module. The smart DC module offers increased safety, flexible system design, reduced O&M costs, and real-time monitoring. This new module enriches Suntech’s portfolio by differentiating its products from others in the market.”
The TS4 Platform replaces the traditional JBox (junction box), allowing customers to install different functional covers to their solar panels. The covers currently offer a range in functionality from diodes and rapid shutdown to full functional long string and optimization – all providing unique, customized unprecedented capabilities. These personalized covers are selectively deployed on each module at different price points, utilizing predictive IV (PIV) technology to maximize energy harvest at minimal cost.
Compared to a traditional module, the smart DC module provides system with greater connectivity, efficiency, and output. The smart module with the Tigo TS4 is fully integrated and compatible with all leading inverters, monitoring equipment, and mounting solutions.
By providing shade tolerance at the cell level, the Suntech smart DC modules will produce more energy than modules equipped with the leading DC optimizers or micro-inverters. Increasing power output in constricted installation spaces, the Suntech smart DC module offer up to 30% longer strings that reduce BOS cost of system.
“Tigo is distinguished in the industry as being sole company to offer a modular platform where customers can cater their PV Module behavior according to their needs by simply replacing the covers,” says Zvi Alon, Tigo CEO. “We are focused on partnering with tier 1 solar companies in order to focus on spreading our innovation and energy optimization. By combining our leading technologies with Suntech, we will be able to provide the solar market with the finest solar energy generation products and management systems.”Link: http://www.pv-magazine.com/services/press-releases/details/beitrag/suntech-and-tigo-introduce-creative-energy-optimization-to-the-solar-market_100021817/#axzz3qL66gxSr
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