According to the latest figures provided by the Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur, Germany added 1.43 GW of solar capacity in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021. Compared to the previous quarter, solar installation increased by 113 MW (8.56 percent) in the second quarter, up from 1.32 GW. Installations increased 15% year over year to 1.24 GW in Q2 2020, compared to 1.24 GW in Q2 2019.
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Social Investment Managers and Advisors (SIMA) has launched the Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) with a first closure of $68 million and a target closing of about $84 million by the end of the year. The fund intends to help off-grid solar firms and ensure that over 20 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia have access to energy. SIMA will use this fund to give relief loans to institutions who are experiencing financial issues due to COVID-19 disruptions.
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The Ministry of Energy in Ukraine has drafted a new law to set up an auction scheme for large-scale renewables. The new regulations have been introduced to provide technology-neutral, feed-in-premium payments to renewable energy plant operators, in addition to the wholesale electricity price under contracts for difference.
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New analysis by energy think tank Ember reveals that, for the first time, solar panels generated a tenth of EU-27 electricity during their peak months of June and July this year. New records were set in eight EU countries, including Spain and Germany. However, solar panels still generated less electricity than Europe’s coal power plants, even during the height of their summer peak.
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Though the country has tried to attract renewable energy developers since 2011, Vietnam’s renewable energy market only took off in 2018. By the end of 2020, the country’s solar capacity reached 16.5 GW. This report by Energy Tracker Asia goes on a deeper dive into Vietnam’s success story in renewable energy and the opportunities that lie ahead to further accelerate this energy transition in the country.
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Published by A Word About Wind in partnership with UL, this report explores what needs to be done to make offshore wind a more bankable asset, whether the risks associated with the sector are real or perceived. It assesses the likelihood of more oil and gas companies expanding into offshore wind industry. It also analyzes the prospects for projects combining offshore wind and green hydrogen.
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A new national target of 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, set in March 2021, could help illuminate the potential for future U.S. market growth. As the number of projects in the advanced permitting and approval phases now exceeds 11 GW, the first phase of U.S. development is well underway. However, despite the new national offshore wind energy deployment goal, fluctuating policy support, stakeholder concerns, constrained global supply chains, and land-based grid limitations pose challenges that could potentially temper the industry’s progress.
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This report was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. This is a monthly update on solar PV module shipments in the US and provides statistics on various parameters including: Monthly photovoltaic module shipments which includes the total shipments, values, and average values of module shipments by year/month; Source and disposition of photovoltaic module shipment which includes imports and exports at national level; and U.S. photovoltaic module shipments by state/territory.
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The move to Net Zero has become a race as governments, corporations, and societies increasingly advance more ambitious targets to decarbonise and act against climate change. Yet the unspoken reality is that few CEOs or leaders have clear plans to deliver on these goals. Much progress needs to be made to decarbonise at scale and within the timelines proposed.
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Southeast Asia has huge, untapped potential to be a leader in renewable energy. Currently, however, economies in the region are heavily dependent on fossil fuels to meet their energy demand. This was the second of a 3-part series of RENdez-vous for Southeast Asia by REN21. Participants and thematic experts discussed and re-imagined what futures may look like for renewable energy in Southeast Asia.
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The timeline of the work that needs to be done to move cities to net zero carbon is such that it also requires thinking about stewardship and governance. This is ten to twenty years work which doesn’t fit neatly with our typical political cycle. Setting up governance structures in a way that avoids these programmes being derailed by politics every 3 to 4 years is critical to their chances of success.
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The Government of India plans to increase renewable electricity capacity to 175 GW by 2022 and to 450 GW by 2030, but even faster growth will be needed in the following decades to meet ongoing growth in demand and reach climate targets. However, the challenges with integrating higher capacities of renewable energy include the increasing variability of hourly demand, increasing ramping requirements due to the impact of solar on net demand, short-term frequency variations, and local voltage issues.
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According to preliminary results of an upcoming analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to reach a largely decarbonized electricity sector by 2035, solar deployment would need to accelerate to three to four times faster than its current rate by 2030. This brief by the US Department of Energy summarizes the evidence of how key investment in solar research and deployment, along with support from the US Department of Energy, can help realize these opportunities for American workers, consumers, and communities.
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This briefing by the European Environment Agency focuses on the waste aspect of three main renewable energy infrastructure types: solar PV cells for electricity production, wind turbines and batteries for energy storage. This briefing describes the nature and scale of the circular economy aspects, the opportunities and challenges that the deployment of these three technologies brings and how policy can help drive the changes to achieve the best environmental outcome.
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With Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden leading the way on renewables integration we explore the outlook for the Nordic power markets. The Nordics have taken an early lead in the energy transition race. With a heavy focus on renewable power and abundant system flexibility, the region is arguably decades ahead of other markets and will play a pivotal role in wider European net zero ambitions. So, how is the Nordic power mix evolving and what will that mean for power prices in the region?
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The Energy Security Board (ESB) in Australia released its recommendations for the redesign of the national electricity market on August 26, 2021. These were submitted to energy ministers on the Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee (ENCRC) at the end of July 2021. The ESB is recommending four key pathways for reform to manage both the orderly exit of old technologies (especially ageing coal fuelled generation) and pave the way for new technologies.
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Over the last few years, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has placed emphasis on the off-grid component of energy access by funding important pilot projects for the development of mini-grids and for the distribution of Solar Home Systems (SHS) through the EIB Off grid Solar Programme, which has been successful in East and Central Africa. The European Investment Bank, in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance, commissioned this study by Dalberg Global Development Advisors to determine the economic and commercial feasibility for enhancing off-grid solar in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA).
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Sun Cable is all set to expand its mega project with the consortium behind the proposed Australia-ASEAN Power Link (AAPL). The AAPL is expected to export solar energy from Australia’s Outback to Singapore through a submarine transmission link.
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AES Andes, a south American power company, has begun the permitting process for a 258 MW wind farm in Bio Bio, Chile. The Rinconada wind farm is planned to have 43 turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW, as well as the necessary transmission infrastructure.
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In Russia’s Arctic zone, Hevel Energo Servis, a subsidiary of Russian solar energy company Hevel, has installed two off-grid power stations totalling 2.6 MW, combining diesel engines with solar PV and storage systems. The plants are located in the Far East villages of Snezhnoye and Kanchalan in the Chukotka autonomous region.
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