Goldman Sachs-backed ReNew Power to sell 10% stake to Japan’s JERA for $200 million

Indian renewable power generation company ReNew Power, which is majority-owned by Goldman Sachs, has agreed to sell 10% equity stake to Japan-based JERA Co for $200 million.
The unlisted ReNew Power, valued at $2 billion with this deal, has already initiated discussions with investment bankers for coming up with an IPO later this year.
ReNew Power has 1.2 gigawatt wind and power generation capacity in commissioned projects, and has another 1.8 gigawatt projects under construction. It has set a target of building over 11 GW of wind and solar power capacity over the next five years.
India plans to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 in line with its INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution) as part of a global effort to contain climate change. The country’s current renewable energy capacity at 45,917 megawatt is minuscule compared to the 2022 target, and also the current overall capacity of 310,000 megawatt.
India has promised to achieve 40% of its electricity generation capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030, including 60 GW from wind power, 100 GW from solar power, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydro projects.
ReNew Power, promoted by the businessman Sumant Sinha, has Asian Development Bank, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Global Environment Fund as its investors, apart from Goldman Sachs, which had put in $200 million into the company at its inception in 2011
source: http://www.financialexpress.com

Nigeria, U.S Firms Sign N241.6m Solar Energy MoU To Power 25 Communities

Abuja –   Community Energy Social Enterprises Limited (CESEL) has signed a 767, 512 dollars (about N241.6 million) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Renewvia Energy Corporation, a U.S. firm to provide solar energy in Nigeria.
Dr Patrick Tolani, Managing Director of CESEL, a Nigerian privately owned firm signed on Tuesday in Abuja, on behalf of the company while Mr Clay Taber, Managing Director Renwvia, signed for his company.
Tolani said that the MoU was for development of solar microgrids in 25 communities in Bayelsa, Ondo, Ogun, and Osun.
He said the communities to benefit from the projects are those that had no access to electricity for more than ten years which includes Braz in Bayelsa and Magboro in Ogun State.
Others, he said included Ilaje areas and Igbokoda in Ondo State; and a community which was completely cut off the grid because of isolation in Osun State.
Taber in his remarks said Renewvia would install and operate microgrid systems with solar photovoltaic  generation capacity and battery storage in 25 communities in Nigeria.
According to him, the design of the microgrids for the project will include PV panels, string inverters, aluminum racking and energy storage backup power.
“It is expected that the majority of the power offtakers for the project wwill be residential and commercial end users located within one kilometer of the microgrid generation units that wwill be connected at the time of project construction.
source:http://punchng.com

New North American Wind Power Record Set In Central United States

A new record for the penetration of wind energy was set by grid manager Southwest Power Pool in the central United States, with 52.1% of the total load being served by wind power at 4:30 a.m. on February 12.

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is a regional transmission organization that operates in the central United States, and is responsible for 60,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states. SPP’s footprint spans almost 550,000 square miles, from the Canadian border in Montana and North Dakota through to parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. On Monday, SPP revealed that it had set a new wind-penetration record — the measure of the amount of total electricity load served by wind at a given time — on 4:30 a.m., February 12, of 52.1%. This is not just a record for SPP, but for all the US, and is the first time any regional transmission organization has served more than 50% of its load with wind energy (the previous record was 49.2%, also set by SPP, back on April 24, 2016).

The total amount of wind generating capacity available to SPP has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. In the early 2000s, SPP only had access to less than 400 megawatts (MW), but now has more than 16 gigawatts (GW) — thanks to 4 GW installed during 2016. SPP’s maximum simultaneous wind generation peak subsequently rose from 9,948 MW in 2015 to 12,336 MW in early 2016.

“Ten years ago, we thought hitting even a 25 percent wind-penetration level would be extremely challenging, and any more than that would pose serious threats to reliability,” explained SPP Vice President of Operations Bruce Rew. “Since then, we’ve gained experience and implemented new policies and procedures. Now we have the ability to reliably manage greater than 50 percent wind penetration. It’s not even our ceiling. We continue to study even higher levels of renewable, variable generation as part of our plans to maintain a reliable and economic grid of the future.”

SPP’s broad network is also testament to the future of how wind can work, allowing network operators the opportunity to draw wind-generated electricity from disparate areas of the country.

“We’re able to manage wind generation more effectively than other, smaller systems can because we’ve got a huge pool of resources to draw from,” Rew said. “With a footprint as broad as ours, even if the wind stops blowing in the upper Great Plains, we can deploy resources waiting in the Midwest and Southwest to make up any sudden deficits.”

source: https://cleantechnica.com

JinkoSolar overtook Trina Solar as top solar PV module shipment provider in 2016, says GlobalData

 JinkoSolar Holding overtook Trina Solar in terms of solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments in 2016, as the company had shipments of 6.6-6.7 Gigawatts (GW) of PV modules compared to Trina's 6.3-6.55 GW, relegating it to second place, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company, which estimates that the global solar PV market was valued at $39.7 billion in 2016, states that JinkoSolar's efforts to expand across a large and geographically diverse customer base have allowed it to leverage its innovative, high-quality solar products, brand recognition and robust sales network to win several opportunities.
Ankit Mathur, GlobalData's Practice Head covering Power, explains: "JinkoSolar has witnessed impressive results over 2016, with the company's PV modules securing China Quality Certification Center's Top Runner Program level-one energy efficiency certification that showcases its technological strength."
In terms of other companies which made the top rankings, Canadian Solar Inc. occupied third place, with shipments of 5.073-5.173 GW. The company witnessed low end results in its module shipments and revenues in Q3 2016 when compared with Q2 2016, primarily because of the global solar power market dislocation during the quarter, along with logistic disruption that occurred due to Hanjin Shipping's bankruptcy in the month of August 2016.
Despite this, the company showcased positive results with its substantial global project pipeline, strong downstream project development business and inventory management, and expansion of its module manufacturing capabilities, with the most recent facility situated in Brazil.
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. came in fourth place with 4.9-5 GW, Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. was fifth with 4.8-5 GW, GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd. was sixth, with 4.6-5 GW, and First Solar stood in seventh place with 2.8-2.9 GW. However, 2016 was a disappointing year for Yingli, which slipped further down the rankings.
Mathur continues: "Yingli, which was responsible for a shipment of around 2.1-2.2 GW in 2016, has not benefited from solar power's growing popularity in the same way as its counterparts. The company's liquidity issues and debt repayments caused it to fall from seventh to eighth position in the global rankings.
source: http://www.investorideas.com

Indian Renewable Energy Projects Could Save $11 Million Per Year At Sea Ports

The Indian Ministry of Shipping has announced plans to set up almost 100 megawatts of solar and wind energy capacity at 12 of the country’s major ports.

The Ministry of Shipping recently announced that under the ‘Green Port Initiative’ a total of 136.5 megawatts of renewable energy projects will be implemented at a dozen major ports in the country. These include 91.5 megawatts of solar power and 45 megawatts of wind energy projects.
Some ports also have some solar power projects operational. A total of 15.2 megawatts of solar power capacity has been implemented, while 6 megawatts of wind energy capacity has also been commissioned. According to the ministry, these renewable energy projects are expected to offset 136,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. The projects will also save around Rs 75 crore ($11 million) every year in energy costs.
As per a reply submitted by the Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan in Parliament last year, the funds required for the development of solar plants will be arranged by the ports from their own resources with no contribution from the government.
The initiative would also offset the cost of purchasing power from the grid and would help to meet the Renewable Energy Purchase Obligation (RPO), set by the government, mandating a certain percentage of renewables into the total energy mix.
Apart from sea ports, airports around the country are looking to set up solar power projects as well. The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that as many as 143 airports across India are planning to set up a cumulative solar power capacity of 148 megawatts.

• source:https://cleantechnica.com

JA Solar Will Supply 300 Megawatts Of Solar Modules To Enel Green Power’s Brazil Projects

China-based solar modules manufacturer JA Solar has secured an order to supply solar power projects being developed by Enel Green Power located in Brazil.

According to media reports, the Chinese manufacturer will supply 300 megawatts of solar power modules for installation at Enel Green Power’s projects that the later secured through competitive auctions in Brazil.

It was not immediately clear at which project these modules would be installed. Perhaps they would form part of the largest solar power project in South America. Enel Green Power Brasil Participações is working on a 292 megawatt solar power project at Piaui.

The company recently announced that it will procure single-axis trackers for installation at the power plant from Soltec. Enel started construction of the Piaui solar power project last year. The project is expected to require a total investment of $300 million and generate more than 600 gigawatt-hours electricity annually. The project is expected to be operational by the second half of this year.

Enel already operates an 11 megawatt solar power project in Brazil and is also working on a 254 megawatt project. Together, these three projects will have a combined installed capacity of more than 550 megawatts. Enel has entered long-term agreements for sale of electricity from all these projects.

source: https://cleantechnica.com

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Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway suffers erosion, nearby residents evacuated

In breaking news that occurred over the weekend, the auxiliary spillway at Oroville Dam suffered erosion during high flows, leading to the evacuation of a reported 188,000 nearby residents.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, evacuation orders were delivered to residents surrounding Lake Oroville at about 4:30 pm on Sunday, Feb. 12.
The concern is that erosion at the head of the auxiliary spillway threatens to undermine the concrete weir and allow large, uncontrolled releases of water from Lake Oroville that potentially could exceed the capacity of downstream channels. Lake Oroville is the largest reservoir in the State Water Project, with a capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet. The auxiliary (emergency) spillway has not been used since the dam was finished in 1968.
DWR says it has been monitoring conditions at the main and auxiliary spillways around the clock for signs of erosion that could threaten the integrity of the emergency spillway and allow large, uncontrolled flows to the Feather River.
Water from the auxiliary spillway has eroded the roadway below the spillway.

To lower the lake level, thus reducing flows and the potential for erosion at the top of the emergency spillway, DWR increased flows down the main spillway to 100,000 cubic feet per second from 55,000 cfs. This is the spillway that HydroWorld.com reported on Feb. 10 was damaged, when a cavity opened on the concrete due to erosion. DWR says current releases remain within the capacity of downstream channels.
For comparison, DWR said the morning of Feb. 11 that inflow to the lake was about 95,000 cfs. However, on Feb. 9, DWR reported inflow to the reservoir was about 192,000 cfs, thanks to “a storm that stalled over the watershed.”
Hampered by the erosion to the main spillway, Lake Oroville exceeded the elevation of 901 feet above sea level shortly after 8 am on Saturday, Feb. 11, at which point water began to flow over the concrete weir of the auxiliary spillway.
On Saturday, DWR reported it was focusing on ways to get its 645-MW Hyatt Power Plant, at Oroville Dam, back in operation because 14,000 cfs can be discharged from the plant when it is operating. Power generation was halted when the water levels in the channel that leads from the power plant became high enough to compromise operation.
source:http://www.hydroworld.com