Tag Archive for: renewables

Covering 10% of the world’s hydropower reservoirs with ‘floatovoltaics’ would install as much electrical capacity as is currently available for fossil-fuel power plants.

Floating solar power could help fight climate change

Solar panels need to be deployed over vast areas worldwide to decarbonize electricity. By 2050, the United States might need up to 61,000 square kilometres of solar panels — an area larger than the Netherlands1. Land-scarce nations such as Japan and South Korea might have to devote 5% of their land to solar farms2.

The question of where to put these panels isn’t trivial. There is fierce competition for land that is also needed for food production and biodiversity conservation. One emerging solution is to deploy floating solar panels (‘floatovoltaics’) on reservoirs.

The idea of floatovoltaics holds much promise, and there has been a rapid rise in installation and investments. But there are still many unknowns about the technology’s environmental impacts, along with its social, technical and economic dimensions.

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Source: Nature

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Adoption of rooftop solar panels has surged on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico as it contends with high energy costs and frequent outages.

Why tiny solar projects play an outsized role in powering Puerto Rico

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On a given sunny day in Puerto Rico, more than 37,100 rooftop solar installations—mounted atop homes, gas stations, malls and hospitals—churn out 255 megawatts of electricity.

That’s only about 2.5% of the island’s overall power generation. But collectively, the rooftops might be considered Puerto Rico’s largest clean power plant, dwarfing the 101-megawatt Santa Isabel wind farm, the island’s largest renewable generator.

As the US territory of 3.2 million people scrambles to shift to 100% renewables by 2050, much of the focus has been on utility-scale initiatives. In March, regulators conditionally approved 18 renewable power plants that should produce 884 megawatts by 2024. But even with that additional capacity, the island will still depend on fossil fuels for more than 84% of its electricity.

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Source: Bloomberg

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As demand for renewable energy grows globally, several emerging markets are positioning themselves as leaders in exporting solar power.

Emerging markets could become world leaders in solar exports

As demand for renewable energy grows globally, several emerging markets are positioning themselves as leaders in exporting solar power. Most notably, Indonesia appears to be leading the charge. In recent months five giant solar power-export projects have been proposed in the country.

One project, announced in mid-April, saw Singaporean renewable energy provider Quantum Power Asia and Berlin-based Ib Vogt agree to a $5bn deal to export solar power to Singapore.

The proposal involves constructing a 3.5-GW solar park and a 12-GWh battery storage facility across 4000 ha of land on Indonesia’s Riau Islands. The generated power would then be exported to Singapore via an undersea cable.

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Source: Oil Price

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12,000 solar panels, the size of 4 football pitches floating on Portugal's Alqueva reservoir will produce enough energy to power 1,500 homes.

Biggest ‘floating solar park’ in Europe will open this year in Portugal

Europe’s largest floating solar park will take shape in July this year, in Portugal’s Alqueva reservoir.

Two tugboats are currently moving a vast array of 12,000 solar panels, the size of four football pitches, to their mooring on the reservoir.

Built by EDP, the country’s main utility company, on Western Europe’s biggest artificial lake, the shiny floating island is part of Portugal’s plan to cut reliance on imported fossil fuels whose prices have surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Source: Euronews

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Digital Realty unveiled two power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 158 MW of solar energy in California and Georgia.

Digital Realty to source 158 MW of solar in California, Georgia

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US data centres outfit Digital Realty (NYSE:DLR) today unveiled two power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 158 MW of solar energy in California and Georgia as a step toward 100% renewable electricity.

One of the deals is a 12-year contract that will support a new 130-MW solar project in Kern County, California being developed by US renewables developer Terra-Gen as part of its Edwards Sanborn Solar Storage energy project. The solar-plus-storage facility is expected to be completed late this year.

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Source: Renewables Now

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Solar soars as renewables chip away at American power kingpin gas

US electricity generation from renewable sources will increase to 23% in 2023 from 20% last year, as solar and wind begin to erode the leading market share of natural gas, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

That shift, if lasting, would end the steady market gains of natural gas that began in 2014, enabling it to surpass coal two years later as the leading generation source in the world’s largest electricity market. Renewables will take 22% of the US power market this year.

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Source: RECHARGE

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Solar energy production increased by 20 percent in 2021

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In 2021, Americans used 5% more energy than in 2020, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Last year, Americans used 97.3 quads (quadrillion BTU) of energy, which is 4.4 quads more than last year’s 92.9 quads – equivalent to a 5% increase.

Both 2020 and 2021 annual energy consumption totals are less than 2018 and 2019, where Americans used more than 100 quads per year.

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Source: Solar Industry

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Solar overtakes wind energy for first time in global rush for renewables

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Solar power has overtaken wind for the first time, in the race to develop renewable energy capacity around the globe.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), solar energy now accounts for 28% of the world’s renewable electricity generation capacity, just ahead of wind with 27%. This time last year, the two were evenly matched at 26% each.

The figures come from the latest Renewable Capacity Statistics report, released by the UAE-based organization on April 11.

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Source: Forbes

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