Month: November 2022

               BayWa’s renewables business has signed a renewables power purchase agreement (PPA) with windows maker Velux Group. The dual-site PPA between BayWa r.e. and Velux will start supplying the roof window manufacturer’s European operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2024. The PPA will support the development of two new solar parks in southern Spain, one close to Seville and the other near Granada. The latter, called Alhendín solar park, includes BayWa r.e.’s first installation of agri-PV technology in Spain, which will allow for crops growing in-between the solar panels. The plants will be grid connected in 2023 and 2024, with 80% of the electricity generated by the plants supplied to Velux, with the remaining share to be exported to the grid.

               Commenting on the project, Lars Petersson, CEO of Velux Group, said: “Velux has always been about bringing daylight into people’s lives, and now we are very excited to apply the use of daylight, or more specifically solar power, to decarbonise our operations with renewable energy in the coming years. “In our company, we have committed ourselves to fight the climate crisis and show sustainable leadership. “And with this agreement, we are well on our way to achieving our aim for a 100% reduction of our emissions from operations by 2030.” The development of both solar plants will include a comprehensive plan and community and environmental measures that will enhance local biodiversity and foster community involvement. To ensure that the parks will always prioritise their local environment and communities, BayWa r.e. will be partnering with nearby universities – namely Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad de Córdoba – to form an interdisciplinary research group whose findings will inform a comprehensive and bespoke site strategy. “This project is so exciting because it perfectly embodies the synergies between new solar generation, Agri-PV, community partnerships and biodiversity. “It also underlines our deep commitment to sustainability initiatives,” said Matthias Taft, BayWa r.e.’s CEO.

Credits: renews.biz[Image: BayWa r.e.]

               The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has signed a $10m grant agreement with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to boost solar in developing countries. Under the agreement, ISA will strengthen its programmes, build capacities in the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDs), and bolster its analytics and advocacy efforts. The broad avenues of collaboration will also include encouraging the exchange of information and best practices, quality assurance of solar products, steps to advance training to strengthen capacities in technological and financial, deployment of solar building awareness for solar energy, and further deploying innovative technologies. Simon Harford, CEO of GEAPP, said: “Energy-poor countries represent about half of the global population. Yet only 6% of all solar PV and wind deployed in 2021 went to these countries. “In fact, only 1% of all wind and solar capacity ever deployed has been installed in Africa. “This is a trend GEAPP is determined to reverse. “We are proud to work with partners such as the ISA to deliver clean energy solutions in cooperation with government, helping tackle climate change and powering more equitable economic growth and sustainable livelihoods.” The ISA-GEAPP partnership will create awareness to “nudge an enabling policy and regulatory environment to support the shift to clean energy”.

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Unsplash/Jeremy Bezange]

                  SolarDuck has been awarded the world´s largest hybrid offshore floating solar power plant at the offshore wind park Hollandse Kust West VII (Netherlands). The company will build a 5MW demonstrator with innovative integrated energy storage solutions with the project due to become operational in 2026. Delivering this project will enable SolarDuck to scale faster, reap the associated cost benefits and ultimately accelerate commercial projects at grid scale. Hybrid offshore wind and OFS projects promise to accelerate the adoption of OFS at scale.

               The complementarities between wind and solar resources as well as making better use of existing infrastructure and the ocean space will drive the growth of hybrid OFS projects. In this way, SolarDuck can have a deeper impact in decarbonising the world, particularly in sunny regions of the world where land is scarce. SolarDuck CEO Koen Burgers said: “This is a flagship project for SolarDuck and an important milestone for the wider OFS industry. SolarDuck, being the first to build a hybrid project at this scale, will demonstrate the robustness of our solution, prove the important role of system integration in building future-fit energy systems, and enable the scaling of the technology to accelerate its adoption.”

Credits: renews,biz [Image: SolarDuck]

               R Power has announced tenders for projects with a capacity of 270MWp for the supply of photovoltaic panels and inverters. The proceedings are open to both Polish and foreign producers and the tenders concern projects located in Poland and Italy. They include the delivery of 530-570Wp bifacial modules, produced by leading manufacturers. At the same time, the company plans to contract the delivery of inverters for the aforementioned projects. R Power plans to conclude contracts for the last quarter of this year. R Power is a leading integrated independent solar power producer in Poland, with a growing presence in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Romania. Its activities cover the entire value chain of the solar energy sector, including the development of photovoltaic power plant projects, photovoltaic power plants engineering, procurement and construction, operations and maintenance and production of green energy (as an Independent Power Producer). The company is currently developing a portfolio of more than 7GWp of PV assets and has a portfolio of limited-risk projects (built, under construction or ready for construction) of approximately 0.8GWp. 

Credits: renews.biz [Image: R Power ]

               Sonnedix has officially expanded into Portugal with the acquisition of a 262MWp solar PV portfolio. The portfolio consists of seven ground-mounted projects under construction or late-stage development with a cumulative capacity of 262MWp throughout the country. During its first year of operation, these projects are expected to produce approximately 415,00MWh a year of clean electricity, capable of powering over 137,000 homes, avoiding over 76,000 tons of CO2.

               This acquisition is its entry-to-market in Portugal, adding diversification to the Sonnedix portfolio and strengthening its position in Europe. Sonnedix chief executive Axel Thiemann said: “This feat demonstrates our long-term commitment to the Iberian Peninsula which is currently being seen as an energy powerhouse in Europe. “It’s a very exciting moment in the industry, and we have all intentions to become a true leader in the energy transition by expanding our presence in Portugal.” Sonnedix currently has a total capacity of close to 8GW worldwide, including a development pipeline of more than 5GW. The company operates more than 180 projects totaling almost 600MW in the Iberic market and has almost 770MW under construction or various stages of development.

Credits: renews.biz[Image: Sonnedix Group ]

               UK developer Harmony Energy has received unanimous approval from Richmondshire District Council for its 40MW solar farm at Skeeby, East of Richmond in North Yorkshire. “We are thrilled this important renewable development can proceed,” said director of Harmony Energy, James Ritchie, adding “as with all our developments there will be an annual community fund to benefit local projects. This is in addition to the significant business rates that will be paid and benefit the wider community.” Ritchie also addressed the cost benefits of using solar power: “One of the great advantages of solar power is that we can build it without taxpayer support thereby helping reduce energy costs and increase energy security in the UK.”

               Harmony Energy is also in the final development stages of a major battery energy storage facility at Pillswood, Yorkshire. Due to be finished this month, the new facility is predicted to have a store capacity of up to 198MWh,which will be fed directly back into the network. This would make Pillswood the largest battery energy storage facility in the UK, according to the company. The development comes soon after Harmony Energy announced plans to place new C shares to fund its pipeline of two-hour duration battery energy storage systems projects.

Credits: solarpowerportal.co.uk (Image: Harmony Energy)

               Iberdrola has completed construction of the Conde plant located in the municipality of Palmela in Portugal. With an installed capacity of 13.5MW, the plant will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of 6,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The installation has 25,000 solar modules that will produce enough clean, cheap and indigenous energy to cover the annual consumption of 5,000 households. The project, which has involved an investment of close to €11m, has generated up to 100 jobs, mostly local. This is the company’s second photovoltaic installation in Portugal, after the 27MW Algeruz II plant, which is already in operation following its commissioning last August in the district of Setubal.

Credits renews.biz[Image: Iberdrola]

               European Energy North America has partnered with Elio Energy to develop a pipeline of 2GW of solar power generation and energy storage in Arizona and surrounding states. The projects are expected to start construction gradually between 2023 and 2025. “Our partnership with Elio Energy is another step forward in EE North America’s growth story. “This portfolio will provide the clean energy that customers demand while also making a significant contribution to meeting net zero goals in the region,” said Lorena Ciciriello, CEO of EE North America. “We look forward to working with Elio Energy on this major investment in the future of energy in region.” “The partnership with European Energy will accelerate the development of large-scale solar and storage projects in Arizona and surrounding states by providing the requisite financial security while supporting the renewable procurement goals of the IOU’s and Cooperatives,” said Daven Mehta, CEO of Elio.  “We have a large pre-development pipeline and are well on the way towards our mutual goals in support of European Energy.” Earlier this year EE North America announced its entrance into the US market to develop 10GW of renewable energy in the US by 2026.

Credits: renews.biz[Image: European Energy]

               The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is to look at the role solar energy technologies can play in the UK’s journey to net zero, in the latest stage of its Technological Innovation and Climate Change inquiry. Solar Energy UK has welcomed the formal opening of a Commons inquiry into solar energy. Members and friends of the association are encouraged to submit evidence by the deadline of 5pm on Thursday 1 December. Solar Energy UK is working on encouraging young people to join the industry and providing them with appropriate training. “The Environmental Audit Committee’s opening of an inquiry into solar energy is most timely, given the rapid growth of the sector this year, a direct consequence of the energy price crisis. “Even so, it is still being held back, particularly by the both the lack of available connections to the grid and trained installers, potential solutions for which we will be discussing with the MPs,” said Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett. He added: “The quicker we can get [solar power] onto the network, the quicker we can get expensive, volatile gas off the grid, delivering a lot of cheap power to consumers,” he told the committee. Electricity generation from solar panels – including their manufacture and construction – are estimated to have a carbon footprint up to 20 times lower than coal or gas with carbon capture and storage.

               The technology of photovoltaic cells is a fast-developing area, the EAC stated, with current and emerging technologies appearing to increase the potential for solar cells on flexible substrates and in locations with varying amounts of light. In its British Energy Security Strategy, the Government outlined plans to increase solar capacity to 70GW by 2035, with initiatives including amending planning rules for ground-mounted solar. The committee stated it is keen to consider whether market capacity for supply and installation is sufficient to meet this demand. Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, MP Philip Dunne, said: “Developing solar technologies for domestic and large-scale use provides a major opportunity to harness this energy, building up domestic energy resilience and helping to meet the UK’s net zero goals. “The UK is way behind other countries in deployment of solar energy generation. “Our Committee wants to find out why, and how we can light the way to a new solar dawn. “Can the supply chain support the anticipated increase in demand for solar installations in response to the rising cost of living and the drive to reach net zero? “Is current storage and distribution capacity limiting the country’s potential to develop solar energy? “Are current incentives sufficient to drive the level of progress required, and what barriers are preventing more rapid uptake? “During our short inquiry we will be considering these issues with experts before putting our findings to Government. “I welcome anyone with views on the potential for solar energy deployment to get in touch with the Committee.”

Credits: renews.biz [Image: Unsplash/Jamie Street]

               Councillors have unanimously backed plans for a 40MW solar farm to be developed at Skeeby, East of Richmond, North Yorkshire, in UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s constituency. Once operating the solar farm will produce sufficient power for 11,500 houses resulting in C02 savings of 21,250 tonnes per year.  Harmony energy director James Ritchie said: “We are thrilled this important renewable development can proceed. “Renewable energy is critical to mitigate the negative impact of climate change and help support the UK’s net zero ambition. “One of the great advantages of solar power is that we can build it without taxpayer support thereby helping reduce energy costs and increase energy security in the UK. “This proposal creates significant biodiversity gains and as with all our developments there will be an annual community fund to benefit local projects. “This is in addition to the significant business rates that will be paid and benefit the wider community.” Harmony Energy is in the final stages of developing a major battery energy storage facility at Pillswood, near Cottingham, in East Yorkshire. When finished this month, the new facility will have the capacity to store up to 198MWh of power to feed directly back into the network, making it the largest battery energy storage facility in the UK.

Credits: renews.biz[Image: Harmony Energy ]