D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments acquires the 31 MW-ac Portal Ridge PV project from First Solar

 

D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments, L.L.C. (DESRI) on June 16^th, 2016 announced the acquisition of the Portal Ridge solar photovoltaic (PV) project from First Solar, Inc.

Portal Ridge is a 31 MW-ac solar PV facility located in Lancaster, California, with 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern California Edison.

The PV project, which was developed by First Solar, was acquired by an affiliate of DESRI in partnership with Bright Plain Renewable Energy.

The PV facility will be built by Blattner Energy Inc. pursuant to an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract, and will utilize First Solar’s advanced thin film solar modules.

The project is expected to produce more than 90,000 MWh of solar power per year for customers in Southern California.

Financing for the acquisition, construction, and operation of the project was provided by CoBank, ACB, and KeyBank National Association, alongside a commitment for tax equity financing from an affiliate of U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation.

“We are excited to partner with First Solar as we expand DESRI’s renewable energy footprint on the West Coast,” comments Bryan Martin, managing director and head of U.S. Private Equity at the D. E. Shaw group.

source: http://www.solarserver.com

British solar company Hive Energy to build a 50 MW PV project in Cuba

Hive Energy (West Wellow, Romsey, UK) has become the first British company to secure a major 

 

solar photovoltaic (PV) project contract in Cuba.

The contract to deliver the 50 MW PV project on the Caribbean island was awarded to Hive Energy at the end of May 2016 by the Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE).

The solar development will be the first utility-scale solar PV project to be built in Cuba and is expected to generate up to 93 GWh of solar power annually. The project is expected to be completed by 2018.

The PV plant will be constructed by Hive Energy in the Mariel Free zone, a huge new port which has been designed to act as a regional hub for the island.

The 50 MW project will be similar in scale to the UK’s largest 48 MW solar PV farm, Southwick, on the Hampshire coast which was also developed by Hive Energy and visited by a delegation from Cuba’s UNE in April 2016.

Following the end of half a century of isolation the contract marks Cuba’s serious efforts to clean up its fuel supply and move away from a dependence on foreign oil to a portfolio of wind, sun and sugar cane.

Combustible fuels are also the island’s primary source of contamination and following five decades of a U.S. embargo Cuba’s power grid and plants are costly and inefficient. All of these factors have forced the island to look for renewable solutions to support the nation’s economy.

The country has plans to spend USD 3.5 billion in the coming years to increase its supply of renewable energy. In 2015 only 4% of Cuba’s electricity came from renewable sources but by 2020 the island plans to deliver over 20% utilisation of renewable energy and drive down the cost of electricity.

“Hive Energy strives to deliver solar power to the frontiers of new markets,” comments Giles Redpath, CEO Hive Energy.

“We are excited and delighted to be working with Cuba’s UNE to support their plans for a future powered by renewable energy. Delivering the first utility scale solar project in the Caribbean is just one step towards the island achieving this goal.” 

source: http://www.solarserver.com/

Fraunhofer CSE demonstrates plug and play PV systems that will help to dramatically reduce cost of residential solar

The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) successfully demonstrated two installations of Plug and Play solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at its “2016 Demo Day.”

 

Plug and Play PV Systems are easy to install, easy to inspect for code compliance, and can participate in electronic Permitting, Inspection and Interconnection (ePI&I) processes. The vision for Plug and Play PV is to make solar system installation as easy and safe as it is for everyday appliances.

The Plug and Play PV project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, will help to dramatically reduce the installed cost of residential PV systems, from USD 3–4/Watt today to USD 1.50/Watt by 2020, CSE emphasizes.

“We have taken the Plug and Play PV approach to the next level by demonstrating that different technology approaches can meet the vision with simplified installation, simplified inspection, and electronic permitting, inspection and interconnection,” says Dr. Christian Hoepfner, Executive Director of Fraunhofer CSE and principal investigator on the Plug and Play PV project.

“This opens the path for many manufacturers to develop and offer Plug and Play PV systems. Fraunhofer CSE and its commercial partners are now looking forward to piloting the Plug and Play PV approach on a larger scale in 2017.”

Fraunhofer CSE has been working closely with a number of major stakeholders, including the City of Boston, electrical utilities like National Grid and Eversource, and industry partners such as Lumeta, SunPower and VoltServer, among others.

As part of the Plug and Play Demo Day, Fraunhofer CSE performed a live installation of a string inverter PV system including commissioning in less than 75 minutes.

Another Plug and Play PV system based on micro-inverters was also demonstrated. The project will next develop pilot projects in multiple utility territories in 2017.

source:http://www.solarserver.com/

FPL launches innovative energy storage project in conjunction with White House summit on scaling renewable energy and storage

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) on June 16^th, 2016 announced an innovative new energy storage pilot project in conjunction with the White House summit on scaling renewable energy and storage.

FPL's project aims to strengthen the electric grid by testing multiple applications of advanced battery technologies under real-life conditions.

FPL will install several different types of battery systems at locations in the southern Florida counties of Miami-Dade and Monroe to research a range of potential future benefits of energy storage, including grid reliability and power quality.

In addition, the research has the potential to improve the integration of renewables in the future as FPL continues to expand its use of solar energy to serve its 4.8 million customers.

“Second-life” batteries, mobile storage, and a battery back-up system

Key components of FPL's energy storage pilot program are repurposing used “second-life” batteries from more than 200 BMW electric vehicles to test “peak shaving” for better grid management; Designing a mobile storage system that could be relocated as needed to prevent power interruptions at major, economically important events; and building a battery back-up system in the Flamingo community of Monroe County – the southernmost tip of Everglades National Park – to study ways to improve reliability for isolated areas and develop micro-grid foundations. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Obama Administration announces federal and private sector funding for renewables and energy storage

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The Administration announced new executive actions and 33 state and private sector commitments that will accelerate the grid integration of renewable energy and storage. Together, these announcements are expected to result in at least 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of additional storage procurement or deployment in the next five years.

An important moment for the energy storage industry

The Summit included regulators, power companies, municipalities, and energy developers that are leading efforts to promote smart electricity markets, greater grid integration of renewable energy, and flexible resources such as energy storage.

While the program specifics and tactical implementation details will start to become available in the days and months to come, it’s an important moment for the energy storage industry, comments Ravi Manghani, GTM Research's director of energy storage.

At least 1.3 gigawatts of additional storage; approx. USD 1 billion in investments

“Today’s announcement adds another theme for comparing the two markets. SunShot paved the way for solar PV cost declines in 2011, this collaborative storage commitment aims to result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of additional storage procurement or deployment in the next five years,” Manghani explains.

The federal government committing to increasing its storage and micro-grid capacity through programs will make federal and military bases more resilient and provide funding for micro-grids in rural communities.

Sixteen developers and power companies in at least eight states announced new energy storage procurement and deployment targets for the next five years. Investors announced USD 130 million in new funding commitments for energy storage.

“In aggregate, these new procurement, deployment, and investment commitments announced today could lead to approximately USD 1 billion in investments in energy storage,” says Manghani.

The second wave of U.S. energy storage: GTM business-as-usual outlook of seven-fold growth by 2021

In its base case scenario, GTM Research projects annual storage deployments to grow from 226 MW in 2015 to 2.1 GW by 2021. This will represent a seven-fold growth from 2015 deployments, and a compounded annual growth rate of 45 percent in the six-year period.

The base forecast assumes no major federal policy or state-level storage mandates across all 50 states. This forecast however, anticipates incremental favorable policy movements in states and regional markets where storage policies or market regulations already exist or are under discussion. For comparison, solar PV has grown from ~200 MW to 7.4 GW in 7 years (2008–2015) aided by federal tax credit policy and renewable portfolio standards in several states

White House storage boost

Now adding a nationwide storage public-private push into the equation will provide a well-earned boost to the market, and in all probability, an upward bump in the storage outlook. The market will receive a direct lift from the program investments, and additionally surge due to positive network effects from a well-funded and expanding industry ecosystem, find GTM Research.

“In all, the 33 commitments are a mix of new and already accounted for growth opportunities. Nonetheless, as the first executive office push for energy storage, it will undoubtedly galvanize the storage industry!,” concludes Manghani. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Energy storage for Africa: TESVOLT supplies Rwanda with a 2.68 MWh off-grid battery system

The German commercial energy storage system manufacturer Tesvolt (Wittenberg) has been awarded a contract to supply a decentralized off-grid storage system, which acts as a mini-grid during power cuts.

The company is set to deliver a lithium storage system with a total capacity of 2.68 megawatt-hours (MWh) which will provide water pumps in an agricultural project in Rwanda’s Eastern Province with emergency power, Tesvolt announces.

A 3.3 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant and the storage system are being engineered and constructed by the international system integrator IdeemaSun energy.

“In Rwanda, the power supply fails three or four times a day for between 5 and 45 minutes. For this reason, an important criterion in the call for tender was that the storage system is able to absorb electricity from the PV power plant and release it again as quickly as possible,” explains Simon Schandert, Director of Engineering at Tesvolt.

“Only very powerful off-grid storage systems can supply the necessary emergency power several times per 

 

day, and there are only a few storage systems on the market which meet these requirements. A further selection criterion was the necessity for the entire storage solution to be as reasonably priced as possible.”

Tesvolt has developed storage systems which use prismatic battery cells, which enable high charging speeds through their particular design and chemical composition. The intelligent control system ensures that each individual cell is charged and discharged at the optimal rate for a particularly long service life, the company emphasizes.

134 lithium storage systems for water pumps

Tesvolt is set to supply a total of 134 fully assembled lithium storage systems for the 44 water pumps. The storage system will supply the irrigation project with clean and safe emergency power, also boosting yields in local agriculture.

This should improve the living conditions of around 2,000 farmers, who currently live in extreme poverty. In total, 402 Sunny Island charge controllers from SMA are to be deployed for the project. In the event of power cuts, the storage system will act as a mini-grid, enabling the PV power plant to continue running.

Every cell in the storage system is monitored

The Tesvolt battery management system monitors each individual cell when the system is in operation so that any damaged cells are identified before they completely fail.

If a cell is defective, the installer only needs to exchange that single cell, unlike in conventional storage systems where the entire battery block has to be replaced, Tesvolt notes.

Tesvolt will be introducing its storage systems at Intersolar Europe in Munich from June 22–24, 2016; Booth 550 in hall B1 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Solar Impulse lands in New York, completes crossing of the U.S.

 

Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) – the first solar airplane capable of flying day and night without using a drop of fuel – left Lehigh Valley International Airport, Pennsylvania, on June 11^th in the late evening and landed at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, New York, in the early morning on June 12^th, 2016, after circling the Statue of Liberty.

By attempting the first solar flight around the world, pushing back the boundaries of the possible and taking on a project deemed impossible by industry experts, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg want to show that the world can be run on clean technologies.

André Borschberg touched down at JFK International Airport on June 11^th, at 3:59am local time (UTC-4) after departing from Lehigh Valley International Airport the previous day at 11:18pm local time (UTC-4).

A flight of 4 hours and 41 minutes, conceived to fly around the Statue of Liberty and become a symbol that our world has the potential to thrive free of pollution.

Crossing of the United States mainland completed

The arrival in New York City also marks the completion of the crossing of the United States Mainland – a journey that took both pilots, taking turns at the controls of Si2, through San Francisco, in the Silicon Valley; Phoenix, in the Sonora desert; Tulsa, the city of oil at the very heart of the tornado alley; Dayton, the birthplace of the Wright Brothers; and the industrial hills of Lehigh Valley, before reaching New York City, home to the United Nations Headquarters – a tandem achievement without a single drop of fuel.

With more than 20’000 people visiting the airplane over a six-week period, four million live views on solarimpulse.com and 18 million people reached on Facebook, the Solar Impulse team is well positioned, both physically and mentally, to attempt the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean when the weather is right.

“We received very positive and heartwarming responses during our journey through the United States, because it’s a country of pioneers and explorers,” said Bertrand Piccard, Initiator and Chairman.

“It’s amazing to see to what extent people understand not only what we do, but also why we do it: to show that if we all used the same clean technologies as Solar Impulse on the ground we could create jobs, enhance profits and boost economic growth, while also protecting the environment.”

“Among other things, arriving in New York by flying around the Statue of Liberty represents the entrepreneurial freedom that is so specific to this country,” commented André Borschberg, CEO and Co-Founder.

The mission will soon continue onward across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe or North Africa and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the adventure started in March 2015.

source: http://www.solarserver.com

BNEF forecasts Solar PV investments to add up to USD 3.4 trillion by 2040

Low prices for coal and gas are likely to persist, but will fail to prevent a fundamental transformation of the world electricity system over coming decades towards renewable sources such as wind and solar, and towards balancing options such as batteries, according to a long-term forecast from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF, London and New York).

The New Energy Outlook 2016 by BNEF, charts a significantly lower track for global coal, gas and oil prices than did the equivalent projection a year ago. Crucially, however, it also shows a steeper decline for wind and solar costs.

Wind and solar costs to fall sharply; Solar PV investments will add up to USD 3.4 trillion by 2040

“Some USD 7.8 trillion will be invested globally in renewables between 2016 and 2040, two thirds of the investment in all power generating capacity, but it would require trillions more to bring world emissions onto a track compatible with the United Nations 2°C climate target,” comments Seb Henbest, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for BNEF, and lead author of NEO 2016.

According to NEO 2016, wind and solar costs will fall sharply. The levelised costs of generation per MWh 

 

for onshore wind will fall 41% by 2040, and solar photovoltaics (PV) by 60%, making these two technologies the cheapest ways of producing electricity in many countries during the 2020s and in most of the world in the 2030s.

Utility-scale solar PV, rooftop PV and other small-scale solar will attract investments totaling USD 3.4 trillion by 2040.

Electric car boom supports electricity demand

EVs will add 2,701 TWh, or 8%, to global electricity demand in 2040 – reflecting BNEF's forecast that they will represent 35% of worldwide new light-duty vehicle sales in that year, equivalent to 41 million cars, some 90 times the 2015 figure.

Small-scale battery storage to become a USD 250 billion market

EVs will drive down the cost of lithium-ion batteries, making them increasingly deployed alongside residential and commercial solar PV systems. Total behind-the-meter storage will rise dramatically from 400 MWh now to nearly 760 GWh in 2040.

Renewables to dominate in Europe, to overtake gas in the U.S.

Wind, solar, hydro and other renewable energy plants will generate 70% of Europe's power in 2040, up from 32% in 2015. In the U.S., their share will jump from 14% in 2015 to 44% in 2040, as that from gas slips from 33% to 31%.

“The New Energy Outlook incorporates a significantly lower trajectory for coal and gas prices than the 2015 edition did a year ago but, strikingly, still shows rapid transition towards clean power over the next 25 years,” comments Jon Moore, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Tata Power subsidiary signs SPA to acquire Welspun Renewables

 

Tata Power Company Ltd. (Mumbai), India’s largest integrated power company, on June 12^th, 2016 announced that Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power, has signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Welspun Energy Private Limited (WEPL) to acquire its subsidiary Welspun Renewables Energy Private Limited (WREPL).

This represents the largest transaction in renewables space in India, Tata Power emphasizes.

Welspun Renewables has one of the largest operating solar photovoltaic (PV) portfolios in India spread across ten states. It has about 1,140 MW of renewable power projects comprising of about 990 MW solar PV projects and about 150 MW of wind power projects.

Out of the 1,140 MW renewable portfolio, nearly 1,000 MW of capacity is operational and balance capacity is under advanced stages of implementation.

Tata Power Renewable Energy currently operates 294 MW of renewable power capacity, and 500 MW of renewable assets are being carved out of Tata Power into TPREL through a court process.

In addition, almost 400 MW of solar PV and wind power projects are under implementation.

Thus, TPREL with all these assets, would have a renewable assets portfolio of about 2,300 MW making it the largest renewable power company in India. 

source; http://www.solarserver.com