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SFCE Dec 4
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Germany and France back 1.5C global warming limit
Dec 3, 2015 | Climate Home
By Megan Darby
At a press conference on the sidelines of the COP21 summit, Jochen Flasbarth said the agreed 2C goal was too weak and 1.5C “must be mentioned” in a UN treaty.1 That was the official German position, he added. It follows France president Francois Hollande’s assertion that global warming should be limited to 1.5C “if possible”, in his speech to world leaders on Monday. -
Renewable Energy sells to BlackRock after government squeeze
Dec 2, 2015 | Financial Times
By Kiran Stacey, Chris Newlands and Joel Lewin
A company running onshore wind farms across the UK has become one of the highest profile casualties of the government’s cuts to renewables subsidies, selling out to BlackRock, the US investment manager. Renewable Energy Generation (REG), which is listed on London’s Aim market, blamed the government’s “dismantling” of green incentives after selling the company for £64.5m. -
Solar Power Now India’s 2nd Largest Renewable Energy Technology
Dec 3, 2015 | Clean Technica
By Saurabh Mahapatra
Solar power has overtaken biomass-based power generation to become India’s 2nd largest renewable energy technology in terms of installed capacity. According to the latest data issued by the Indian Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, solar power’s installed capacity stood at 4,579 MW on 31 October, while biomass-based power generation capacity stood at 4,550 MW. -
Europe’s biggest solar farm opens in France, cheaper than nuclear
Dec 4, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Ian Clover
It was a long time in the making, but this week Europe’s largest solar PV plant was finally brought online. The Cestas solar farm, which is 300MW and covers a 250-hectare site near to the French city of Bordeaux, was connected to the grid earlier this month and has already begun producing solar power at a price cheaper than that offered by new nuclear plants. -
Australian made floating solar technology headed to California
Dec 4, 2015 | Reneweconomy
By Sophie Vorrath
The company behind Australia’s first floating solar plant has sold its flagship Australian-made technology to the City of Holtville, in California, marking the first export of the world-leading renewable energy system. Infratech Industries, a Sydney-based company established three years ago in Singapore and Australia, uses technology co-developed by a team of 15 engineers and academics from Flinders University’s Nano Science and Technology Department.
Industry News
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Germany and France back 1.5C global warming limit
Dec 3, 2015 | Climate Home
By Megan Darby
At a press conference on the sidelines of the COP21 summit, Jochen Flasbarth said the agreed2C goal was too weak and 1.5C “must be mentioned” in a UN treaty.1 That was the official German position, he added.
It follows France president Francois Hollande’s assertion that global warming should be limited to 1.5C “if possible”, in his speech to world leaders on Monday.
That is a key demand of 43 countries acutely vulnerable to rising sea levels, drought, flooding and tropical storms as greenhouse gases overheat the planet.1
Emmanuel de Guzman, head of the Philippines delegation, seized on the remarks. In a statement, he said: “This is historic. The call of the vulnerable has been answered by the presidency of the COP and the largest economy of the EU host region.
“The momentum for raising the level of ambition in Paris now opens the exciting possibility for a truly historic and transformational summit. We salute France and Germany and call for more countries to join in the call for 1.5C to protect human rights globally.”
At a separate event in central Paris, UN human rights and environment official John Knox also backed a tighter goal.
“An increase of even 2 degrees would have devastating effects on the human rights of the most vulnerable,” he said. “The Climate Vulnerable Forum countries’ proposed target of 1.5 degrees would better accord with human rights principles.”
Previously, a 1.5C goal found little support from major emitters already struggling to green their economies in line with 2C. Scientists say 1.5C is technically within reach, but only with deep carbon cuts and controversial negative emissions technologies.
The 184 national climate pledges submitted towards a UN deal are only projected to hold warming to 2.7C. Negotiators are discussing a framework to progressively ramp up ambition in future.
Emerging economies like India, which has big plans for coal power to expand energy access, are wary of tight restrictions that could inhibit their growth, however.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2015/12/03/germany-and-france-back-1-5c-global-warming-limit/
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Renewable Energy sells to BlackRock after government squeeze
Dec 2, 2015 | Financial Times
By Kiran Stacey, Chris Newlands and Joel Lewin
A company running onshore wind farms across the UK has become one of the highest profile casualties of the government’s cuts to renewables subsidies, selling out to BlackRock, the US investment manager.
Renewable Energy Generation (REG), which is listed on London’s Aim market, blamed the government’s “dismantling” of green incentives after selling the company for £64.5m.
It is the latest sign of the pain being felt across parts of the British renewables sector after ministers decided to scale back the payments on offer to technologies such as onshore wind and solar power.
The Conservatives plan to end all onshore wind subsidies by next year and to give local residents more powers to oppose new wind farms being built. In her recent speech outlining her view of British energy policy, Amber Rudd, energy secretary, said she wanted to spend more to encourage offshore, rather than onshore, wind energy.
REG said: “Any one of these factors alone would have a significant impact on the group, but taken together the impact is profound.”
It added that the policy changes had made it difficult to secure long-term financing.
“Further adverse policy changes since the 2015 general election have also contributed to a deterioration of investor confidence in the renewables sector,” it said.
“The proposed legislative and planning changes have, in the directors’ opinion, further impacted the willingness of the banking sector to provide long-term debt to UK onshore wind projects.”
Similar pain has been felt abroad as other governments also look to scale back on payments available to green companies. Last week Abengoa, the Spanish renewables company, declared it was bust, with cuts to Spanish subsidies in 2013 identified as one of the main causes.
Shares in REG, which operates wind farms from the north of Scotland to Cornwall in the south-west, have dropped by more than half since early 2014. BlackRock has agreed to pay 60p per share — 11 per cent above the level the shares closed at on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning they rose 6 per cent to 58p, but have risen 45 per cent since news of a possible deal emerged in early October.
BlackRock refused to comment on the deal. Ben Caldecott, a director at Oxford university’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, said the company might have been attracted by the long-term outlook for renewables.
He said: “UK energy policy, despite what some trade associations might say, is actually quite stable, particularly for operational, cash flow producing infrastructure with long-term contracts.
“One explanation for the deal is BlackRock may have identified a portfolio of assets being negatively impacted by broader policy concerns, but that actually has sound fundamentals.”
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/89af5470-98cd-11e5-9228-87e603d47bdc.html#axzz3tKb6acgW
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Solar Power Now India’s 2nd Largest Renewable Energy Technology
Dec 3, 2015 | Clean Technica
By Saurabh Mahapatra
Solar power has overtaken biomass-based power generation to become India’s 2nd largest renewable energy technology in terms of installed capacity.
According to the latest data issued by the Indian Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, solar power’s installed capacity stood at 4,579 MW on 31 October, while biomass-based power generation capacity stood at 4,550 MW.
A total of 827 MW solar power capacity has been added in this financial year so far (April to October) against a full year target of 1,400 MW. In the biomass-based power sector, only 132 MW capacity was added during the first 7 month of the financial year against a full year target of 400 MW. Small hydro power installed capacity is right behind at 4,162 MW with 107 MW capacity added so far against a target of 250 MW.
Installed capacity in the solar power sector is expected to jump sharply over the next few months, and is expected to easily beat the target. Estimates on capacity additions remain extremely bullish, not only for the current year, but also for the next few years. The Ministry, in a document released earlier this year, stated that 4.3 GW capacity its expected to be commissioned during the next financial year ie, between April 2015 and March 2016. During the subsequent financial year, the ministry expects 10.8 GW capacity addition. Thus, India might have an installed solar power capacity of 19 GW by March 2017.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/12/03/solar-power-now-indias-2nd-largest-renewable-energy-technology/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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Europe’s biggest solar farm opens in France, cheaper than nuclear
Dec 4, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Ian Clover
It was a long time in the making, but this week Europe’s largest solar PV plant was finally brought online.
The Cestas solar farm, which is 300MW and covers a 250-hectare site near to the French city of Bordeaux, was connected to the grid earlier this month and has already begun producing solar power at a price cheaper than that offered by new nuclear plants.
Developed by Neoen for a cost of €360 million ($382 million), Cestas will see its solar energy for a price of €105/MWh ($111/MWh) for 20 years, which is on a par with wind power and cheaper than the cost of new nuclear energy, confirmed Neoen chief executive, Xavier Barbaro.
France’s older nuclear plants, built in the 1970s and ‘80s, deliver nuclear energy for around €55/MWh, but newer nuclear plants – such as the controversial Hinkley Point development in the U.K., which is being built by French utility EDF – are set to deliver energy for a government-guaranteed price of around €130/MWh.
Barbaro told reporters at the plant’s inauguration that its east-west orientation (solar farms at this latitude are usually oriented with a southern azimuth) means it can produce three-to-four times more power for the same surface area. This also means early morning and late-afternoon production is higher, mirroring more closely typical demand patterns from the French grid.
The plant is comprised of 25, 12MW sub-plants and was delivered to the grid via a consortium of largely France-based contributors, including French infrastructure company Eiffage and Schneider Electric.
At 300 MW, it is easily the continent’s largest single array, and will play its part in pushing France towards 1 GW of new solar PV installations this year, with the country on course to match that in 2016 and 2017, according to projections from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/europes-biggest-solar-farm-opens-in-france-cheaper-than-new-nuclear-31214
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Australian made floating solar technology headed to California
Dec 4, 2015 | Reneweconomy
By Sophie Vorrath
The company behind Australia’s first floating solar plant has sold its flagship Australian-made technology to the City of Holtville, in California, marking the first export of the world-leading renewable energy system.
Infratech Industries, a Sydney-based company established three years ago in Singapore and Australia, uses technology co-developed by a team of 15 engineers and academics from Flinders University’s Nano Science and Technology Department.
In April, the company completed the first installation of a $12 million, 4MW PV system in Jamestown, South Australia, to serve as its showcase project.
The technology appealed to the agricultural region of Holtville – known as the “Winter Salad Bowl” of the US, for its production of more than 80 food crops – for its ability to save valuable agricultural space while reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
The vast bulk of the 1MW Holtville system – which includes 276 rafts, 3576 panels and 12 treatment pumps – will be will be manufactured in Australia.
“This is Australian technology, using Australian engineering to produce the bulk of the components of the rafts,” said Infratech CEO Rajesh Nellore.
“The expertise inherent in Australian manufacturing has been dormant for some time through no fault of its own, but the development and deployment of sustainable infrastructure allows us to tap into that world-class expertise once again,” he said.
“Australia, like Holtville, is an arid area subject to harsh climates and drought. Floating solar and other sustainable initiatives can ensure farmers have access to renewable power and clean water without using valuable land.
“Holtville and Jamestown are proof points of what is possible when people look to sustainable infrastructure initiatives to power their communities.”
The exported floating solar system will be installed at Holtville’s new water treatment facility, where it is expected to generate an estimated 20 per cent more power than a fixed land-based solar PV system.54daea55aea8a.image
As well as generating the water plant’s power, the floating array will save water from evaporation, and improve its quality by reducing the need to use treatment chemicals.
The system does this by providing shade for the water, thus limiting the photosynthesis process that creates blue-green algae, while consequently keeping the surface of the water cool and further raising the quality.
“Installing Infratech’s floating solar system is the right move for Holtville, and further proves our progressive approach to infrastructure and the environment,” said James Predmore, Mayor for the City of Holtville. “This move puts us ahead of the rest of the US.”
“Our decision to use Infratech’s floating solar system means we are not losing valuable farmland to massive solar farms; we can use three existing ponds and save our soil for increasing our capacity to produce crops,” he said.
Another potential upside of the Infratech system is that it will be able to withstand earthquakes, with Holtville situated near the San Andreas Fault.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/au-99437
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