Hive Energy has revealed it is planning to build a solar farm in the UK without subsidy support next summer. The UK-based developer has received planning permission for a 40MW solar farm at Woodington Farm, located on land surrounding the company’s headquarters near Romsey, Hampshire. SPP originally reported on the project back in December 2015 when plans first emerged, with Hive having made a number of concessions to receive consent. The size of the array has been scaled back from original proposals, while bridle paths have been restored and a 25-year biodiversity plan has been put into place. But the development will be most notable given that it is planned to be developed without any subsidy support from the UK government.
Solar Power Portal 17th July 2017 read more »
California is a leader in solar and wind power. The Golden State is well on its way to reaching a self-imposed goal of getting a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, part of an aggressive agenda to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Yet this bold strategy is causing complications. At noon on clear spring days, too much solar power courses through the state’s electrical grid. Generators must pay customers to take excess supply – a condition called “negative prices” – or unplug their plants. Still, California consumers have some of the highest electricity rates in the country. To mop up some of the surplus, California’s grid operator has formed a new marketplace that automatically dispatches power across the US west. The move underlines how the spread of clean power in countries from the US to the UK and Germany has forced energy traders and utilities to respond. The Western Energy Imbalance Market now links the California Independent System Operator (ISO) with seven western states. A utility in British Columbia, Canada, is set to join in 2018 and Mexico’s grid operator is also exploring membership.
FT 18th July 2017 read more »
India’s massive diesel-guzzling railway network is getting serious about its experiments with solar. On July 14, Indian Railways rolled out its first train with rooftop solar panels that power the lights, fans, and information display systems inside passenger coaches. Although the train will still be pulled by a diesel-powered locomotive, a set of 16 solar panels atop each coach will replace the diesel generators that typically power these appliances. The railways estimate that a train with six solar-powered coaches could save around 21,000 litres of diesel every year, worth around Rs12 lakh.
Quartz 17th July 2017 read more »