125 replies to this topic

[sunnysky]

Pakistan plans huge desert solar park to fight energy crisis

http://tribune.com.p...energy-crisis/?

 

 

BADAIWANI WALA: For years Pakistanis have sweated and cursed through summer power cuts, but now the government plans to harness the sun’s ferocious heat to help tackle the country’s chronic energy crisis.

 

In a corner of the Cholistan desert in Punjab, power transmission lines, water pipes and a pristine new road cross 10,000 acres of parched, sandy land.

The provincial government has spent $5 million to put in place the infrastructure as it seeks to transform the desolate area into one of the world’s largest solar power parks, capable one day of generating up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

 

The desert park in Bahawalpur district is the latest scheme to tackle the rolling blackouts which have inflicted misery on people and strangled economic growth.

[sunnysky]

The realpolitik behind China's renewables push

http://www.businesss...renewables-push

 

 

While there are many players in these vast new industrial systems in China, there is an over-arching rationale, and that is energy and resource security. In a troubled world, where many of the wars of the 20th century were provoked by the quest for oil and other commodities, and violent conflicts in the 21st century threaten from the same reasons, China’s leadership seems to have taken a 'safety first' approach in building energy security through promotion of renewables.

 

Think about it. You are the Minister for Energy in a fast-developing country with leadership aspirations. Are you going to put your faith in oil and gas deposits far from home, in politically troubled locations that call for military support for every barrel of oil shipped – or in building wind turbine and solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing industries at home that enable your country to generate virtually unlimited power from its renewable wind and solar resources?

 

This is the aspect of the renewables debate that has escaped close attention by energy specialists – but not by China’s leadership. It is not the costs of renewables that matters (of which more in a moment) but the fact that they offer energy security because their expansion depends on a capacity to expand manufacturing industry and supply chains.

[sunnysky]

Britain's stellar solar quarter - 1085 MW

http://www.businesss...-solar-quarter?

 

 

The UK solar PV industry has just completed a record-busting quarter, by some margin, having installed 1085MW during the three-month period from January 1 to  March 31.

 

In fact, new PV installed in the UK has come to life from October 1 last year, after the uncertainty brought about by the anti-dumping case was brought to a conclusion. Since then, the ground-mount segment has sky-rocketed.

[sunnysky]

Scottish government announces £4m green home boost

http://www.businessg...een-home-boost?

[Scsnospam]

It is amazing to me that just the UK installed 1GW+ in one quarter, and that too, in winter. At just this rate per capita, the US should already be at 5GW/quarter, or 20GW+ / year. I don't quite understand what is holding things back.

[BIPV Investor]

Because if the fit rate the UK offers is ridiculous and entirely unsustainable. Them installing 1GW in a quarter is viewed as a negative in my book as it is not a healthy growth rate. It is up to 48 pence a kWh. That is what it takes for a place that receives as little sun as the UK to get rolling on solar. This is not "grid parity" but politics that can end as quick as it began.

[sunnysky]

Where did you get the 48 p/kWh rate? I don't see anything remotely close to it on the below website? If you had factored in the export tariff, it is only 4.64p/kWh.

 

http://www.fitariffs...ligible/levels/

 

And they had just lowered the rates. The rush could be (at lest partially) explained by the new rates becoming effective from April 1st, 2014 though.

[BIPV Investor]

Thanks for posting the link to current fit rates. Somehow I had the old fit rates stuck in my head when I wrote 48 p/kWh. That fit rate hasn't existed since March 2012! Yes the current rates are much more sensible, but still not close to conventional electricity costs. I'm not sure how they decide between the high/medium/low rates for each category.

[explo]

Thanks for posting the link to current fit rates. Somehow I had the old fit rates stuck in my head when I wrote 48 p/kWh. That fit rate hasn't existed since March 2012! Yes the current rates are much more sensible, but still not close to conventional electricity costs. I'm not sure how they decide between the high/medium/low rates for each category.

 

Residential electricity price is above $0.20 in UK (and many other parts of EU).

[BIPV Investor]

Residential electricity price is above $0.20 in UK (and many other parts of EU).

 

Yes I'm well aware of that, but it means there is still a net drag on the system. The cost of maintaining a grid is quite substantial, hence why Germany introduced the pv self consumption tax. It all revolves around what is the long-term model for a utility company as self generating power during peak rate times, coupled with the expectation of having a reliable grid at night costs money and does not jive with utilities current business models.

 

Right now, to a large part, PV is essential freeloading on the existing tax/fees that are collected via traditional utility customers. True grid parity is when pv is nolong free loading, but instead acting as a net positive (from a cost perspective) to the grid.

[explo]

The thing with rooftop PV is that it does not require a big transmission grid as consumption is close to generation. This means that due to transmission savings DG can be allowed higher generation cost than CG.

[thejaq]

Right now, to a large part, PV is essential freeloading on the existing tax/fees that are collected via traditional utility customers.

 

IMO, thinking about the widespread expansion of distributed PV in terms of existing utility models will end in failure.

[explo]

Because if the fit rate the UK offers is ridiculous and entirely unsustainable. Them installing 1GW in a quarter is viewed as a negative in my book as it is not a healthy growth rate. It is up to 48 pence a kWh. That is what it takes for a place that receives as little sun as the UK to get rolling on solar. This is not "grid parity" but politics that can end as quick as it began.

 

More on UK market. Looks like it will give us 5 years of 3 GW annual installations (not much below the 1 GW quarter rate in Q1).

 

UK to install 16 GW by 2018: http://www.pv-magazi.../#axzz2zhaTikwA

[sunnysky]

Renewables seize lion's share of UK energy infrastructure investments

 

Government figures show about £30bn invested in green energy since 2010 with record high of £8bn in 2013

 

http://www.businessg...re-investments?

[odyd]

Solar Frontier bringing 1000 jobs to Buffalo, State to invest $225M.

http://www.wgrz.com/...-solar/8012481/

[odyd]

This Solar Frontier news is huge, when you think of repercussions. It indicates that the US could be a manufacturing location, so why not Chinese corporation which wants to sell modules in the US would not want to build here?

[spiritcraft]

This Solar Frontier news is huge, when you think of repercussions. It indicates that the US could be a manufacturing location, so why not Chinese corporation which wants to sell modules in the US would not want to build here?

Look at the incentives mentioned.  This has to happen for the CN 4

[odyd]

Yes, but do you think they would  get the same treatment?

[spiritcraft]

Yes, but do you think they would  get the same treatment?

I think so.  It is about jobs and it would be like "bringing the jobs back home".  Any Pol would tout that like there is no tomorrow maybe even more since they were bringing back "manufacturing jobs from China"  (even though they were not here in the first place)  I think the spin would be huge for any Senator for instance.

[odyd]

I am not sure Spirit. is there something about the state of China, preventing to receive incentives? It would be beaten to a pulp by conservatives, borderline with homeland security aspect.  Couple years back Chinese wanted to buy into GOM and the merger was rejected on a federal level. They went to Canada and bought high % of oilsands, instead. The political climate in the US is less than friendly I would say for them to get $225M on account of green any site, in my view.