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Solar power...

1. voda 28 april 2015 18:52

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   Green energy business creates more jobs than coal industry losses
   
   Omaha.com reported that far more jobs have been created in wind and solar businesses in recent years than were lost in the collapse of the coal industry, and renewable-energy companies expect record growth in the United States this year.
   
   Mr John Billingsley, CEO of Tri-Global Energy in Dallas, said that “I started this company in 2009 and I have seen tremendous growth since then.”
   
   Mr Billingsley built his business on wind energy, which generated more than 10% of the electricity in Texas last year. He said that he is hiring more workers to expand into solar power.
   
   Researchers at Duke University, using data from renewable energy trade associations, estimate in a study published in the journal Energy Policy that more than 79,000 direct and spinoff jobs were created from wind and solar electricity generation from 2008 to 2012.
   
   According to the study, that compares with an estimate of 49,530 coal industry job losses.
   
   Mr Lincoln Pratson, professor of earth and ocean sciences at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, said that “The capacity growth in wind was amazing, and the growth in solar has been absolutely phenomenal.”
   
   But the region hardest hit by the decline of the coal industry, Appalachia, is getting few green jobs.
   
   Mr Pratson said that “In West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, where a lot of the job losses have occurred, it is very rugged terrain, these are not easy places to set up wind and solar facilities. They are heavily forested.”
   
   He said that state laws also helped drive the growth outside of Appalachia.
   
   29 states specify a%age of renewable electricity that utilities should meet, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and Kentucky and West Virginia are not among them.
   
   Source : OMAHA.COM
2. voda 28 april 2015 18:55

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   Japan turns to solar energy to power its future
   
   Bidness ETC reported that there is a gradual shift in the energy mix taking place in Japan, with solar power eventually replacing uranium and fossil fuels as a preferred power source. The large oil-fired power plants that once fueled the Japanese economy are being shut down one by one.
   
   To replace those costly and polluting plants, several new power plants are coming up, including a $1.1 billion solar farm on a salt field in Okayama, as well as two large arrays over water in Kato City.
   
   By March 2016, Japan plans to take further steps to align energy infrastructure with alternate fuels, by doing away with close to 2.4 GW of oil-run power plants.
   
   Since the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power as an energy source has stagnated with solar power emerging as a feasible substitute. Up to 43 nuclear power plants have had to be shut down due to the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant, following the devastating tsunami in 2011.
   
   The rise of solar power in Japan can be gauged from the fact that since the Fukushima disaster, renewable energy capacity has risen by three times to 25GW, of which over 80% is solar. The country is now amongst the 4 largest markets in the world for solar panels.
   
   The Japan Renewable Energy Foundation said that solar power in the country will become cost-effective as early as the current quarter. That means it would no longer require government subsidies.
   
   With Japan close to the realization of profitability in its solar projects, the entire G7 group of countries is likely to achieve economic feasibility in solar power, according to consumer groups, governments, and industry.
   
   According to Mr Tomas Kaberger, Executive Board Chairman of JREF, solar power had now firmly become the alternate power source to import fossil fuels and uranium in Japan.
   
   Analysts see a boom in solar to be just around the corner with improvements in technology and the decline in prices of photovoltaic panels.
   
   The consultancy Wood Mackenzie said that distributed and utility level solar technology had the greatest potential to alter the energy markets.
   
   Exxon Mobil Corporation has forecast solar capacity to increase over 20 times from 2010 to 2040.
   
   Investors have a positive sentiment on solar energy. There has been a 40% increase in the global solar index, which had experienced a crash during the financial crisis between 2008 to 2009.
   
   Solar power has advanced than some of the other commodities, such as coal, copper, natural gas, and iron ore, which have been struggling due to the global decline in energy prices. Since the start of the year, the Guggenheim Solar ETF has experienced a 42% gain and has outperformed the S&P 500 Index, which gained 2.9%. The Guggenheim Solar ETF replicates the performance of prominent companies across the globe involved in the solar energy industry.
   
   Source : BIDNESS ETC
3. voda 29 april 2015 17:07

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   MP govt approves world's biggest solar power project at Rewa
   
   Times of India reported that state cabinet gave the green signal to the world's biggest 750 MW solar power project at Gurh tehsil of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. Mr Narottam Mishra, spokesman of MP government, later said that government also decided to set up a JV company for the project. World Bank will provide loan for the ultra-mega project.
   
   Mr Mishra said that new and renewable energy department will permit use of revenue land for the project while Power Grid Corporation will work on grid linkages on power generated by the project and its transmission lines. Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company will purchase 40% power generated.
   
   He said that state-run PSU, MP Urja Vikas Nigam and the solar energy corporation of India will form the JV company.
   
   Mr S R Mohanty, additional chief secretary, new and renewable energy department, said that the project is likely to be completed by March 2017. He said that cost of project is around INR 5,000 crore. He also said expected cost of power production will be around INR 5.50 per unit.
   
   Mr Mohanty said that land acquisition work for the project is almost over, barring non-government land which would also be acquired soon.
   
   America's 550-MW Desert sunlight solar project in California which was commissioned in February this year is the biggest solar project, as of now. Once commissioned in 2017, MP's project will be the biggest in the world.
   
   Source : TIMES OF INDIA
4. voda 29 april 2015 17:08

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   Apple seeks green energy projects to power Galway data centre
   
   Irish Times reported that apple is considering directly funding at least 6 Irish renewable energy projects, which could result in total new investment of more than EUR 400 million. The facilities will power its planned EUR 850 million new data centre in Galway.
   
   The company has this week sought partnership proposals from developers for a number of new green energy projects, each of up to 50 MW capacity. Its data centre in Athenry will require capacity estimated at more than 300MW for services such as iTunes, Maps and Siri.
   
   Apple did not specify the type of renewable energy, although onshore wind, currently popular with funders, would appear a likely contender.
   
   A 2014 report by the energy consultants Pyory estimated the investment per MW of new wind capacity at about EUR 1.5 million, suggesting total investment of up to EUR 450 million if Apple powered the entire facility with windfarms.
   
   In a tender on Ariba.com, Apple said that it is 'most interested' in agreements with developers to purchase electricity. It also indicated, however, it would consider purchasing in their entirety such assets once they come onstream.
   
   If it chooses to enter a power purchase agreement, it will enter into contracts of up to 20 years duration. Additionally, if there is an opportunity for an acquisition or investment by Apple, provide the structure pricing for such an arrangement.
   
   The technology giant said that proposals must be eligible for subsidies under the State’s REFIT program, which applies to onshore wind, hydro and biomass. Apple only wants projects within the Republic of Ireland, and they must be ready in 2017 or 2018. Those in proximity to Athenry will have an advantage.
   
   The State is pitching Ireland to big technology companies as a top location for their data centres, as the climate here requires less air conditioning of the data farms, which expel significant heat.
   
   The Irish Wind Energy Association,a lobby group for windfarm developers, said plans for more data centres here are a vote of confidence that shows renewable energy is an enabler of foreign direct investment.
   
   Mr Kenneth Matthews, CEO of IWEA, said that “Ireland is a hub for these facilities. We know of a long queue of companies similar to Apple who want to build them.”
   
   Google and Microsoft are among those with Irish data centres, while Yahoo recently indicated it was considering such an investment.
   
   Source : IRISH TIMES
5. voda 29 april 2015 17:14

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   German PV trade association lobbies for ground-mount solar
   
   German PV trade industry association BSW Solar has cast fresh doubts over the country’s new tender process for awarding ground-mount solar energy projects, saying that many would-be developers are likely to miss out.
   
   Mr David Wedepohl, association’s spokesman, said that while it is too early to comment on several aspects of the process until the full results are made public, the association was not happy to see relatively low caps on the country’s new installations for an energy generation technology competitive on price with coal.
   
   PV Tech reported on April 22th that the first round, to award 150MW of ground-mount or ‘open-field’ projects, received 170 applications. Over 2015, 2016 and 2017, the competitive auction process is expected to be applied across the ground-mount, residential and commercial scale solar sectors. Not many details besides the number of applicants have been revealed, although government minister Mr Rainer Baake was quoted widely in various industry reports as confirming the price as roughly averaging out at just over USD 100 per MWh.
   
   Administered by the regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, the auctions are aimed at bringing 7.5 GW more solar online by the end of 2017. When announced at the beginning of this year, the plans were slammed by groups including BSW Solar and the European Photovoltaic Industries Association.
   
   Mr Frauke Thiess, director of public policy at EPIA, said in a January interview with PV Tech that the plans appeared to make no sense, in effect restricting market volumes while the cost of solar is still falling relatively quickly.
   
   Mr Wedepohl said that it seemed like an unnecessary curb on Germany’s enthusiasm for solar.
   
   He said that “As an association, we regret that we will only have 1.2GW of power in the tender process in the next three years. Divide that by three, that’s not a very large market and I think that this means the majority of those interested in building these systems won’t be able to, because the interest is higher than the space allocated for it.”
   
   Mr Wedepohl explained that in his and BSW Solar’s thinking, it was good that some ground-mount PV would be allowed through the process after a couple of lean years, although installations sired by the auctions would be limited to 10MW capacity per project. Germany has over 38 GW of PV generation capacity already installed across the three main market segments.
   
   He said that “Open field installations are the cheapest form of generating solar energy. It doesn’t have some of the other benefits [of the other segments], like if you had it on a building you could consume it directly [onsite], but on the other hand it’s the cheapest way."
   
   He added that “We could, without a lot of costs, have a much larger market which we think would be necessary. I think we’re unnecessarily limiting open-field installations to 1.2 GW in 3 years. We could do a lot more without doing any harm. We would strongly encourage the government to do so. Given where we are price-wise now, [ground-mount solar] can compete with newly built coal-fired plants. That’s how cheap solar energy has become.”
   
   Source : PV TECH
6. voda 1 mei 2015 16:44

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   Tesla ventures into solar power storage for home and business
   
   NY Times reported that in recent years, the fast-growing popularity of solar panels has intensified a central challenge: how to use the sun’s energy when it isn’t shining.
   
   Now, Tesla Motors, the maker of luxury electric sedans, says it is taking a big step toward meeting that challenge with a fleet of battery systems aimed at homeowners, businesses and utilities. The company’s foray into the solar storage market will include rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs that can mount to a home garage wall as well as battery blocks large enough to smooth out fluctuations in the grid.
   
   Ms Khobi Brooklyn, a Tesla spokeswoman, said that “We’ve obviously been working on building a world-class battery, a superefficient and affordable way to store energy. It’s just that we’ve been putting that battery in cars most of the time.”
   
   To herald its ambitions in the field, the company scheduled an event Thursday night at its design studio in Hawthorne, California, with Mr Elon Musk, its chief executive, presiding.
   
   In a news conference before the event, Mr Musk said that the consumer battery, called the Powerwall, would sell for USD 3,500, and was derived from the batteries that Tesla uses in its Model S vehicles. The device, which Tesla will start producing later this year, will be installed by licensed technicians.
   
   The batteries will be connected to the Internet and can be managed by Tesla from afar. Customers can connect up to nine battery packs to store larger amounts of power.
   
   Mr Musk said that “If you have the Tesla Powerwall, if the utility goes down, you still have power. The whole thing is an integrated system that just works.”
   
   Energy and auto analysts have generally responded positively to Tesla’s move.
   
   Mr Karl Brauer, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said that “Elon thinks that there’s a long-term gain to be made or a long-term play not only in electric cars but also in electric energy storage and he’s probably right. There’s a universal application for portable energy and storable energy that goes to everybody. It’s really just a matter of getting the business model together.”
   
   Tesla’s announcement comes as energy companies are moving in the same direction. Sungevity, a leading solar installer, announced a partnership this week with Sonnenbatterie, a smart energy storage provider in Europe, to begin offering their systems to its customers. NRG, one of the largest independent power producers in the United States, is also developing storage products.
   
   Mr Steve McBee, CEO of NRG Home, said that “We have to be in this space. If your goal is to build a meaningful solar business that is durable over time, you have to assume that that solar business is going to morph into a solar-plus-storage solution. That will be mandatory at some point.”
   
   Still, the market is young and, some experts say, Tesla has the advantage of reach and scale, as well as a USD 5 billion battery production plant under construction near Reno, Nevada, that it calls the Gigafactory.
   
   Mr Shayle Kann, a vice president at GTM Research, which tracks clean-tech industries, said that “Tesla’s not the only one doing it, but Tesla can bring it to a wider audience than most other people can. Once they get the Gigafactory up and going, they will be able to deploy on a scale that no one will quite be able to rival. So they may have a cost advantage in that.”
   
   Tesla has been refining its storage business for a few years, working with a number of companies including Jackson Family Wines, the electric utility Southern California Edison and the installation company SolarCity, of which Mr Musk is chairman and whose founders, Lyndon and Peter Rive, are his cousins.
   
   The Tesla systems are designed for different scales. The home battery, roughly four feet by three feet, would allow solar customers to have power in the event of an failure, draw from it when utility rates are higher and use more of the electricity their panels produce, easing reliance on the grid.
   
   For utilities, they can help compensate for fluctuations from intermittent sources like solar and wind, whose production can dip sharply or stop altogether, as well as meet demand during peak periods.
   
   And for businesses, they can help lower demand for electricity from the grid, which in turn can lower costly demand charges.
   
   Amazon Web Services, which manages cloud-based computing systems and has a goal to derive all its energy from renewable sources, is beginning a pilot program with Tesla in Northern California.
   
   Source : NY Times
   

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7. voda 1 mei 2015 16:57

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   NTPC board approves INR 17.79 billion investment in AP solar project
   
   NTPC, the country's largest power producer, announced that the board of directors has accorded investment approval for Anantpur Solar PV Project, Stage-I (5x50 MW) in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
   
   The appraised current estimated cost of the project is INR 17.79 billion.
   
   Earlier, the company has signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company (APEPDCL) and Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company (APSPDCL) for procurement of power to be generated from the 250 MW solar power plant, the first phase of the 1,000 MW ultra solar power project being set up by NTPC in Anatapur District in Andhra Pradesh.
   
   Source : Strategic Research Institute, SteelGuru
   
8. voda 1 mei 2015 17:11

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   Hallo zonnepanelen (en zonne energie) fans.
   
   Enige tijd geleden meldde ik al dat ik 10 panelen (260wP), dus in totaal 2.6kWp gekocht had. De paar dagen in maart tel ik even niet mee.
   
   De totale opbrengst in april bedroeg maar liefst 343 kWh!! (in geld +/- 78 euro).
   
   De maand april was een super maand qua uren zon: (kort stukje uit het bericht)
   
   De zon scheen gemiddeld over het hele land ongeveer 250 uur, tegen 162 uur normaal. April werd daarmee een zeer zonnige maand.
   
   Derde plaats
   
   Bij het KNMI eindigt april op de derde plaats in de rij van zonnigste aprilmaanden sinds 1901. Die maand in 2007 blijft bovenaan de lijst staan.
   
   www.nu.nl/binnenland/2237251/april-wa...
   
   Ik zal volgende maand de stand weer doorgeven. Dit gaat helemaal toppie!!
   
   
9. voda 3 mei 2015 16:01

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   Achieving India government's solar power target efficiently
   
   Business World reported that the government of India announced in its recent 2015 to 2016 Budget that it has set a target of 100GW of solar power by 2022, thirty times the existing capacity of approximately 3GW, and five times the previous target of 20GW under the 12th Five Year Plan.
   
   Reaching this target is not going to be an easy task. Currently, the government is facing large deficits and competing budget priorities, so a cost-effective path is crucial.
   
   Climate Policy Initiative and the Indian School of Business recently examined the costs and different policy pathways to achieving both the wind and solar power targets, in our latest report: Reaching India’s Renewable Targets Cost-Effectively. We found three key lessons for lowering the cost of achieving India’s solar power target.
   
   First, we found that imported coal is the fossil fuel that the additional solar power would likely replace, and that a fair assessment of costs should compare the cost of electricity from renewable energy with the cost of electricity from imported coal.
   
   A fair comparison is key to determining the cost of achieving India’s solar power target. Imported coal is the likely fossil fuel because domestic coal and natural gas are both limited in supply, and because imported coal currently accounts for 18% of India’s total power generation, higher than India’s target of 15% of generation from renewable energy by 2020.
   
   Second, through our analysis, we found that solar power will be competitive with imported coal by 2019. The cost of installing solar power will continue to decrease, as developers become more efficient with experience. Meanwhile, fossil fuels will become increasingly more expensive, primarily due to inflation and increased transportation costs.
   
   Currently, the cost of electricity from solar power is 11.79% higher than from imported coal, and will require some government support from 2015 to 2019. In order to achieve a target of 20 GW of solar power by 2022, the total cost of government support would be INR 46.97 billion, or INR 2.71 per W, under the current federal policy of accelerated depreciation.
   
   Third, we looked at more cost-effective policy pathways, and found that government support could be significantly reduced by 96% by replacing the current federal policy with reduced cost, extended tenor debt. Under reduced cost, extended tenor debt, the government would make direct loans to project developers below the commercial rate of interest for longer than the usual commercial tenor. The cost of support would fall by 96% to INR 1.81 billion or INR 0.1 per W.
   
   This is because, under reduced cost, extended tenor debt, the net cash outflow for the government is recovered over time since policy support is provided in the form of a loan rather than a grant. It also provides an opportunity for interest arbitrage in cases where the government lends at a higher rate of interest to the developer than its own cost of borrowing, the net cash flows for the government are positive. Project economics are still improved as long as government rates are more attractive than current market debt rates. Lastly, when debt is cheaper, the developer can substitute equity with more debt in the project while meeting debt servicing conditions. By replacing expensive equity with cheaper debt, the overall cost of capital is reduced.
   
   India has ambitious targets for renewable energy; however, with a limited budget, it’s important that the government take the most cost-effective policy path. Adjusting current policy to more effectively deploy solar power would help lower costs. To accelerate solar power sooner to meet the Budget 2015 goal of 100 GW, revised upwards from 20GW, the government would need to provide more financial support.
   
   We also found that wind power is already cheaper than power from imported coal, and will remain competitive beyond 2022. The government should encourage rapid deployment of wind power through policy measures that address non-cost related barriers to wind power, for example challenges in land acquisition and delays in environmental clearances.
   
   Source : Business World
   
10. voda 3 mei 2015 16:05

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    Solar power and competition are good for all customers
    
    It is curious that Duke Energy is aggressively lobbying against the new Energy Freedom Act, bipartisan state legislation that would open the door to rooftop solar competition, thereby helping the same low-wealth communities for which Duke now professes concern.
    
    As the pastor of a predominantly African-American church in Greensboro, I (Rev. Johnson) have been visited recently by three different individuals selling the 'solar power hurts the poor and people of color' message. The claim is that the poor are left to subsidize more affluent customers who buy rooftop solar power systems – because the non-solar customers are left to pay more than their share for large, expensive power plants.
    
    This is part of a national strategy coordinated recently by monopoly electric utilities in various states. It’s been rejected by the NAACP’s national board, various state NAACP chapters, and the Congressional Black Caucus. Nevertheless, it’s being pushed here now, which is an affront to the people of North Carolina.
    
    The NAACP agrees that solar power helps communities of color and all customers. One reason is that every new solar panel reduces overall usage from the electricity grid, thus reducing the need to keep building expensive power plants and continually raising rates. Reducing the cost of electricity for the poor and reducing North Carolina’s carbon footprint reflects both moral and economic progress, which the religious community supports.
    
    The Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem & Vicinity has endorsed the Energy Freedom Act, as have a number of state legislators from the Triad.
    
    As for the claim that non-solar customers must pay more than 'their share' for power plants: That concept is based on the outdated and broadly rejected notion that high-profit Duke Energy can continue to operate as a monopoly, thus forcing captive customers to pay a higher price for a product, electricity from large, polluting power plants, that others choose to replace with rooftop solar.
    
    We are urging Mr Lynn Good, Duke Energy CEO, to open a dialogue with us and other North Carolinians about our common interest in an energy future that benefits all communities by reducing power bills, creating jobs and by reducing the pollution that is harming our health and moving an already horrific climate situation toward a disastrous future for all of Creation.
    
    With 'No Money Down Solar' under the Energy Freedom Bill, experienced companies with strong financial backing will install solar systems on the property of churches, businesses, homes and government buildings for no up-front cost, then sell the customer the power at a fixed rate lower than Duke’s electricity. Only four states disallow such third-party sales, including North Carolina, where customers are still limited to buying power from their monopoly utility. For most, that’s Duke Energy.
    
    There is a profound irony in Duke’s vigorous opposition to the Energy Freedom Act: Because the monopoly’s customers are increasingly choosing rooftop solar, Duke indicates it will try to force other captive customers to pay more for dirty power plants. Then, from the other side of its corporate mouth, Duke is trying to block the very avenue for those other customers to go solar.
    
    In other words, even if Duke were correct about solar harming low-income North Carolinians, the Energy Freedom Act solves that issue for many of them by eliminating the up-front cost of rooftop solar, allowing low and fixed income folks to reap the benefits of lower cost electricity.
    
    Every rate hike hurts real people who cannot continue bearing the ever-increasing electric bills resulting from Duke’s 'build plants, raise rates' business model.
    
    Solar power is already bringing many thousands of jobs to this state. We’re calling on Duke Energy to help ensure that those economic benefits are shared among traditionally disadvantaged communities.
    
    Increasingly, North Carolinians are coming together across traditional divisions, and we will not be divided on this issue that is profoundly important for so many economic and environmental justice reasons.
    
    We call on Duke Energy to join those taking the lead toward a clean energy economy for North Carolina.
    
    Source : Journal Now
    
12. voda 3 mei 2015 16:06

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    Nirvana first out of blocks for solar power
    
    Nirvana Country, a posh township in Sector 50, is gearing up to become Gurgaon's first 'solar colony'.
    
    Four months after the Haryana government made it mandatory for all buildings on plot size of 500 square yards or more to install rooftop solar power systems by September 2015, the RWA of Nirvana Country is set to sign an MoU with the Power Grid Corporation of India to become a solar colony.
    
    Spread over 200 acres, housing 1,100 villas, the RWA plans to install solar panels on top of each house. Under the MoU, individual houses will be able to sell surplus power back to the Power Grid and earn revenue, or store and use it during power cuts. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative by an RWA in the city.
    
    As per the terms of the MoU to be signed next Tuesday, the Power Grid will provide consultancy services to the RWA, prepare a DPR and help in the bidding process to select a vendor who will install the panels.
    
    The local administration, too, is supporting this venture and says it will provide all necessary assistance. The RWA is hoping that it will be in a position to initiate this project in 9 to 12 months.
    
    Mr Sanu Kapila, president of Nirvana RWA, said that "This initiative has been taken collectively by members of the RWA. We hope every resident will come forward and participate. Not only will our bills reduce but efficiency will also increase. There will be a two-way meter connection and if a unit has surplus power, then the house can sell it to earn revenue or store it for future use. The residents can plan out their energy consumption accordingly."
    
    According to Power Grid officials, 1 KW solar panel provides around 100 units per month.
    
    A senior official said that "We will conduct a survey to find out how many kilo watt solar panels are needed for these 1,100 villas and only then will we be able to comment on the cost factor. Also it is important to note that these solar panels can be installed on roofs that face southwards. There will be a centralized control system within the colony from where the entire thing will be monitored. There will also be net metering."
    
    Earlier this year, the Haryana government had made it mandatory for all plots measuring above 500 m to have solar panels. Gurgaon's deputy commissioner T L Satyaprakash welcomed this move. He said that "If we are able to do this, then it would be a model for the entire city. We will provide all needed assistance from our end."
    
    Source : Times of India
    
13. voda 4 mei 2015 14:59

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    SPML Infra installs rooftop solar power plant
    
    The fast paced development in Renewable Energy generation has become imminent as power consumption in India has got more than doubled in the last decade. Despite the large scale development in energy generation, there is still a big gap between demand and supply. We appreciate that Government of India is taking concentrated efforts to increase the contribution of renewable energy in the total energy generation
    
    Source : Strategic Research Institute
14. voda 4 mei 2015 15:00

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    Kyocera TCL Solar inaugurates floating mega solar plants in Japan
    
    Kyocera Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation announced that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC, a JV established by the two companies, has completed construction of 2 floating mega-solar power plants at Nishihira Pond and Higashihira Pond in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The plants, inaugurated in late March, will generate an estimated 3,300 MWh per year in total, enough electricity to power approximately 920 typical households.
    
    Features
    
    1. Floating solar power generating systems typically generate more electricity than ground-mount and rooftop systems due to the cooling effect of the water.
    
    2. They reduce reservoir water evaporation and algae growth by shading the water.
    
    3. Floating platforms are 100% recyclable, utilizing high-density polyethylene, which can withstand ultraviolet rays and resists corrosion.
    
    4. The floating platforms are designed and engineered to withstand extreme physical stress, including typhoon conditions.
    
    Source : Strategic Research Institute
    

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15. voda 4 mei 2015 15:01

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    JBM Group to diversify into solar power with USD 250 mln investment
    
    Clean Technica reported that the Indian solar energy market is abuzz with new entrants and huge capacity expansion plans.
    
    One of the leading automotive equipment manufacturers and suppliers in India, JBM Group, has announced plans to install 300 MW of solar power capacity over the next 3 years. The company is also planning to expand into wind and biomass-based power generation and expects to start work on non-solar renewable energy business by the end of this year.
    
    With these ambitious plans the company hopes to become an independent power producer, with plans to invest around USD 250 million into this program. It eyes 15% of the total company revenue from renewable energy business over the next 3 years. To set up the renewable energy capacity, the company will invest 30% of the total capital requirement while seek debt financing for the balance 70%.
    
    JBM Group is also eyeing capacity addition in utility-scale as well as rooftop solar power market. While the utility-scale market is well-matured with big names and huge competition, the rooftop solar power market is yet to achieve a similar level of maturity. The company is said to be awaiting clarity on the net-metering policies of various states before making a sizeable investment in the rooftop solar power market.
    
    JBM Group has the advantage of being an engineering consultancy firm as well, so it can set up solar power projects itself and also do the same for other companies. Several industries in India are now planning to expand their captive power generation capacity through renewable energy technologies. This would, thus, be a high growth potential market segment for JBM Group.
    
    Source : Clean Technica
    
16. voda 4 mei 2015 15:03

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    China solar power surges and leaves entire world behind
    
    China issued an update on its solar progress this week and made every other solar-seeking country around the world feel kind of pathetic.
    
    The National Energy Board said that 5.04 GW was installed in the first quarter of 2015. To put that in perspective, China’s three-month total was just a gigawatt shy of what the US installed in all of 2014 and it was a good year for the Americans, their best ever. And as an Australia-based renewable energy website noted, 5.04 GW is an amount the Australian government has said would be impossible to install within five years.
    
    China is now at 33.12 GW. If it hits the official 2015 target of 17.8 GW, China this year will soar past Germany, at 38.2 GW but expected to add only around 2 GW in 2015 and claim the top spot in global solar. In its 2011-15 five-year plan for solar, China had been aiming to get to 35 GW by the end of this year, but it now appears likely to land as much as 10 GW above that figure.
    
    The surge in the first quarter of the year puts to rest any doubt about the Chinese solar market, which had surprisingly fallen short of a 2014 target of 14 GW by more than 3 GW.
    
    What’s driving solar growth in China? While in the United States and other Western countries the discussion centers on climate change, China has a motivations that are perhaps less abstract: Domestic installations support its vast solar manufacturing capacity and fossil fuel-generation is a major factor in its desperate pollution problems.
    
    Source : Earthtechling
    
17. voda 4 mei 2015 15:07

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    Achieving India government's solar power target efficiently
    
    
    Business World reported that the government of India announced in its recent 2015 to 2016 Budget that it has set a target of 100GW of solar power by 2022, thirty times the existing capacity of approximately 3GW, and five times the previous target of 20GW under the 12th Five Year Plan.
    
    Reaching this target is not going to be an easy task. Currently, the government is facing large deficits and competing budget priorities, so a cost-effective path is crucial.
    
    Climate Policy Initiative and the Indian School of Business recently examined the costs and different policy pathways to achieving both the wind and solar power targets, in our latest report: Reaching India’s Renewable Targets Cost-Effectively. We found three key lessons for lowering the cost of achieving India’s solar power target.
    
    First, we found that imported coal is the fossil fuel that the additional solar power would likely replace, and that a fair assessment of costs should compare the cost of electricity from renewable energy with the cost of electricity from imported coal.
    
    A fair comparison is key to determining the cost of achieving India’s solar power target. Imported coal is the likely fossil fuel because domestic coal and natural gas are both limited in supply, and because imported coal currently accounts for 18% of India’s total power generation, higher than India’s target of 15% of generation from renewable energy by 2020.
    
    Second, through our analysis, we found that solar power will be competitive with imported coal by 2019. The cost of installing solar power will continue to decrease, as developers become more efficient with experience. Meanwhile, fossil fuels will become increasingly more expensive, primarily due to inflation and increased transportation costs.
    
    Currently, the cost of electricity from solar power is 11.79% higher than from imported coal, and will require some government support from 2015 to 2019. In order to achieve a target of 20 GW of solar power by 2022, the total cost of government support would be INR 46.97 billion, or INR 2.71 per W, under the current federal policy of accelerated depreciation.
    
    Third, we looked at more cost-effective policy pathways, and found that government support could be significantly reduced by 96% by replacing the current federal policy with reduced cost, extended tenor debt. Under reduced cost, extended tenor debt, the government would make direct loans to project developers below the commercial rate of interest for longer than the usual commercial tenor. The cost of support would fall by 96% to INR 1.81 billion or INR 0.1 per W.
    
    This is because, under reduced cost, extended tenor debt, the net cash outflow for the government is recovered over time since policy support is provided in the form of a loan rather than a grant. It also provides an opportunity for interest arbitrage in cases where the government lends at a higher rate of interest to the developer than its own cost of borrowing, the net cash flows for the government are positive. Project economics are still improved as long as government rates are more attractive than current market debt rates. Lastly, when debt is cheaper, the developer can substitute equity with more debt in the project while meeting debt servicing conditions. By replacing expensive equity with cheaper debt, the overall cost of capital is reduced.
    
    India has ambitious targets for renewable energy; however, with a limited budget, it’s important that the government take the most cost-effective policy path. Adjusting current policy to more effectively deploy solar power would help lower costs. To accelerate solar power sooner to meet the Budget 2015 goal of 100 GW, revised upwards from 20GW, the government would need to provide more financial support.
    
    We also found that wind power is already cheaper than power from imported coal, and will remain competitive beyond 2022. The government should encourage rapid deployment of wind power through policy measures that address non-cost related barriers to wind power, for example challenges in land acquisition and delays in environmental clearances.
    
    Source : Business World
    
18. voda 4 mei 2015 15:08

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    Dubai to invest USD 3 bln to boost solar power projects
    
    Clean Technica reported that solar energy seems to be the new go-to investment segment in the small Middle East country of United Arab Emirates.
    
    The power and water utility servicing the iconic city of Dubai will invest USD 3 billion to boost the generation capacity of the country’s largest solar power plant from 1 GW to 3 GW. Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, recently announced that the installed capacity of the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park would be increased significantly.
    
    The initial installed capacity target for the solar park was 1 GW by 2019, with an investment of USD 3.3 billion. DEWA now plans to increase the park’s installed capacity to 3 GW by 2030. This will be inline with the United Arab Emirates Vision 2021, which requires the country to source 24% of its energy requirement from ‘clean energy sources’ like renewable energy and nuclear energy.
    
    The Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park was launched in 2013 when a 13 MW block of solar photovoltaic power system was commissioned. The second phase of the project, however, was a blockbuster affair and grabbed the world’s attention. Through a tender, Saudi project developer ACWA Power secured the rights to develop 200 MW capacity at the park at a record-low levelised tariff of 5.84 cents per kWh.
    
    The expansion announcement of the solar park comes just days after the Federal Electricity and Water Authority announced that it will set up 100 MW of solar power capacity in the northern region of the country.
    
    Source : Clean Technica
    

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19. voda 4 mei 2015 20:54

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    Solar Gardens: A Fast-Growing Approach to Photovoltaic Power
    
    How to give electricity customers who can’t take advantage of rooftop solar access to the sun? Community solar—a shared resource—is a fast-growing segment of the renewable energy market, making solar photovoltaic power more accessible while offering another approach to distributed generation.
    
    Mention “solar energy” and the image that probably comes to mind is an array of photovoltaic (PV) panels on a single-family home’s rooftop, serving some of the electricity needs of the house, saving money, and reducing pollution. That’s the conventional view.
    
    Large, utility-scale solar arrays—central-station generators providing power to the conventional utility’s distribution grid—are also a traditional role for solar energy.
    
    But the next big thing for sun power could be “community solar,” or what some call “solar gardens.” A broader term is “shared renewables.” Karl Rábago, executive director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center in White Plains, N.Y., and a long-time expert in renewables, told POWER, “One of the frustrations of the way solar markets are working is that putting something on your rooftop means that a whole lot of people are left out.”
    
    Community solar is a way to overcome the problem presented by the conventional approach that is, in Rábago’s words, “disqualifying a lot of customers.” That includes renters, condo owners, buildings in locations that don’t favor solar or whose structures aren’t well aligned to take advantage of the sun. Why not site a solar array where it works best, and let customers subscribe to shares in the project? That’s the idea behind community solar.
    
    Community Solar Growth
    
    The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in Washington, D.C., offers this definition: “Shared renewable energy arrangements allow several energy customers to share the benefits of one local renewable energy power plant. The shared renewables project pools investments from multiple members of a community and provides power and/or financial benefits in return.”
    
    These are generally ground-mounted solar PV arrays, smaller than utility-scale projects but considerably larger than individual rooftop installations. Unlike amorphous “green pricing” plans offered by electricity distributors, the community solar projects are tangible. Subscribers own the project, much as those customers with rooftop systems own their systems (Figure 1).
    
    It’s a booming component of solar electricity, according to Becky Campbell, research director at the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). SEPA, based in Washington, D.C., focuses on utility-based community solar, including projects launched by public power systems and investor-owned utilities (IOUs). In an interview, Campbell told POWER that starting from a modest program at the Ellensburg, Wash., municipal utility in 2007, the idea of community solar has spread rapidly.
    
    Campbell led a 2014 SEPA survey of utility-based projects. It found, “In the past 18 months alone, the number of community solar projects in the U.S. jumped 64 percent.” Campbell predicts that 2015–2016 will be a further boom period for community solar.
    
    SEPA’s survey found that the average community solar program has 213 participants buying power from a 1-MW array “that is subscribed up to 71 percent of its capacity.” That 71% figure, Campbell said, is significant. It means that these projects are attracting customers, not leaving project sponsors with stranded investments in unused PV capacity.
    
    Public power systems have been leading the way in community solar, according to the SEPA survey. Rural co-ops (see sidebar “Iowa Farmers’ Solar Garden”) accounted for 44% of all utility-led community solar programs, and munis accounted for 30%. IOU projects made up 26%. Campbell said that distribution is probably because rural cooperatives and municipal utilities generally face a less burdensome regulatory environment than IOUs, which need to convince often-skeptical state regulatory agencies of the value of the investments in community solar.
    
    Voor meer info (6 pages), zie link:
    
    www.powermag.com/solar-gardens-a-fast...
    
20. voda 6 mei 2015 18:54

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    TSMC Solar achieves 16.5pct efficiency with commercial-size CIGs module
    
    TSMC Solar Limited of Taiwan, reported that testing firm TUV SUD confirmed that its latest commercial-sized CIGS champion C2 module achieved 16.5% module total area efficiency. The new record improves on TSMC Solar’s previous record of 15.7% set in 2013. The company produced the module with its current manufacturing equipment and materials at its production facility in Taichung, Taiwan.
    
    Mr Chia-Hsiang Chen, President of TSMC Solar, said that “We continue to prove our ability to develop record-setting process improvements in full-size modules. By bringing past innovations to mass production, our current production line efficiency has improved to an average 14.7% module efficiency.”
    
    TSMC Solar also introduced its new TS-CIGS Series Model C2 HV module. The C2 HV module has nameplate power from 150 W to 165 W. UL Certified for 1000 volt system operation, the modules have a double-glass design, and TSMC produced them entirely with electroluminescence quality screening.
    
    Mr Marc Spaulding, TSMC Solar worldwide sales & marketing VP, said that “Our tariff-free Model C2 HV modules are designed for the North America MW-scale market, delivering high energy yield, low system costs and high reliability.”
    
    Source : Compoundsemi
    
21. voda 6 mei 2015 18:55

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    PM to inaugurate Quaid-e-Azam solar power project's 2nd phase
    
    
    Dunya News reported that Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, PM of Pakistan, will inaugurate Quaid-e-Azam solar power project’s 2nd phase in Bahawalpur.
    
    The mega 1000 MW Quaid-e-Azam solar power project would be completed in a record 2 and a half year time. The first phase has been completed and 100 MW of electricity would be added to the national grid.
    
    The 2nd phase of the project, which will be completed during the current year, would add 300 MW of electricity to the national grid.
    
    The third phase of the solar power project would add 600 MW of electricity to the national grid and would be completed in 2016.
    
    Quaid-e-Azam solar power project will be completed by the Chinese company TBEA and produce electricity at a per unit cost of INR 15. The Bank of Punjab is providing 75% of funding for the project, while the remaining 25% will be provided by the Government of Punjab.
    
    Source : Dunya News