Most Oklahomans Support Wind Power, Oppose Wind Tax: Survey Says

Wilson Perkins Allen Research (WPA) conducted two studies in Oklahoma: one among the so-called “engaged citizens” and another among likely voters. The 500 engaged citizens were surveyed at the beginning of January, and the 400 likely voters were contacted in mid-February. (Both surveys were commissioned by AWA.)
According to WPA, the first research study revealed that wind energy is highly popular (80% favorable) among engaged Oklahomans. They also are more likely to support a legislator who supports wind energy (68%).
In terms of party affiliation, 74% of Republicans, 87% of Democrats and 80% of Republicans voiced a favorable opinion of wind power.
In addition, a candidate who supports wind energy would receive a majority of support from engaged citizens within every demographic (e.g., education level, gender and age). The least amount of support for a legislator in favor of wind energy came from women ages 18-52; still, nearly six in 10 of these citizens would support him or her, says WPA.
The second research study illustrated that Oklahomans’ support for wind energy translates to strong opposition for Gov. Mary Fallin’s proposed wind tax (72%).
Therefore, says the firm, Oklahomans are also less likely to support their legislator if they choose to support this tax (66%). A majority of likely voters (53%) also stated that they would be willing to call the governor, their legislator or both regarding this issue.
Moreover, a large majority of the likely voters oppose the wind tax regardless of their political affiliation: 75% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 82% of Independents.
source: http://nawindpower.com

India posts its lowest ever wind tariff of Rs3.46 per unit

 
Wind power tariffs followed the solar route and fell below Rs3.46 per kilowatt hour (kWh), in a 1 gigawatt (GW) tender by state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI).
Mytrah Energy (India) Ltd, IDFC Alternatives-backed clean energy firm Green Infra Ltd, global private equity fund’s Actis Llp’s platform Ostro Kutch Wind Pvt. Ltd and Inox Wind Infrastructure Services Ltd bid Rs3.46 per unit to win contracts for 250 MW each, said several people aware of the development.
These firms quoted these prices, at which they will sell electricity, to win contracts for the tender that had received 2.6 times the grid-linked capacity being sold. Tariffs have hitherto ranged from Rs3.9 per kWh to Rs5.9 per kWh.
“After solar cost reduction below Rs3/unit, wind power cost down to Rs3.46/unit through transparent auction. A green future awaits India,” said Piyush Goyal, minister for power, coal, mines and new and renewable energy in a tweet.
The sector has been hit by inordinate delays in signing of power purchase agreements and untimely payments; distribution firms have shied away from procuring electricity generated by wind projects.
source: http://www.livemint.com

Chinese manufacturer helps Turkey better tap solar energy

 
 China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (CSUN), a leading manufacturer of solar cells and modules, has been sharing its experience and business model with Turkey to help the country better tap solar power in its renewable energy development.
CSUN, the largest producer of photovoltaics in Turkey, has two workshops running and employs more than 500 local workers, said Sun Zheng, project development manager of CSUN Turkey.
CSUN Turkey, also known as CSUN Eurasia Energy Systems Industry and Trade Inc, is headquartered in Tuzla, a town about 50 minutes' drive from Istanbul.
Turkey started efforts to generate power with solar energy in 2011, and its photovoltaic capacity now stands at 1 gigawatt (GW), according to Sun.
He expressed the hope that Turkey will take better advantage of its abundant natural light in the future.
The two workshops, in Tuzla, produce some 5,200 pieces of solar modules per day for CSUN Turkey, which exports about 80 percent of its products to European and U.S. markets, Sun said.
source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Affordable Solar announces 30 MW solar power generation contract for Facebook data center

Solar power solution provider Affordable Solar (Albuquerque, NM, U.S.) on February 22^nd, 2017 announced the company has been selected to build a 30 MW photovoltaic (PV) project for the Facebook Data Center in Los Lunas, NM.

Construction on the first of three 10 MW sites, utilizing approximately 115,000 PV panels, will begin in mid-2017. The new solar PV facilities will utilize solar tracking technology developed by Array Technologies, a New Mexico-based industry leader.

The Facebook Data Center solar PV project will enable access to 100 percent renewable energy though use of the ground-mounted single-axis tracker photovoltaic installation.

 source:http://www.solarserver.com

Conergy connects 1 MW PV plant in Sumba Island, Indonesia, to the grid

Conergy on February 22^nd, 2017 announced that it has completed and connected to the grid the first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Sumba Island, East Nusa Tenggara province.

The 1 MW PV facility was built in cooperation with PT. Buana Energi Surya Persada. The Sumba plant is Conergy’s first utility-scale PV project in Indonesia.

Construction of the solar PV plant began in September 2016 and was completed in January 2017, with a total investment of USD 2.2 million (IDR 28 billion).

The new solar PV plant will generate more than 1,400 MWh of solar power per year and is expected to provide power to more than 11,600 households in the Sumba area.

The energy produced by the solar plant will be sold to PLN through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) and will supplement the existing electricity supply in the area.

“Sumba is one of the regions which holds massive solar power potential, since the area receives sunlight at an average of 5 kWh/m/day and radiation of 1,000 watts/m throughout 5 hours every day,” said Rico Syah Alam, President and CEO of PT. Energi Surya Buana Persada. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

JinkoSolar provides 29.64 MW of PV panels for one of the world’s largest solar canopies in Dongfeng Nissan factory in China

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on February 22^nd, 2017 announced that it has provided solar photovoltaic (PV) panels totaling 29.64 MW to power the world’s largest solar canopy in Donfeng Nissan facility in Guangzhou, China.

This solar PV canopy covers 360,000 square meters for sheltering over 10,000 finished cars of Dongfeng Nissan and the cars of its employees.

Till date, this 29.64 MW solar canopy is one of the largest connected project of its nature in the world. It will produce 28.65 million kWh of solar power annually.

“Initiatives like this landmark solar canopy at Dongfeng Nissan facility is setting a good example for car makers to harness clean, renewable solar power to operate their facilities in a significantly more energy-efficient and cost-effective way,” said Kangping Chen, CEO of JinkoSolar.

“This decentralized solar project will generate both economic as well as environmental benefits.” 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Tesla on track to generate $500M from SolarCity merger, Solar Roof launch slated for second half of the year

In November, shareholders approved a deal for Tesla to buy SolarCity Corp. in a transaction worth approximately $2.6 billion. Since that time, investors have pushed Tesla CEO Elon Musk to prove that this acquisition is fiscally responsible, with high expectations for the final quarter of 2016 and a positive outlook for 2017.
In the Tesla Q4 and full year 2016 financial results and Q&A webcast on Wednesday, SolarCity was well-celebrated as an essential element of “the world’s only integrated sustainable energy company, from generation to storage to transportation.”
Discussions around the Tesla Q4 financial statement included the results of SolarCity’s operations from the close of the acquisition on November 21 to December 31, 2016. Increases totaling Q4 GAAP operating expenses supported the growing Tesla business spectrum alongside $85 million of solar-related operating expenses since the acquisition of SolarCity. Moreover, Tesla also received $214 million in cash from the acquisition of SolarCity, which helped sweeten the Q4 report.
Tesla reports that it is “on track to generate $500M in cash” in the next two years. As Musk quipped at the beginning of the webcast, “I admire long term planning.” A significant component of that advanced fiscal forecast is the “achieve the cost synergies” that Tesla committed to upon acquiring SolarCity. Tesla outlined three ways that they intend to build the SolarCity.

• Cutting advertising spending: Ad Age commented in the past that “Tesla Motors has no advertising, no ad agency, no CMO, no dealer network. And that’s no problem.” As with today’s investor’s letter and webcast, the company receives positive coverage for posting its quarterly profits and announcing expansion of its product line and service networks. Musk, like many celebrity business people and politicians these days, uses Twitter to introduce company concepts and to generate buzz about everything Tesla— and that will extend more and more to SolarCity in the second half of 2017.
• Selling solar products in Tesla stores: The move to reinvent its retail sales strategy comes as part of Tesla’s long term business plan to promote a 360° sustainable energy lifestyle — complete with electric cars, solar power, and home battery storage. Selling a lifestyle and a way of thinking, Tesla retail store reconfiguration has deepened its already formidable brand, which offers a premium lifestyle experience that complements a high-tech image. SolarCity products, as part of this melange, will become an essential element of the Tesla product catalog at retail locations, with emphasis on markets with the most demand for solar energy products.
• Shifting away from leasing solar systems: At the end of 2016, SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive had announced that the company expected to reduce the number of leases while loans and cash purchases increase. Now the market is expected to trend steadily toward direct ownership as loan designs become more appealing, system costs continue to fall, and more people see the benefit in a purchase.

Tesla is well-positioned in the alternative energy sector with SolarCity, as solar power installations doubled in 2016 over 2015 as more and more areas of the U.S. began pulling their power from the sun. Indeed, for the first time, solar power installations formed the largest group of electricity generating capacity of any energy source. Nearly 40 percent of new power generation projects added last year were solar, in terms of electrical production capacity. A record 22 states each added more than 100 megawatts.
The trend should continue in the next two years, consistent with the Tesla SolarCity viability plan, according to a report by GTM Research. They say that the community solar segment is on verge of becoming a mainstream driver of U.S. solar market growth. Starting in 2017, community solar is expected to consistently drive 20% – 25% of the annual non-residential PV market and become a half-gigawatt annual market by 2019.
source: http://www.teslarati.com

Avista Opens Electric Vehicle Charging Station In Rural Eastern Washington

The world of electric cars has come to the small town of Rosalia in eastern Washington. Avista unveiled a new electric vehicle charging station at the town’s visitor center.
Electric vehicle charging stations are all over western Washington. They’re less numerous east of the Cascades. Rendall Farley from Avista says his company has installed a few in public places and many in private homes in Spokane. But why Rosalia?
“Rosalia was just a great spot because it’s right pretty much halfway between Spokane and Pullman. We needed to electrify that corridor," Farley said. "That’s an important transportation corridor and you had a very willing partner there in the town of Rosalia with the mayor there. They’ve been fantastic to work with.”
The new station has room for four vehicles. Two can charge quickly using what Farley calls the “D.C. Fast Charger.”
“You can come in in 15 minutes to a half hour while you’re getting a bite or a cup of coffee. You can fill up and be on your way,” Farley said.
Two vehicles can power up more slowly using a different kind of charger. The cost is 30 cents per minute to plug in. Farley estimates the typical cost for a full charge will be $8 to $10.
Besides Rosalia, Avista is planning to install several charging stations around Spokane and perhaps a few more in rural parts of eastern Washington.
source:http://nwpr.org

Siemens to Build EnBW Hohe See as First Offshore Wind Project with Extended Scope

Siemens Wind Power will, for the first time, provide complete offshore wind power plant solutions including foundations for the EnBW Hohe See offshore wind project. Hohe See owner EnBW has now made a final investment decision for its 497-MW offshore wind power plant.
Starting in early 2018 the large wind park will be installed at a site 90 kilometers north of the German island Borkum in the North Sea at water depths of up to 40 meters. The 71 wind turbines of the type SWT-7.0-154 rated at 7 MW each will be manufactured at Siemens’ new nacelle plant in Cuxhaven beginning in mid-2018 and will be shipped to the project harbor in early 2019. The blades will be shipped from factories in Hull, UK, and Aalborg, Denmark. Commissioning is planned for the third quarter of 2019. The wind power plant will generate enough power to supply 560,000 households with clean renewable energy.
In 2016 Siemens began with the development of project-specific solutions for the foundations of EnBW Hohe See wind power plant with a preliminary project. The result was the development of a large monopile design with a length of up to 80 meters and a weight of up to 1,500 tons to anchor the wind turbines solidly into the sea bed. Siemens has more than 25 years of experience with offshore projects starting with Vindeby offshore project in Denmark, commissioned in 1991.
For EnBW Hohe See, Siemens is partnering with logistics specialist GeoSea. The company of the Deme Group will also deliver the foundations including monopiles and transition pieces. With its extended scope Siemens helped to mitigate risk-exposure to the investors significantly. The integrated design and installation approach together with the complete solution including turbines, towers, TPs and foundations provides investors with maximum security and confidence regarding the financing and completion of this project.

After commissioning, Siemens will perform service and maintenance for a period of at least five years. Grid connection will be established via the "BorWin 3" high-voltage DC link and "BorWin Gamma" converter platform to be installed by Siemens for grid operator Tennet.
source: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com

Solar firm to debut battery storage

Solar Philippines will showcase the country’s first solar farm equipped with batteries when it completes the first 50 megawatts (MW) of its largest solar project in Tarlac by mid-2017, its top official said yesterday.
The company expects batteries to become a game changer in the solar market this year.
“Tarlac Phase 1 of 50 MW will be completed by mid-2017 and the total 150 MW are targeted by end of the year,”  Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste said in a text message yesterday.
He said solar-plus-storage projects are already cheaper than expensive diesel and natural gas.

“Batteries will be the game-changer of 2017. We aim to complete our first such project by mid-year to show that the age of 24/7 solar is already here, and hopefully urge others to pause before investing in expensive fossil fuels,”  Leviste said.
Solar Philippines announced yesterday it would integrate batteries into nearly all its upcoming solar farms, to supply reliable 24/7 power starting this year.
It is in discussions with battery suppliers including US-based automotive and energy storage firm Tesla, which is doubling the world’s battery manufacturing capacity to accelerate cost decreases, and will soon complete the world’s largest solar-plus-storage project to supply evening power in Hawaii.
Leviste is teaming up with Tesla for a pilot solar farm with battery storage.
Red tape remains a barrier to solar-plus-storage, the company said.
The Confederation of Solar Developers of the Philippines (CSDP) noted that around 600 signatures are required for permits to develop a solar project resulting in a multi-year process.
According to CSDP, this has discouraged investments in renewable energy.
Another barrier is the price of solar panels, which remains the largest cost item.
Solar Philippines, however, said it would soon open the first locally-owned solar panel factory, in line with its goal to construct and develop solar farms in-house, to lower costs and bring greater competition into renewable energy.
“These are exciting times in the power industry. Vertical integration is enabling us to make solar-plus-storage cost-competitive years ahead of schedule, accelerate the advent of sustainable energy, and make the Philippines a leader in solar energy worldwide,” Leviste said.
 source:http://www.philstar.com

Saudi Arabia launches 300MW solar power tender

 
Saudi Arabia has launched the first stage of a 300MW solar power tender.
The process is being managed by the ministry of energy, industry and mineral resources through a new body called the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO).
The request for qualification documents, confirm that the tender will be carried out on a build, own, operate basis with 100% ownership for the winning bidder and no mandatory government stake. The Kingdom has had several attempts at kick-starting solar deployment through myriad organisations. The switch to an independent power producer (IPP) model, which has worked well for other Gulf neighbours could mark a seachange in the country’s solar fortunes.
The project will be built in the north of the country near the city of Sakaka. The deadline for applications is 20 March at 1500 KSA time.
A 100MW tender was launched by the Saudi Electric Company in June 2016.
source: http://www.pv-tech.org

Chemists improve batteries for renewable energy storage

 
Because the sun doesn't always shine, solar utilities need a way to store extra charge for a rainy day. The same goes for wind power facilities, since the wind doesn't always blow. To take full advantage of renewable energy, electrical grids need large batteries that can store the power coming from wind and solar installations until it is needed. Some of the current technologies that are potentially very appealing for the electrical grid are inefficient and short-lived.

University of Utah and University of Michigan chemists, participating in the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, predict a better future for a type of battery for grid storage called redox flow batteries. Using a predictive model of molecules and their properties, the team has developed a charge-storing molecule around 1,000 times more stable than current compounds. Their results are reported today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
"Our first compound had a half-life of about eight-12 hours," says U chemist Matthew Sigman, referring to the time period in which half of the compound would decompose. "The compound that we predicted was stable on the order of months."
Not your ordinary battery
For a typical residential solar panel customer, electricity must be either used as it's generated, sold back to the electrical grid, or stored in batteries. Deep-cycle lead batteries or lithium ion batteries are already on the market, but each type presents challenges for use on the grid.
All batteries contain chemicals that store and release electrical charge. However, redox flow batteries aren't like the batteries in cars or cell phones. Redox flow batteries instead use two tanks to store energy, separated by a central set of inert electrodes. The tanks hold the solutions containing molecules or charged atoms, called anolytes and catholytes, that store and release charge as the solution "flows" past the electrodes, depending on whether electricity is being provided to the battery or extracted from it.
"If you want to increase the capacity, you just put more material in the tanks and it flows through the same cell," says University of Michigan chemist Melanie Sanford. "If you want to increase the rate of charge or discharge, you increase the number of cells."
Current redox flow batteries use solutions containing vanadium, a costly material that requires extra safety in handling because of its potential toxicity. Formulating the batteries is a chemical balancing act, since molecules that can store more charge tend to be less stable, losing charge and rapidly decomposing.
source: https://phys.org

PV producer SolarWorld enters partnership for lithium mining in Germany

The lithium project initiated by SolarWorld AG (Bonn) in the Eastern Ore Mountains is moving forward, the company announces.

The solar photovoltaic (PV) technology group will sell a share of 50 percent of its project in Altenberg-Zinnwald (Germany) to Bacanora Minerals Ltd. (Calgary, Canada).

Under the name Deutsche Lithium GmbH, the future joint venture will be domiciled in Freiberg, Saxony, and operationally controlled by Bacanora Minerals and SolarWorld AG together.

The new partner will earn its share of the project in return for a cash consideration of EUR 5 million and the completion of a feasibility study on the project, which will take approximately 18 to 24 months.

Bacanora Minerals will undertake all financial investments for the project, reads the press release.

Furthermore, the partner has the option to acquire the outstanding 50 percent within a 24 month period for a mid double-digit million amount.

Bacanora, a London listed company, with headquarters in Calgary, Canada, is an experienced resource developer focused on lithium and the Sonora region, Mexico.

A key raw material of energy storage systems

“Lithium is a key raw material of storage systems,” says Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld AG.

“Being able to store and consume renewable energies 24/7 will give solar power another enormous boost.”

That’s why SolarWorld started to explore lithium at Altenberg-Zinnwald on the German-Czech border in 2011. The deposit of lithium in the Eastern Ore Mountains is situated about 50 kilometers from SolarWorld’s site in Freiberg and is one of the largest in Europe, SolarWorld notes.

“Initiating lithium mining in the Ore Mountains has paid off. After we, as SolarWorld, have taken the first steps, our partner’s know how and financial means will now move this project forward. This will have a lot of positive effects for the region. SolarWorld will continue to focus on manufacturing high-quality solar power products that can be combined with storage systems and smart control applications,” says Dr.-Ing. E. h. Frank Asbeck. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

FPL plans to add eight solar PV power plants totaling nearly 600 MW

 

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL, Juno Beach, Florida, U.S.) on February 20^th, 2017 announced the expansion of its near-term plans for new solar generation.

FPL now plans to build new solar photovoltaic (PV) plants at eight locations by early 2018 – comprising more than 2.5 million solar panels.

Eight 74.5 MW solar PV projects across Florida

Each of the eight new solar PV plants will be 74.5 megawatts in capacity for a total of nearly 600 MW, which is enough to power approximately 120,000 homes.

The plants will be located at sites across Florida, including three previously announced locations in Alachua, Putnam and DeSoto counties. The locations of all of the new sites will be announced in the coming weeks. Construction is expected to commence this spring.

FPL currently operates more than 335 MW of solar generating capacity, enough to power 60,000 homes.

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Standard Solar installs 708 kW multi-building solar PV system featuring a carport, parking garage canopy and rooftop array

 

Standard Solar, Inc. (Rockville, MD, U.S.) a solar energy company specializing in the development and financing of commercial solar electric systems, announced the completion of a 708 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project for Montgomery County, MD-based commercial real estate developer, DANAC, LLC.

The PV project, featuring a parking garage solar canopy, a solar carport and a rooftop system, was completed in late 2016 and was recently named a finalist for a 2016 Wintergreen Award for Excellence in Green Building.

The solar canopy, carport and rooftop installations combined include 2,180 solar PV modules and 19 inverters and are expected to produce 868 megawatt hours of solar power in the first 12 months of operation.

The system also utilized QuadPod™ Solar Canopies by Quest Renewables. These canopies, whose innovative design received the Department of Energy’s SunShot grant award, can be assembled on the ground and then lifted by crane for final installation allowing for a safer and more efficient worksite.

“Solar canopies on parking garages are an ideal solution for energy savings, especially in urban areas,” said Scott Wiater, president & CEO, Standard Solar.

According to GTM Research, turnkey prices for carport structures have fallen dramatically since 2010, and even though the majority of structural costs are tied to commodity steel, they anticipate that improved module efficiencies, lower financing costs, and increased scale and competition will push prices down another 24 percent by 2018. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Solar-powered Africa “never more possible and less expensive”: energy chief

 
A “solar revolution” is coming to Africa, comparable in scale and importance to the rapid surge in mobile phone use on the continent two decades ago, predicts the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Fast-dropping costs for solar power, combined with plenty of sun and a huge need for electricity on a continent where many are still without it, means solar has huge potential in Africa, said Adnan Amin, the director general of IRENA.
“Africa’s solar potential is enormous,” he said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The continent gets 117 percent more sunshine than Germany, which today has the highest installed solar power capacity, he said.
“It has never been more possible and less expensive for Africa to realise this potential,” he said.
Both grid-connected solar power and off-grid solar energy now offer “cost-competitive means to meet rising energy needs and bring electricity to the 600 million Africans who currently lack access”, Amin said.
Innovations – including better transmission and storage for solar power, and new payment systems – also mean using more solar power in Africa could boost economies and create jobs for millions of people across the continent, he said.
"Africa’s vast solar potential presents a huge opportunity for people to engage in a range of economic activities such as irrigation and agro-processing, and it is already beginning to happen,” said the Nairobi- born Amin.
source: http://af.reuters.com

Renewable energy investments amount to EUR 70 mln in 2016

According to data of the Estonian Renewable Energy Association, new renewable electricity capacity added last year totaled 42.19 megawatts or approximately as much as in three preceding years combined, and investments in renewable energy amounted to 70 mln euros.

"The 2016 investments and added capacities are almost as large as in three previous years combined. Investment readiness has been increased by the progress of the electricity market bill," head of the Renewable Energy Association Rene Tammist said.

"While we are optimistic about the year 2017, the state's policy concerning renewable energy investments after 2020 remains unclear. Such uncertainty is bound to affect investment in the renewable energy sector in coming years and because of that it is extremely important to have a legal framework favoring the development of the sector in place soon," Tammist added.

Data of the transmission system operator Elering show that last year 1,414 gigawatt-hours of electric energy was produced from renewable sources, 6 percent less than the year before, and it accounted for 15.1% of total consumption.

Most renewable electric energy, 785 GWh in all, was produced from biomass, biogas and waste. It made up 55.6% of all electricity produced from renewable sources. The share of wind energy was 41.7% with production totaling 589 GWh. Contrary to the year 2015, the 600 GWh cap set for the amount of wind energy eligible for subsidization per year was not achieved in 2016.

Renewable electricity capacity added last year includes the wood chip-fired Imavere cogeneration plant completed in the second half of the year, whose heat capacity is 29 megawatts and electricity generating capacity is 10 megawatts. The energy group Utilitas launched the Vao II wood chip-fired cogeneration plant with a heat capacity of 76.5 megawatts and electric energy capacity of 21.4 megawatts.

A new wind farm added 7.05 megawatts of wind energy capacity, bringing the total wind energy capacity installed in Estonia to 309.96 MW. Added solar energy capacity was 3.74 MW. The total solar panel capacity is estimated to have reached 10 MW.

The cost of renewable energy technologies, in particular solar and wind energy, has significantly fallen across the world, Tammist said.
source: http://www.baltic-course.com

Ciel & Terre and D3 Energy install a 31.5 kWp floating solar PV system in Orlando, Florida

Ciel & Terre (Lille, France) and D3 Energy LLC (Houston, TX, U.S.) in February 2017 celebrated the completion of their first full-fledged U.S. project in partnership with the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC).

The inauguration ceremony announces the largest floating solar photovoltaic system in Florida to date.

Unlike other states, Florida has an annual average of 230 days of sunshine inherently dubbing it as The Sunshine State. With all that sunlight, the only thing missing was a more efficient alternative means to harness and reuse this powerful source of energy, the partners note.

100 floating PV panels will generate up to 51,000 kWh of solar power per year

Florida is a prime location within the U.S. to install Ciel & Terre’s patented large-scale floating PV technology known as “Hydrelio”.

The Hydrelio floating array is composed of 100 crystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels and will generate up to 51,000 kWh of solar power per year.

Like Ciel & Terre’s other projects, Hydrelio will allow standard solar PV panels to be installed on man-made bodies of water such as industrial reservoirs, storm water retention areas, dams or irrigation ponds.

In this case, Hydrelio was installed on a storm water storage reservoir located at OUC’s Gardenia facility.

OUC was the first utility in Central Florida to build a large solar farm and was one of the first in the nation to offer community solar where its customers can buy a piece of an array on the same Gardenia campus. The electricity produced with Hydrelio will serve some of OUC’s own electrical usage on-site, or put back up into the grid.

Project to be used to promote more floating PV systems

As the first floating array of its size in Florida, OUC will use this project as a benchmark in order to promote more efficient ways to deploy floating PV systems designed by Ciel & Terre at other reservoirs throughout OUC’s service area.

A nearly 13 megawatt solar array is under construction now at OUC’s Stanton Energy Center where OUC also utilizes methane gas from the Orange County landfill to offset coal.

With more than 60 MWp of solar PV power production currently utilizing the Hydrelio system, Ciel & Terre will expand to 130 MWp of floating solar by the end of 2017, the company announces
source: http://www.solarserver.com

JinkoSolar receives TOP BRAND PV seal for the UK from EuPD Research

For the second year in a row, JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China), is ranked among the top solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers based on recommendation levels by British installers.

Therefore, JinkoSolar receives the “Top Brand PV | Modules” seal in the United Kingdom from the German market research specialist EuPD Research (Bonn).

Participants of the “Global PV Installer Monitor 2016/2017 UK” positively rated Jinko Solar as above average in regard to brand awareness and brand management.

Furthermore, JinkoSolar is ranked among the top module manufacturers based on the recommendation of British PV installers. The survey participants claim they are highly likely to recommend JinkoSolar to their customers.

“We are very proud to receive this independent seal from a well-reputed independent institute like EuPD Research for the second consecutive year and would like to thank all the participating clients very much for their trust and positive feedback,” Frank Niendorf, General Manager Europe at JinkoSolar, commented. 

“The positive and continuously improving brand perception of Jinko as one of the leading brands is another step to further strengthening Jinko as the No. 1 module supplier in this industry. It is the result of a steady product and service quality improvement process and technology leadership through significant investments in R&D and production processes.” 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

GCL-SI to enter Mexico's solar PV market with agreement with distributor DMSolar

GCL System Integration Technology (GCL-SI, Suzhou, China), a subsidiary of the energy group GCL, on February 16^th, 2017 announced the signing of a Master Distribution Agreement with DMSolar, one of Mexico’s leading solar distribution companies.

Through the partnership, DMSolar will offer GCL-SI solar PV modules and other complimentary system components to the Mexican market.

This is the first time that GCL-SI cooperates with a Mexican distributor and this also marks a significant step for GCL-SI to enter the Mexican market.

DMSolar works with a number of local installers on PV projects ranging from residential to commercial installations. The agreement with GCL-SI contains the distribution of its solar module products GCL-P6/60 and GCL-P6/72.

Jose Jove, Vice President of Sales for GCL-SI Latin America, contends that the agreement with DMSolar will help GCL-SI to become one of the leading brands in Mexico market.

GCL tailored its plan to fit the local scenarios to step into the Mexico market. Mr Jove says, “For utility scale we are targeting to place a large volume of modules in the auction projects as well as projects with potential private power purchase agreements (PPAs). There were two auctions in Mexico last year, 1.1 GW awarded in the first auction and 1.8 GW in the second
source: http://www.solarserver.com

Solar lighting company SolarOne Solutions acquires competitor Inovus Solar

SolarOne Solutions (Needham, MA, U.S.), a provider of professional solar area lighting solutions to customers worldwide, on February 17^th, 2017 announced its acquisition of Inovus Solar, Inc. (Boise, ID, U.S.) a solar lighting company with complementary products, markets and technologies.

With this transaction, SolarOne Solutions brings the Boise-based firm's technology, project pipeline, brand and other assets into its fold. All Inovus Solar personnel immediately become part of SolarOne Solutions and will continue to support its customer base worldwide.

“One would be hard pressed to find two more complementary companies,” said Moneer Azzam, SolarOne CEO.

“The Inovus architecturally appealing wrapped PV pole with embedded Lithium-ion energy storage fits perfectly with SolarOne's conventional line of professional lighting systems. But what comes next from the melding of these two dedicated and talented teams is what I am most excited about. No other solar lighting company has this depth. It will allow us to accelerate our worldwide growth initiatives.”

Inovus Solar CEO, Doug Stewart, who will remain as a Board member and strategic advisor to the company said: “The combination of products, technical and marketing expertise and geographic footprint that results from this transaction is transformative for both companies and sets the stage to become the largest solar lighting business in the world
source: http://www.solarserver.com

Fraunhofer ISE again holds PV world record; Silicon solar cell with 21.9 percent efficiency

 

As in the years from 2004 to 2015, Fraunhofer ISE again holds the world’s record for multi-crystalline silicon.

The record solar cell consists of n-type high performance multi-crystalline silicon, or HP mc-Si. Compared to p-type silicon, this material shows a higher tolerance to impurities, especially iron.

The industrial production today uses multi-crystalline p-type silicon material with average solar cell efficiencies of about 19 percent. The new material and technology approaches applied by Fraunhofer ISE for the record cell have the potential to improve the efficiency of multi-crystalline silicon even further in the near future.

From material to cell technology

“We are very happy about this excellent result, which is due largely to the fact that Fraunhofer ISE’s expertise runs along the entire value chain of silicon photovoltaics,“ says the institute Director, Dr. Andreas Bett.

“At the Institute our expertise spans the entire range from the crystallization of silicon through to the quality assurance of PV power plants. The research areas of material development, characterization and cell technology all played a part in the development of the world record cell.”

The various research groups at Fraunhofer ISE consulted continuously, optimizing the material and the cell process in tandem. Dr. Stephan Riepe, Head of the Group “Silicon – Crystallization and Epitaxy,” explains the procedure as follows: “In our Silicon Material Technology Center SIMTEC, we adjusted the crystallization process with the goal of creating a material optimized for the planned solar cell processing procedure. We worked closely and in constant exchange with our colleagues until we all achieved our common target of world record efficiency.”

The work of the ambitious researchers at Fraunhofer ISE, however, continues further. The “multiTOP” project, in which the record cell was achieved, continues to run up to March 2018.

The project is headed by Dr. Jan Benick, Team Leader of Innovative Clean Room Technologies for High Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells. He looks into the future:

“Our goal is to develop an advanced cell technology for the n-type multi-crystalline wafer that really demonstrates its full potential. The question is, how far can we get to closing the efficiency gap to monocrystalline material.”

The colleagues in solar cell characterization acted as a decisive link between the researchers in materials and cell technology. Dr. Martin Schubert, Department Head of Characterization and Simulation assumed the role of navigator: 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

turkey-plans-to-transfer-around-1000-mw-of-hydropower-to-sovereign-wealth-fund-

Turkey plans to transfer
hydropower plants with a combined capacity of some 1,000
megawatts (MW) from the state power generation company to the
newly created sovereign wealth fund, two government officials
told Reuters on Monday.
    The move, expected to be officially announced in the near
future, comes after the government has already transferred
stakes worth billions of dollars in Turkish Airlines, major
banks and other companies to the fund, which was set up last
year to help finance big-ticket infrastructure projects.
[nL5N1FR0N8]
    "In order to diversify and strengthen the Turkish wealth
fund's portfolio, some new steps are being planned. In this
regard, some run-of-the-river plants are being planned to be
transferred to the fund," one of the sources told Reuters,
referring to a type of hydropower plant.
    "The decision is expected to be taken soon. These hydropower
plants will likely be each around 100 MW, but with the addition
of some bigger plants the capacity could reach 1,000 MW," the
source said, adding that capacity could be brought above 1,000
MW if seen appropriate.
    No one was immediately available to comment at EUAS, the
state power generation firm.
   Turkey's current hydropower plant capacity stands above
75,000 

 source:http://www.nasdaq.com

Vestas Returns to No. 1 Spot in Global Wind Turbine Supplier Ranking in 2016

Vestas’ return to the top spot was particularly driven by increased installations in the U.S. market, where it overtook U.S. manufacturer GE as the No. 1 supplier, according to preliminary findings from FTI Intelligence. GE and Enercon rose to second and fifth place, respectively, by taking advantage of strong domestic market growth in the United States and Germany.

Chinese supplier Goldwind fell two positions to third place, primarily due to a 24 percent drop in China’s wind power installations, according to FTI Intelligence research. Spain’s Gamesa moved up one position to No. 4, largely attributable to its strong presence in India and emerging markets.
                                                                
At this time, FTI Intelligence assigns the following OEM market rankings:

2016 Ranking	Turbine OEM	Change	Commentary
1	Vestas *	+1	Up from 2nd position in 2015
2	GE *	+1	Up from 3rd position in 2015
3	Goldwind **	-2	Down from 1st position in 2015
4	Gamesa*	+1	Up from 5th position in 2015
5	Enercon*	+1	Up from 6th position in 2015

* Based on preliminary data analysis                                                
** Based on installation data released by CWEA                                                                                                        
Note: Gamesa and Siemens are ranked separately as the merger between Siemens Wind and Gamesa is not yet finalised.

Among other highlights, FTI Intelligence notes that Siemens dropped out of the top five for the first time since 2012, mainly due to its decreased annual installation in both the United States and offshore wind sector in 2016. In addition, Nordex returned to the top 10 after its recent acquisition of Acciona’s turbine business.

The Global Wind Market Update – Demand & Supply 2016 report examines the evolution of the global wind market in 2016 and addresses key market and technology trends and policy updates. It also forecasts global demand trends through 2026. This report will be available free of charge on FTI Intelligence’s website in March 2017.

Preliminary Findings in the Global Wind Market Update – Demand & Supply 2016:

• 14 percent drop year-on-year in new wind installations in 2016 vs. 2015. Following a record 2015 with 63 GW of installations, the best year ever for the wind industry, 2016 showed a 14 percent drop in installations. A slowdown of installations in China is the primary reason for the decrease. That said, there were a few notable achievements for the wind power sector in 2016. Wind overtook coal as the second-largest form of power generation in the EU in terms of total installed power capacity, just behind natural gas. In the United States, wind passed a historic milestone to overtake hydropower as the largest renewable energy source of energy. The UK generated more electricity from wind than from coal in the full calendar year of 2016.
• Solar PV replaced wind as the No. 1 non-hydro renewable energy source in 2016. Due to explosive growth in China, global solar PV installations in 2016 passed 70 GW. In addition, solar PV is emerging as a strong competitor to wind in regard to its cost, beating wind in the first and second power auctions in Mexico in 2016. Wind, however, eclipsed solar in the renewable tenders launched in Chile and Argentina in 2016. Interestingly, four out of the world’s top 10 wind turbine vendors have already entered the solar industry.
• Paris Agreement came into force. On 5 October 2016, the Paris Agreement, the UN international agreement on climate change, entered into force. Out of 197 parties to the convention, 132 have ratified the agreement. Such international support reflects strong momentum behind the global transition to clean energy. 
• Near-term stable growth in the United States is secured, but medium-term outlook is uncertain. The U.S. wind market outlook in the near term remains stable, as the new Treasury secretary has confirmed support for the existing smooth phase-out of the Production Tax Credit (“PTC”). However, U.S. market development in the medium term remains uncertain as President Trump has repeatedly called for the repeal of the Clean Power Plan (“CPP”) and the United States exiting the Paris Agreement.
• Consolidation continues to occur across the value chain. In the past 12 months, large turbine vendors not only snapped up rivals (Siemens/Gamesa, Gamesa/Adwen, Senvion/Kenersys and WEG/Northern Power Systems) to gain new strategic positioning, but also acquired assets upstream in the value chain (GE/LM Wind Power, Senvion/EUROS and most recently, Nordex/SSP). In addition, state-owned Chinese companies were very active in the overseas market and acquired renewable assets around the world (SPIC/PacificHydro and China Three Gorges/Meerwind).  
• Offshore wind cost reduction targets have been beaten. Results of the awarded offshore wind tenders launched in Denmark (the lowest bid, €49.9/MWh at Kriegers Flak) and the Netherlands (the lowest bid, €54.5/MWh at Borssele III+IV) in 2016 (both excluding transmission costs of around €14/MWh) indicate that the LCOE (levelised cost of electricity) for offshore wind in Europe has reduced significantly in the past five years, and they also suggest that returns on investment are compressing here.   
• Corporate PPAs continue to grow. The wind industry saw the increased use of power purchase agreements (“PPAs”), self-consumption and direct contracts with customers in the past three years. Cumulative corporate renewable PPA capacity contracted in the United States passed the 7 GW milestone at the end of 2016. With 1 GW contracted today, Europe lags behind the United States, but this is expected to change as the commercial and industrial (“C&I”) segment wants secure green energy on a long-term basis due to rising electricity prices and the competitive prices offered by renewables.
• Digitalization. Increased data quality, data access and grid integration are enabling increasing data analytics across the value chain in siting and design, asset performance management, asset health management and trading and balancing in the wind sector. Major turbine OEMs continued to launch advanced analytics packages in 2016 that can be applied throughout value chain. Following GE’s launch of an industrial data and analytics product, Predix Cloud, to the market in August 2015, Vestas and Envision launched Clearsightᵀᴹ and Ensightᵀᴹ, respectively, in 2016, and the data analytics market is expected to grow significantly.

“The drop in wind power installations in 2016 has brought the wind industry back to reality, as 2015 was an unusual year due to strong demand in China ahead of a change in Feed in Tariffs (‘FiTs’),” said Feng Zhao, a Senior Director at FTI Consulting. “The relatively poor performance of Chinese turbine OEMs in 2016 has shown that relying heavily on the home market for growth is not a guarantee for sustainable success.”

Aris Karcanias, a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting and Co-Lead of the Clean Energy practice, added: “Solar PV not only replaced wind as the most popular renewable energy source in 2016, but also beat wind power in the power auctions launched in Mexico. However, we view this as positive news because the competition is certain to create another wave of technology innovation in the wind industry in order to further bring down the LCOE and make renewable energy even more competitive and affordable.”

source: http://finance.yahoo.com

US Congress launches a probe into climate data that duped world leaders over global warming

Revelations by the Mail on Sunday about how world leaders were misled over global warming by the main source of climate data have triggered a probe by the US Congress.

Republican Lamar Smith, who chairs the influential House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, announced the inquiry last week in a letter to Benjamin Friedman, acting chief of the organisation at the heart of the MoS disclosures, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

He renewed demands, first made in 2015, for all internal NOAA documents and communications between staff behind a controversial scientific paper, which made a huge impact on the Paris Agreement on climate change of that year, signed by figures including David Cameron and Barack Obama.

The paper – dubbed the ‘Pausebuster’ – claimed that contrary to what scientists had been saying for several years, there was no ‘pause’ or ‘slowdown’ in the rate of global warming in the early 21st Century, and that in fact it had been taking place even faster than before.

The ‘pause’ had been seized on by climate sceptics, because throughout the period, carbon dioxide emissions continued to rise.

This month, this newspaper revealed evidence from a whistleblower, Dr John Bates, who until the end of 2016 was one of two NOAA ‘principal scientists’ working on climate change, showing that the paper based its claims on an ‘unverified’ and experimental dataset measuring land temperatures, and on a then newly issued sea-temperature dataset that is now to be withdrawn and replaced because it exaggerates both the scale and speed of warming.

source:source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk