Serious focus on renewable energy has taken time to arrive, but thanks to both R&D and pure economies of scale, production costs have been driven down. Renewables are beginning to look like an attractive business regardless of any government incentives still available. As the oil price has struggled, it has squeezed revenues and forced oil companies to tap new streams of energy to make money. Even outsiders to the energy market are jumping on the renewables bandwagon. Technology giant Apple has invested heavily to create vast solar fields that will power its data servers. Any excess energy can then be sold on the open market. Closer to home, the consequences of investment in renewables are already being felt. For the first time ever, on June 7, more than half of the electricity being produced by the National Grid came from renewable sources. Downstream from power production, the future is arriving at petrol pumps where most of us are best acquainted with the fossil fuels that power our daily lives. 21st century Luddites are unlikely to halt either capitalism or progress. The American solar industry already employs three times as many people as oil, gas and coal combined. The smart money is on a future that is going to be more, not less green.

Telegraph 22nd July 2017 read more »

China, the world’s biggest investor in clean energy, is on pace to install record amounts of new solar this year after adding 24 gigawatts of capacity in the first half amid a push by policy makers to locate electricity production near the point where it’s used. Distributed solar-power projects — the kind of solar found on industrial buildings, malls and schools — accounted for almost a third of the new installations in the period, or 7 gigawatts, Xing Yiteng, deputy section chief in the new energy division at the National Energy Administration, said Wednesday at a conference in Beijing.

Bloomberg 19th July 2017 read more »

Dramatic increase in Nevada solar output as big companies abandon utility in favour of cheap renewables. Solar pv output in the US state of Nevada is heading for a 60 per cent year-on-year increase in electricity output in 2017 compared to 2016 as Nevada increases its lead as the top US state for installed solar pv per person. Nevada, which is heading for getting 10 per cent of its total electricity from solar pv in 2017 could be setting a trend whereby business and residential consumers switch to solar simply because it is the cheapest source of electricity. Of course it is very sunny in Nevada – indeed a given solar panel will generate around twice as much electricity per year in Nevada compared to Northern Europe. But really what’s happening in Nevada is just an advanced guard for other places. That’s because the costs of solar power continue to crash and so what is happening in Nevada will happen in lots of other places very soon. US monopoly electricity utilities are trying to fight back by charging fee structures to consumers that reduce the benefits of installing solar pv. But as much as they do that, the prospect of what are increasingly cheaper battery systems to balance their load is making consumers more and more independent from the conventional electricity generation and supply system. Bill Ellard. a consultant for the US Solar Energy Society describes this as a ‘death spiral’ for the US utilities. The more they fight solar, the more expensive they become for consumers in general and the more people are induced to go solar. Ellard favours developing more microgrid systems so that energy requirements can be balanced more and more on a local level.

Dave Toke’s Blog 21st July 2017 read more »

Demand for solar is expected to surge over coming years, but its growth rate could effectively double if there is rapid uptake of electric vehicles, and as more companies turn to the technology to save energy costs, and more countries reach solar and storage “parity” with grid prices. A new report from leading solar analyst Vishal Shah, at Deutsche Bank, says demand for solar is already expected to increase by 10 per cent a year out to 2022, to around 140GW. But the impact of EVs, solar micro-grids, corporate power purchase agreements and storage parity could see this growth rate more than double, pushing annual demand for new solar power to 250GW by 2022.

Renew Economy 21st July 2017 read more »

Fires involving solar panels are most commonly caused by errors in the installation process rather than any particular technological faults, a new report by both the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the government has concluded.

Solar Power Portal 20th July 2017 read more »

Research into a £2.6 billion offshore windfarm in Moray estimates it will bring £530 million to the Scottish economy. The analysis saw SSE and Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (Bowl), carry out an assessment of the scheme which will result in 84 turbines being installed in the Outer Moray Forth. The project was given consent in March 2014 followed by an investment contract by the UK government in May of the same year. Research on the social return on the investment (SROI) said the £2.6bn investment is expected to add £1.13bn to UK GDP and support full-time employment in the UK. Paul Cooley, SSE head of generation development, said: “As a UK-based energy company we strongly believe that our investment in much-needed energy infrastructure can benefit the wider society. The findings of the report show that our spending on the project will not just benefit the wider UK supply chain, but also the Scottish supply chain and the local communities near the wind farm. Scottish Government Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse said: “On a national scale, the Beatrice project is set to inject £530 million into the Scottish economy, as well as providing clean energy to thousands of homes. “The significant benefits to the Highland and Moray regions will be felt for a long time to come, as those areas are set to benefit from over £6 million in community projects, as well as the creation of over 800 jobs during the construction phase, including assembly work at Nigg Energy Park, and around 90 long-term jobs during the operations and maintenance phase, which will produce a particular boost to employment at Wick harbour.”

Herald 20th July 2017 read more »

Windfarm bosses have insisted that a multimillion pound windfarm off the coast of Caithness will be a boon in terms of jobs and money. They have failed, however, to convince an economist who accused them of exaggerating their claims. Scottish Southern Energy (SSE) and its partners insist the “social return” from the 84-turbine Beatrice project will mean significant job creation and a substantial injection of hard cash for local projects. Based on fresh analysis and economic modelling by NEF Consulting, they conclude that the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (Bowl) scheme will guarantee that “for every £1 invested in community projects, £3.21 will be created in value for the community”.

Energy Voice 21st July 2017 read more »

The Swedish-backed company which wanted to build a new floating wind farm off the coast of Caithness has gone into Administration. Accountants French Duncan have been appointed by petition to Edinburgh sheriff court as Administrators to Dounreay Tri, which had planning permission to build a 10-MW, twin turbine generator. Although registered at Scotland’s Companies House, and trading from an address near Lothian Road in Edinburgh, Dounreay Tri Ltd was backed by Hexicon, the Swedish investment boutique. Neither French Duncan nor Hexicon provided any comment, but a source close to Dounreay Tri said the company had experienced ‘cash flow’ problems but still hoped to recover from Administration and complete construction by 3Q2018.

Scottish Energy News 21st July 2017 read more »

Businesses that invest in decentralised energy systems can enjoy the triple benefit of economic value, security of supply and “telling a good story”, the new chief executive of community energy supplier Mongoose Energy has told edie. In his previous role as head of international NGO the Climate Group, Mark Kenber led the RE100 scheme which gets firms to source 100% renewable electricity. It was revealed by edie earlier this month that the initiative was targeting 500 members by 2020 after passing the 100-member milestone. Kenber, who took the reins at Wiltshire-based Mongoose Energy in April, welcomed the growing number of businesses recognising the financial benefits of sourcing renewable energy. He cited Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with local suppliers as one of the increasingly popular methods for companies to meet renewable energy targets, and also improve CSR credentials. “Businesses sign up to RE100 for broadly financial reasons, they know the economics stack up,” Kenber said. “And if you can get a lot of CSR benefit from it, with a local store buying from the local community, it’s a really good story. A lot of them are looking at that. Now you can get competitive prices which work for both partners.

Edie 20th July 2017 read more »

A £2 billion wind farm off the coast of Fife is one step closer to realisation after a legal appeal was rejected. The Neart na Gaoithe site has been in development since 2009, but has been subject to a long-running court battle. Scottish ministers backed consent for the scheme but the RSPB later won an appeal against the decision, having highlighted concerns about the impact on seabirds such as puffins, gannets and kittiwakes. The court of session sided with ministers in May, paving the way for construction work to start on the 450-megawatt wind farm that could eventually supply enough power for 325,000 homes. However, the RSPB then lodged an application to see if it could take an appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court. It was confirmed yesterday that the bid had been rejected by the inner house of the court o f session. The RSPB could still try to take the case to the Supreme Court, but its chances of success appear slim given the new ruling. Mainstream Renewable Power, the company behind the wind farm, welcomed the latest ruling and said it hoped to begin construction work soon. Andy Kinsella, its chief operating officer, said there would be about 500 jobs supported during the building phase, with more than 100 permanent positions created once the 64-turbine farm begins operating, which could be in 2021. About £540 million is likely to be spent in Scotland during construction, with an additional £610 million over the lifetime of the development.

Times 20th July 2017 read more »

Guardian 19th July 2017 read more »

Norwegian energy giant Statoil said yesterday that the first of five turbines for its pioneering Hywind project is en route to Scotland. The turbine left the assembly yard in Stord, Norway, late Tuesday night and should arrive in the Buchan Deep, 15miles east of Peterhead, in four to five days. The Hywind pilot park will be the world’s first commercial floating wind farm, with the ability to power about 20,000 homes when production starts later this year. The 830-ft tall turbines will be towed individually to Scottish waters in a standing position.

Energy Voice 20th July 2017 read more »