North America
Rail-Free Mounting System Now Available
EcoFasten Solar announced that it launched a new mounting "Rock-It
System" that it would be displaying during Intersolar. Product
compliance was determined through testing per UL Subject 2703, which
reviews integrated grounding and bonding, fire classification and
mechanical loading.
EcoFasten Solar's solar roof mounts and components are designed,
engineered and manufacturered in Morrisville, VT. Working closely with
leading solar developers, racking system providers, roofing
manufacturers and commercial installation companies, the company said
that its products are fast and easy to install and "were designed with
the installer in mind."
Credit: EcoFasten Solar.
FIAMM and Northern Power Team Up To Deliver Energy Storage Solutions
Northern Power Systems is partnering with FIAMM Energy Storage
Solutions to target the growing demand for energy storage systems (ESS)
in the market, especially for North America. A recent Navigant report
indicates the global installed energy storage capacity for the grid is
expected to grow from 538.4 megawatts in 2014 to 20.8 gigawatts in 2024.
Northern Power Systems' FlexPhase power converters complement FIAMM's
SoNick (sodium nickel chloride) storage technology, offering control
features such as load shifting, low/zero voltage ride through, voltage
and frequency droop control, islanding and seamless transition, and
black start, and providing extremely low DC bus ripple. FIAMM SoNick
batteries have a track record of safety and reliability, large energy
capacity with a minimal impact on the environment due to the absence of
toxic materials, and are 100 percent recyclable, according to the
company.
Diego Tebaldi, senior director of global business development at
Northern Power Systems, said that the integration of the company's power
converter into this particular chemistry opens up access to a global
market with strong potential.
Icebreaker Offshore Wind Project To Incorporate Innovative Foundation Design
The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) announced that
the Icebreaker offshore wind project planned for the Ohio waters of Lake
Erie will use an innovative foundation design that was developed in
Europe. Mono Bucket foundations, developed by Denmark-based Universal
Foundation (UF), will significantly reduce installation costs for the
pilot project compared to the modified monopile concept LEEDCo developed
in 2013.
The Mono Bucket foundation is an all-in-one steel structure
consisting of a monopile shaft attached to a large-diameter bucket. It
is installed with a suction system that requires no pile driving or
dredging - eliminating noise and soil disturbance. A prototype has been
supporting a 3-MW turbine in Denmark since 2002. A second prototype has
been supporting a met mast at Horns Rev 2 in Denmark since 2009.
"Universal Foundation's Mono Bucket foundation recently emerged as
one of the most promising technology developments in the European
offshore wind industry," said Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo.
According to Wagner, the Mono Bucket "is lighter than our original
concept, requires significantly less time on the water during
construction, and can be fabricated locally."
UF will join LEEDCo's team to complete the detailed design of the
Mono Bucket foundations for the Icebreaker project. The team will work
closely with U.S. steel fabricators to ensure the design is optimized
for fabrication in the United States. The final design will be complete
in early 2016.
"This is yet another innovation we are bringing to the U.S. offshore
wind industry that will help meet the U.S. Department of Energy's cost
of energy targets," Wagner said. "Not only does it move Icebreaker
forward, it enables the Lake Erie region to become a central hub of the
U.S. offshore wind industry."
In addition to Icebreaker, Mono Buckets are also being considered for a number of European projects.
For more on eliminating noise during offshore wind farm construction, see our feature here.
Europe
Wave Power Device Receives Further Funding
HiWave, a wave-power system developed by CorPower Ocean and nurtured
by KIC InnoEnergy's Highway Programme, has secured in excess of €2
million in investment from the Swedish Energy Agency. The funds will be
used to run tests in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Scotland.
HiWave has demonstrated promising efficiency rates in wave energy
absorption, delivering five times higher energy density compared with
previously developed technology, and at a third of the cost. This new
investment is in addition to €6 million already invested by KIC
InnoEnergy and the Swedish Energy Agency.
KIC InnoEnergy has invested a total of €3 million in the technology
since its inception in 2009. The company has also provided support by
connecting CorPower with Iberdrola Engineering and WavEC for
collaboration, developing its supply chain, putting forward partnerships
with established drive train and cylinder manufacturers, and helping to
structure the company's product verification methodology.
HIWave Concept. Credit: KIC InnoEnergy.
"CorPower has grown from a one person company with a small-scale
prototype to a 12-person team with a proven device that can tap into the
under-utilized power of the ocean," said Patrik Möller, CEO, CorPower
Ocean.
"The ocean has enough power to cover more than 10 percent of the
world's energy demand," says Kenneth Johansson, CEO, KIC InnoEnergy
Sweden, adding that he is proud that "the KIC InnoEnergy innovation
model, based on our international network complementing national funding
agencies, such as the Swedish Energy Agency, has enabled the HiWave
project and the company CorPower to get to this point."
UK Solar Could Rival Fossil Fuel Electricity by 2020
The Solar Trade Association (STA) published its "Solar Independence
Plan for Britain," setting out how the new government could steer
rooftop solar-generated electricity to parity with retail electricity
prices and utility-scale solar farms to parity with new gas CCGT power
station prices, both by 2020.
In the report the STA looks at several different scenarios, and
recommends the government adopt a scenario with a target of 25 GW by
2020. If adopted, the Plan could see 2.1 million solar homes, 24,000
commercial rooftop and community schemes, 2,300 good quality solar farms
and almost 57,000 jobs in solar and its supply chains. Achieving this
breakthrough would in 2020 cost households around £13 per year. Experts
from Imperial College London have independently verified the STA
modeling behind the plan. The Centre for Economics and Business Research
provided job estimates.
The report outlines six changes to existing policy that would double
the amount of solar-generated electricity in 2020 - from 10 TWh under
DECC's Solar PV Strategy to 21 TWh under the STA's Higher Ambition
scenario. This would bring solar to a total of 6.9 percent of U.K.
electricity demand in 2020 as opposed to the 3.4 percent as per the
government's current plan with little extra cost.
The STA's recommended policy steps include adjusting the Feed-in
Tariff (FiT) in the forthcoming review to allow more growth and
gradually bring tariffs for new installations down to zero by 2020. The
STA is also seeking to ensure the Renewables Obligation is safeguarded
for big rooftops and smaller solar farms until March 2017, and that
barriers to the grid are addressed decisively.
The Plan also explains the importance of backing the U.K.'s domestic
industry today with stable and predictable policy support rather than
waiting for international module prices to fall, since modules form an
increasingly small fraction of the cost of installed solar.
Middle East and Africa
Latest SE4All Initiative To Encompass Bioenergy
The Sustainable Bioenergy High-Impact Opportunity (HIO) was launched
in May at the 2nd UN SE4All Forum to facilitate the development and
deployment of sustainable bioenergy solutions.
At the event, partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA) and the
Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) presented a paper with
information about how to implement business models that utilize
bioenergy for electrification and provided policy recommendations to
encourage the uptake of biomass as part of decentralized energy
production.
Due to the sheer abundance of biomass often available in developing
countries, the paper aims to encourage interested stakeholders from
public and private sectors to work towards developing bioenergy
technologies for electrification in areas where there is no conflict
with nutrition and other issues. The paper looks at modern uses for
solid biomass, liquid biofuels and biogas along with practical examples
and best practices of the various bioenergy-based business models
currently being implemented for rural energy access as well as
opportunities for further expansion.
"Power from sustainably produced biomass can contribute in meaningful
ways to increasing the energy access essential for rural economic
development. The ARE-PANGEA report highlights nicely the potential for
biopower production in different ecological and developmental contexts,"
said Gerard Ostheimer, Global Lead, Sustainable Bioenergy UN SE4All
Initiative
Solar PV Costs on Par with Fossil Fuels in Emirates
The UAE's solar energy pricing has now reached parity with fossil
fuel models, making it economically attractive and commercially viable
for the first time ever in the nation's history, according to a recent
"REmap 2030" report published by the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA), in conjunction with Masdar Institute and the UAE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Directorate of Energy and Climate Change.
Solar PV is on par with gas at prices of US $4.50-8.00 / MBtu, which
currently makes solar PV economically viable in the UAE.
Credit: Masdar.
The REmap 2030 puts solar as a critical resource for the UAE, with
different forms of solar energy accounting for more than 90 percent of
renewable energy use in the region. Additionally, the IRENA report
highlights policy as a key enabling factor for renewable energy adoption
and urges government agencies to take holistic, comparative views of
energy costs and act on them.
Solar power, together with other renewable energy sources, could save
the country billions of dirhams annually while introducing innumerable
health and environmental benefits, while also acting to preserve
precious existing fossil fuel resources.
"We believe that, for the UAE and wider Arabian Gulf, solar power is
perhaps the most promising of all renewable energy sources - creating
jobs while preserving existing energy reserves," said Naji El Haddad,
Group Event Director of the annual World Future Energy Summit (WFES)
hosted by Masdar and part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. In 2016, the
event will launch the "WFES Solar Expo," a dedicated area on the show
floor for showcasing solar technology and innovation. More than 150
exhibitors have already confirmed their participation, with global
companies from the wind and solar industries to take part in the
exhibition and discussion proceedings. The World Future Energy Summit
(WFES) 2016 will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
18-21 January 2016.
Asia Pacific
More Solar for Japan with 92-MW Solar Project Announced
Kyocera, Kyudenko and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation announced a
joint investment in Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC, a solar power
operating company, to construct and operate a 92-MW solar power plant on
a site stretching across Kanoya City and Osaki Town in Kagoshima
Prefecture. Once complete, the project will be one of the largest solar
installations in Japan.
The project, which is sited on a never-built golf course, will
accommodate 340,740 Kyocera solar modules, and is expected to generate
roughly 99,230 MWh annually - enough electricity to power approximately
30,500 typical households. Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC will operate the site, and a joint
venture established by Kyudenko and Gaia Power will undertake the
design, construction and maintenance of the solar installation. Kyocera
will supply the modules and Century Tokyo Leasing will arrange financing
for the 35 billion yen (approx. US $290 million) project.
Rendering of the Proposed Plant. Credit: Kyocera.
Construction is set to begin in late 2015 or 2016 and should take about 18 months.
EV Market Set for Big Gains As Asian Manufacturers Drive Down Li-ion Prices
The electric vehicle opportunity is set to expand, as battery
developers like Panasonic drive down prices of lithium-ion (Li-ion)
battery packs by 35 percent to US $172/kWh in 2025, according to Lux Research. However, only the best-in-class players will achieve that cost threshold, while others lag at US $229/kWh.
The estimate is based on a new bottom-up cost model built by Lux
Research in an industry known for being highly secretive about its
costs. The model accounts for differences in battery chemistry, form
factor, production scale, location and other nuances.
"High battery prices have led to some huge missed opportunities in
the electric vehicle market. Now if developers can drive down prices to
$200/kWh or less at the pack level, they have a chance of selling
millions of EVs by the mid- to late-2020s, and reap great revenues,"
said Cosmin Laslau, Lux Research Senior Analyst and lead author.
Lux Research analysts used interviews and research to build out a
cost model for Li-ion batteries and evaluate the new opportunities
emerging for developers and OEMs. Among their findings:
- Competitive gap is widening. Technological innovation and scale are helping leaders like Panasonic, in partnership with Tesla, widen their competitive advantage. While Panasonic-Tesla and China's BYD will achieve $172/kWh and $211/kWh at the pack levels, respectively, the Nissan-AESC partnership risks falling behind at $261/kWh unless it changes technologies and production strategies.
- Disruptive Li-rich NMC will deliver more gains. In 2025, a disruptive Li-rich NMC would bring in cost gains of $17/kWh over conventional NMC/graphite cells. While scale-up efficiencies like Tesla's "Gigafactory" remain a key strategy, geographical location and technology like high-voltage cathodes are also key factors.
- Some benefits will reach stationary storage market, too. Li-ion cost reduction will positively impact the stationary storage market as well. However, it will not address added costs like the power conditioning system, land, construction and integration. Therefore, installed stationary systems spanning from residential to grid-scale will range from $655/kWh to $498/kWh in 2025, respectively.
The report, titled "Crossing the Line: Li-ion Battery Cost Reduction
and Its Effect on Vehicles and Stationary Storage," is part of the Lux
Research Energy Storage Intelligence service.
Latin America
Companies Eye Chilean Renewables Mkt
Chile holds significant potential for renewable energy development,
with a long-term shortage of power and industries that consume large
amounts of power, like mining. The wind and solar resources in Chile are
plentiful, creating many opportunities for the growth of renewables.
To harness this potential, renewable energy company SgurrEnergy
formed partnerships with two South American energy companies to develop
renewables opportunities in the Chilean market. SgurrEnergy, a Wood
Group company, will combine its global renewable energy expertise with
the local knowledge and experience of new partners, Coener and Mankuk,
to drive forward the renewable energy market in Chile.
Coener and Mankuk both provide engineering solutions to clients on projects in Chile. SgurrEnergy has a wealth of experience working in Chile including
performing the role of lender's engineer for an onshore wind farm, which
required that the company perform an independent energy yield forecast,
review of financial models, site visits and contract reviews.
Brazil and Chile To Install More than 15 GW of Renewables by 2017
Brazil will spearhead renewable energy additions in South America to
2017, with the country's cumulative installed capacity expanding from
19.8 GW in 2013 to over 32.9 GW by 2017 according to GlobalData. The
company's latest report also states that Chile will see the fastest
increase in renewables over the forecast period, with cumulative
installed capacity rising from 1.06 GW in 2013 to 5.37 GW by 2017, at an
impressive CAGR of 50 percent
GlobalData's Ankit Mathur said "Brazil is looking to increase power
generation from renewable energy sources and is aiming for 10 percent of
its annual generation to come from these sources by 2020. In order to
achieve this target, the Brazilian government introduced the Program of
Incentives for Alternative Electricity Sources (Programa de Incentivo a
Fontes Alternativas de Energia Elétrica; PROINFA) in 2002 to boost
renewable energy adoption.
"The first phase awarded auctions for 3.3 GW of wind, biomass and small and medium-sized hydropower plants." While biomass accounted for the largest share of Brazil's renewable
energy mix with 50.1 percent in 2014, wind power capacity is expected to
become the new leading sector with a 41.4 percent share in 2017, up
from 27.3 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, renewables are expected to see the largest growth in
Chile's overall power sector, with the country beginning to harness its
significant potential in solar, wind and geothermal power.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/print/volume-18/issue-4/departments-columns/regional-news.html
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