The Atlantic Council says that the DOE's announcement represents the most substantial public investment in US hydrogen and noted that California and Texas are the hubs of clean hydrogen activities, with a future outlook for blue hydrogen. However, the council mentioned a missed opportunity for hydrogen use in long-haul trucking. To address this, the Atlantic Council made recommendations for policymakers, suggesting a focus on cost sharing for demand-side projects within the H2Hub funding derived from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

From pv magazine Germany

Germany installed 919 MW of new PV capacity in September, according to the latest figures from the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). This compares to 1,056 MW in August and 750 MW in September 2022.

In the first nine months of this year, developers connected 10.72 GW of solar to the grid, compared to 5.6 GW in the same period a year earlier.

This means that the German government's goal of achieving a newly installed capacity of 9 GW for this year has already been exceeded. With a view to the goal of a cumulative installed capacity of 215 GW by 2030, the monthly increase – viewed linearly – would have to be 1,578 megawatts, as determined by the Federal Network Agency. This value has not been reached in any month so far this year.

The country's cumulative solar capacity surpassed 77.67 GW at the end of September.

In September, the combined capacity of rooftop systems supported with feed-in tariffs or market premiums totaled 666 MW. This is also the lowest value since February and a significant decrease compared to previous months when there were more than 800 MW in this segment – with the peak value of almost 937 MW having been reached in June.

Reduced moisture in the Amazon delivered clear skies and increased irradiance across the tropics of South America. Solar assets in the region saw 110-120% of average monthly irradiance through September.

A strong and slow-moving storm early in the month lessened irradiance in southern Brazil, but the rest of mid-latitude South America saw mostly normal irradiance, according to data collected by Solcast, a DNV company, via the Solcast API. The Altiplano Plateau saw the highest irradiance for the whole continent. This is in line with historical averages, as the area records some of the highest irradiance levels in the world.

In September the tropics saw higher irradiance than usual. This was due to clearer skies caused by the current drought in the Amazon. The northeastern part of the Amazon has been dry since mid-July, resulting in reduced moisture in the rainforest and less evapotranspiration. This is a major source of moisture fuelling cloud formation over rainforest regions.

The region saw regular cumuliform clouds typical of tropical regions, but not the large storms and rainfall events that are typical of the start of the wet season in September. The rivers in the Amazon are reported to be at their lowest level in over a century as there has been a lack of rainfall and ensuing dry conditions in recent months. This has been exacerbated by warm conditions, as South America recorded the warmest September extending from heatwaves.

The Brazilian southern states of Rio Grande de Sul and Santa Catarina saw reduced irradiance. It recorded 10-20% below September averages and is due to an unusually strong extra-tropical cyclone. The storm moved onshore from the Atlantic in early September, and it’s slow-moving nature meant the irradiance impacts were more focussed and intense. Most of the remainder of mid-latitude South America saw much more moderate irradiance at or slightly below the long-term average.

Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with a typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 300 companies managing over 150 GW of solar assets globally.

From pv magazine USA

FERC's new energy infrastructure report shows that solar holds the largest share of capacity additions in the energy mix in the United States. 

In the January-August period, just under 9 GW of solar capacity was added, representing 40.5% of all capacity additions. This represents 36% growth year on year. 

Wind power provided an additional 2.7 GW, accounting for about 12.5% of new capacity additions. When including solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, renewable energy sources contributed 54.3% of capacity additions. 

Much growth lies ahead for decarbonized energy to push out fossil fuel sources. For total available installed generating capacity, natural gas remains the leader. More than 44% of available electricity generation capacity comes from natural gas, followed by coal, wind, hydropower, and solar.

FERC forecasts strong growth in solar for years to come. It expects more than 83 GW of “high probability” solar capacity additions through August 2026. This dwarfs the 4 GW of natural gas additions expected through that date. 

FERC said that the 83 GW of “high probability” solar additions may be quite conservative. There are more than 214 GW of solar additions in the three-year project pipeline. 

Natural gas has 564 GW available installed capacity today, while solar has 92 GW. Looking ahead three years, if solar were to add all the projects in the pipeline to the grid, it would reach 306 GW. The figures suggest that with a healthy ramp-up of projects, solar could feasibly push out natural gas as the No. 1 provider of electricity by 2030. 

Reaching status as the number one provider of electricity will take significant funding. A report from Rhodium Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that the United States’ total investment in clean energy, clean transportation, building electrification and carbon management reached $213 billion over the last year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023). 

The $213 billion invested represents a 37% leap over 2021-22 investments of $155 billion. Clean investment continues to strongly increase each year. In 2018/2019, total investments reached $81 billion, and it has climbed every year since.  

Domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies has become an increased focus in recent years, and rich tax credits and incentives have served as an attracting force. Manufacturing investments totaled $39 billion in 2022/2023, more than doubling the $17 billion invested in the previous report period.  

Solar represented the largest energy and industry investment category in the second quarter of 2023, attracting $8.62 billion. This was followed by storage with $4.08 billion, and wind with $2.03 billion.

According to Siemens Energy, hydrogen is produced on site with a 1 MW electrolyzer, stored in a 1 ton tank to power a Siemens Energy SGT-400 industrial gas turbine.

From pv magazine 10/23

Solar installations in India have been steadily rising since March 2023. As per official numbers, India installed 9 GW (AC) of solar capacity from January to August 2023, which is around 12 GW of DC capacity, according to estimates. These installation numbers reflect many projects that were originally supposed to be built in 2021 and 2022 but were hindered by high equipment prices.

A government-approved relaxation of restrictions imposed by the approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) – which indicates which products can be included in government-backed projects – has accelerated Indian PV installations, helped also by falling module prices.

The start of 2023 looked a bit gloomy for India, compared with the usual pattern of a strong first quarter each calendar year. Module price and availability prevented many projects from being completed. In May, after the SNEC solar trade show in China, the market turned around. Module prices, excluding import duties, quickly dropped below $0.18 per watt (W) and continued to fall, reaching less than $0.15/W in the July to September period. Installers took the chance to complete pending projects, driving the current installation boom, which is likely to continue through the first three months of next year.

Rising imports

Local developers have grabbed the opportunity offered by module price declines to order in bulk. We believe that will lead to a strong upswing in module imports in the final three months of this year and the first three months of 2024. These modules will go into projects in the first part of next year and possibly even further out, depending on how legislation evolves.

Current regulation allows for government-tendered projects to include modules not named on the ALMM list, until March 31, 2024. Modules imported before that deadline but not installed will not be eligible for installation on government-aided projects. Developers are trying to persuade the government to extend that deadline by another three months, to give them more flexibility in terms of orders and imports.

Expanding production

Module manufacturers have ramped up India’s solar panel output, with annual production capacity expansions driven by national local-content policies. Annual module manufacturing capacity in India has already crossed the 20 GW mark but the factory utilization rate remains below 50% to date. That means, with local manufacturers having brought their prices closer to the cost of imported modules (plus basic customs duty), they will not be able to meet demand.

The fall in imported solar cell prices has resulted in a strong spike of cell imports over the past few months, which is likely to boost solar module-assembly factory utilization rates. The share of Indian-manufactured modules in new installations is expected to increase accordingly, especially after March 2024.

The combined generation capacity of imported and locally manufactured modules is still not enough to supply the 60 GW (AC) or so of solar projects that the Central Electricity Authority reports as being at some stage of construction.

Projects corresponding to more than two thirds of this capacity are unlikely to obtain modules before March 31, 2024. Hence, most developers of government-backed projects will need to procure modules included on the ALMM list. Such constraints on module procurement put the solar project pipeline at risk of delays.

In parallel with the government-backed PV project pipeline that dominates the Indian solar market, there is also growing interest among commercial and industrial electricity consumers seeking to procure solar power via on-site systems or private power purchase agreements. As these are not limited by ALMM list requirements, these segments of the solar industry are in position to benefit from possible module inventories in 2024. India’s PV deployment is, hence, set to diversify further across different market segments.

Given the high number of PV projects waiting to be commissioned and the level of module imports expected for the rest of the year, S&P Global Commodity Insights forecasts India will have installed 20 GW of solar this year. Solar installations in 2024 could be even higher than our forecast, depending upon government policy and possible further ALMM relaxations. Deadline extensions are possible, as we have seen previously in India’s solar power market.

About the author: Josefin Berg is an associate director for solar research at S&P Global Commodity Insights, leading a team that covers forecasts, trends, and company strategy in the downstream solar market. Her focus areas include developers and engineering, procurement and construction business strategies, demand for PV in emerging markets, and the role of solar in the power mix. With more than 12 years of industry experience, she writes reports on PV markets and trends and regularly speaks at industry events.

From pv magazine Australia

Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has harnessed sub-millimeter ceramic particles to store energy in a concentrated solar thermal system. Its pilot plant in the state of New South Wales has successfully reached temperatures of 803 C through this method.

The agency said the novel concept increases temperatures in the process from 500 C to 800 C, and possibly more than 1,000 C. This holds promise for decarbonizing heavy industry, which can require extreme heat for processing. It also overcomes some of the limitations of heat transfer fluids traditionally used in concentrated solar thermal (CST) technologies, said the CSIRO.

To continue reading, please visit our pv magazine Australia website. 

From pv magazine India

NGEL has tendered an EPC package with land for the development of 300 MW of solar projects. The projects can be located anywhere in India and must be connected to the interstate transmission system.

MSPGCL has started accepting bids for an EPC package with land for 600 MW(AC) of grid-connected, ground-mounted solar PV projects under the RE Bundling Scheme. The projects can be located anywhere in Maharashtra.

From pv magazine USA

Flexrack by Qcells and Alltrade Industrial Contractors, an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, are partnering on the construction of two solar projects in Alberta, both with bifacial solar modules on fixed-tilt trackers.

The 81 MW Scotford project is expected to be the largest behind-the-meter solar project in Canada. Additionally, the 101 MW Saddlebrook project includes the future addition of a flow battery energy storage system, projected to be one of the first of its kind in North America.

The projects are currently under construction and are providing hundreds of local jobs. Both projects are expected to complete construction by the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Saddlebrook project will be owned and operated by an energy infrastructure company, with operations in natural gas, oil and power industries. The project is partially supported by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA). Projects range from new solar opportunities in coal-impacted communities to electrification of transportation to energy storage and more.

Once complete, the electricity produced by the Saddlebrook project will feed into the Alberta Interconnected Electric System (AIES) through a new 138 kV substation located on the project land. In total, the project is expected to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 73,600 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or the equivalent of taking nearly 16,000 cars off the road.

Alltrade is constructing the Saddlebrook Solar Project in a joint venture partnership with SkyFire Energy, a solar contractor serving Western Canada.

The 81 MW Scotford project is expected to power a global oil producer’s refinery complex, which supports the fossil fuel company in achieving its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The project is expected to contribute approximately $200,000 a year on a levelized basis to the Strathcona County local government and school system.

“We are excited to be able to work alongside our longtime partners at Alltrade in Canada again to both support fossil fuel companies in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as well as deliver more renewable energy to local communities,” said Ken Mack, head of Flexrack by Qcells.

Flexrack by Qcells offers custom-designed, fixed-tilt ground-mount and single-axis solar tracking systems in the commercial and utility-scale solar mounting industries. The company has completed more than 4 GW of solar racking installations in over 40 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and across the globe. One of its notable projects is the 1.3 MW Jimmy Carter Sumpter project in Plains, Georgia.

Alltrade provides EPC services, specializing in ground-mount solar. The company has 1 GW of utility-scale project experience in Canada.

From pv magazine USA

Many large solar projects sell their electricity via PPAs, typically for time frames of about 25 years. According to LevelTen Energy's latest quarterly report, PPA prices are now rising in the United States.

LevelTen said developers face rising costs across the board, from financing and interconnection to labor and supplies. This has tempered the boost from federal tax credits made available by the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The report attributed the 4% quarterly jump in solar PPA prices to price increases for independent system operators like PJM Interconnection, Southwest Power Pool  (SPP), and ISO-New England. While price increases in the recent quarter were lower than in some previous quarters, cumulative price increases are making it more difficult for corporate buyers to secure CFO approval, it said.

“Developers are looking to find ways to provide buyers with some pricing relief, but this is exceedingly difficult amid a wide array of development and financing challenges,” said Gia Clark, senior director of strategic accounts, LevenTen Energy. “Expectations of a prolonged high interest rate environment are pushing developers’ costs up across the board, with energy players of all sizes feeling the heat.”

Prices in the Texas ERCOT region fell this quarter, down 4%. In the second quarter, threats from anti-renewables bills led developers to include risk premiums in their prices. Those regulatory threats have since diminished, and average prices have come back down in response.

Image: LevelTen Energy

To continue reading, please visit our pv magazine USA website.

A group of researchers led by China's Nanjing University has created a global-scale inventory map to determine the spatio-temporal distribution of floating photovoltaics.

“Existing statistical reports on water-surface photovoltaics (WSPV) only provide aggregated summary statistics but lack spatiotemporal information, which hinders the environmental assessment and policy management,” the research's lead author, Shanchuan Guo, told pv magazine. “We developed a new and adaptive workflow for identifying WSPV using satellite imagery and integrating multiple spectral indices.”

In the paper “Mapping global water-surface photovoltaics with satellite images,” published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, the research group explained it combined multi-source data and mapping results to assess the geographic distribution and characteristics of WSPV s and produce an an up-to-date spatial database.

The water mask was based on the global surface water dataset (GSW) created by the European Union's Joint Research Centre (JRC), which provides the annual spatial distribution of surface water from 1984 to 2020.

“WSPVs are spectrally distinct from most land cover types and can be identified by remote sensing once they are larger than the satellite pixel size,” the scientists specified. “We used Google Earth images and Sentinel satellite imagery from 2019 to 2021 to examine and modify the type changes of WSPV validation samples over three years, and finally obtained the annual correctly labeled validation samples.”

The academics claim that the proposed approach enables the mapping of WSPVs over large areas at high resolution. They found that the water areas covered with floating PV installations increased from 187.0 km2 to 272.0 km2 between 2019 and 2021. They also estimated estimated a global installed WSPV capacity of 12.9 GW.

“The results advanced the understanding of the global spatial-temporal dynamics of the recent WSPV development and will be useful for informing future global and regional renewable planning and management for policymakers and project stakeholders,” they stressed.

The research group also hosted scientists from Michigan State University and the Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Researchers led by the German University of Technology in Oman have looked into the effect of dust accumulation on PV systems and claim to have identified an optimal cleaning cycle in economic terms.

The scientists have conducted the research on an experimental setup located in an area next to their campus. “The research might be valid to countries with dry weather, humidity during summer, and high temperature,” the research's corresponding author, Ali Al Humairi, told pv magazine. 

“Photovoltaic energy is considered the most viable renewable energy source in the Middle East and North Africa region due to the high solar irradiation level and the number of clear sky days during the year,” the group said. “However, environmental factors such as dust limit the optimum utilization of the source.”

The experimental setup included two identical strings of nine PV modules connected in series, with one string being dry-cleaned daily and the other not. The 5.85 kW ground-mounted system was south-oriented and had a tilt of 17 degrees. The modules were based on polycrystalline cells, and each had a peak power of 325 W. The system included an inverter with 98.5% efficiency.

The observation of electrical and weather parameters began in November 2020 and ended in April 2021. “The experiment was conducted in the winter and spring seasons, which generally have less soiling rate and air contamination,” the researchers explained.

Comparing the cleaned string to the non-cleaned string, the academics found that dust led to up to a 28% reduction in the PV current performance and up to a 24.2% reduction in the PV power. Overall, the average difference in the current performance was 14%, and in PV output it was calculated at 11%.

“The difference between the uncleaned and the cleaned modules’ output current has increased exponentially during this period,” they said regarding the current. “In November, the difference in current is about 2%, which increased with time; in December and January, it is about 5% and 10%, respectively. The momentum intensity slightly dropped in February and recorded a difference of 18%. This was followed by a less momentum increment in March and April, resulting in a difference of 22% and 28%, respectively.”

As for the PV power output, they found no substantial effect in the first three months, with the difference being 0.1% in November, 1.9% in December, and 7.7% in January. However, it was much more noticeable in the next three months – with a 14.7% difference in February, 19.3% in March, and 24.2% in April.

For its economic analysis, the team used a fixed rate tariff of $0.11 per kWh. The cleaning rate was set at $1.30 per hour per worker, and according to the paper, one person could clean the whole system in one hour. Using this data, they have found the recommended cleaning interval to be once every one or 1.5 months, resulting in 8 to 12 cleaning cycles per year.

The group presented its findings in the paper “Experimental Investigation Of The Soiling Effect On The PV Systems Performance And The Cleaning Intervals In Oman,” published in Solar Energy Advances. It also included scientists from the Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat University, and Germany’s Duisburg Essen University.

“The effect of the accumulated dust was evident in the third month of the experimental period, indicating the necessity of conducting a cleaning cycle for fewer than three months to avoid losses,” the researchers concluded. “However, the results could vary depending on the location, season, geographical and meteorological conditions.”

The turbulent weather seen in recent months across Europe and beyond – crippling heatwaves, thunderous storms, and catastrophic floods – has once again highlighted the need to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon footprint, and to transition to net zero as quickly as is humanly possible.

The United Kingdom government’s U-turn on some of its net zero commitments has placed an even greater emphasis on the role local authorities can and must play in creating a cleaner, healthier environment.

Members of the Key Cities network have shown a high level of ambition and proactive action in terms of achieving net zero, with many developing strategies, forming strong partnerships between community and private enterprise, and delivering successful projects across various sectors.

Crucial to these efforts is the development of sustainable energy. One technology which has attracted the attention of our Key Cities members has been solar power. Along with wind, solar offers the promise of renewable, sustainable energy and the creation of the infrastructure needed to collect and channel it is almost certain to lead to the creation of thousands of new, well-paid jobs.

Like many people, members of the Key Cities network were interested to hear, earlier in the year, of government plans to back technology which would, in effect, collect energy from the sun out in space using satellite-mounted panels and beam it back down to Earth.

It will doubtless take years to develop but as scientists work on this and other schemes to develop much-needed sustainable energy security, closer to home, Key Cities members have been making their own contribution toward greening our energy and power networks.

Findings

As spelled out in our “Levelling Up, Emissions Down: Accelerating Net Zero across the Key Cities” report, the United Kingdom has made significant progress in lowering carbon dioxide emissions in the last 30 years, with a reduction of 73.4% between 1990 and 2021, largely as a result of the closure of coal fired power stations and increased investment in low-carbon energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear energy.

There is still much work to be done but many of our network members have already embraced the challenge of creating more sustainable energy solutions. As well as having a significant environmental impact in these areas, these examples highlight the potential of solar power, should it be adopted more widely across the country. The English city of Wolverhampton has worked with the its local National Health Service hospital trust to install a 6.9 MW solar farm on a former landfill site to direct renewable energy to the hospital, meeting 70% of its electricity needs. In the English town of Blackpool, a major solar farm located alongside the city’s airport will provide sustainable energy to a nearby business enterprise zone.

In the Welsh city of Newport, a partnership with the Sustainable Communities Wales initiative driven by environmental charity Severn Wye and the Wales Cooperative has ensured 2,000 solar panels will be installed at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome. This is expected to reduce the city council’s carbon emissions by 348 tons per year and will generate 1,973,MWh of electricity annually.

Funding secured through United Kingdom government body the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) has enabled the English metropolitan borough of Salford to install 2,562 solar panels on 21 public buildings across the city, generating 778 MWh per year. Four sites have also had battery energy storage systems installed and the 3.79 hectare Little Hulton solar farm, also funded through the PSDS, will triple energy generation.

These are encouraging examples but challenges remain. According to national electricity network operator National Grid, the United Kingdom government’s target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030 will require six times the amount of transmission infrastructure that was delivered in the past 30 years.

Local projects also require changes to the grid. One city in the Key Cities network is aiming to deliver 300 MW of renewable energy to meet its net zero targets; to date it has delivered 50 MW, with another 100 MW in the pipeline. Without an upgrade to the grid, however, it is unable to deliver more than this until post-2028 at the earliest, which will result in the city being unable to meet its net zero targets.

Economic benefits

The path to net zero is not only being driven by a need to address the encroaching climate crisis. Net zero solutions increasingly offer returns to the economy, over and above the economic benefits of preventing global warming. For example, renewable energy generation increasingly competes in cost terms with fossil fuels while the prices of solar and onshore wind have fallen by 88% and 68%, respectively, since 2010.

Investing in net zero solutions will have a range of other economic and social benefits, including job creation, improved energy security, and improved public health due to a fall in air pollution. Clearly, the road to net zero is not only essential to prevent climate change, but also to support the economies of places around the United Kingdom.

While local authorities are making significant contributions to achieve net-zero, greater autonomy through devolved powers and funding would significantly expedite progress and help overcome challenges such as capacity building across councils and the clarification of roles in the national net-zero transition. This is where the power of the network comes in, enabling Key Cities to harness the talents of both the community and the private sector, leading the charge towards a sustainable energy network and a climate-conscious future.

About the author: Cllr John Merry is chair of the Key Cities network and deputy mayor of Labour-led Salford City Council.

A group of researchers from the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) in Pakistan has developed a PV system fault forecasting technique based on variations in solar cell current and voltage parameters.

“Existing fault detection techniques detect faults after their occurrence,” the research's lead author, Ihsan Ullah Khalil, told pv magazine. “Our proposed fault forecasting technique forecasts the fault so that predictive maintenance can be assured. It uses the rate of change of solar cell parameters to identify which fault is occurring.”

According to Khalil, solar cell parameters start changing even before a fault occurs. “The IV curve is divided into 172,000 data points, so we get 172,000 values of I and V,” he further explained. “Then, by using each value of I and V, and the values of Im and Vm, we extract the same number of values for each solar cell parameter. Finally, we model the rate of change of each variable for the first 100 data points. For the first hundred data points, I and V are almost the same up to the first decimal point.”

The proposed algorithm is claimed to be able to extract cell parameters at either no faulty conditions or faulty conditions and to sense fault at its inception level.

Machine learning-based regression techniques are used for the model, which the scientists said is able to detect variation trends of each parameter against each fault at the inceptive stage. The algorithm initially models the initial trend against a single voltage, current, and power value. It then splits the data set and models the variation of solar cell parameters using four variants of linear regression. “Linear regression has given excellent results,” Kahlil said. “One of the major contributions is introducing a lemma for the fault index formula that is not been discussed in the literature before.”

The scientists claim that the results demonstrate that the solar cell extraction method they used offer superior performance compared to existing forecasting techniques, as it analyzses the variation in cell current and voltage for the detection of faults at an incipient stage. “The significance of the proposed algorithm rests in its early fault detection capability, which contributes to the development of adaptive protection systems for photovoltaic installations,” stated the researchers.

Their findings were introduced in the study “A novel procedure for photovoltaic fault forecasting,” published in Electric Power Systems Research.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new system design for spectral-splitting concentrator agrivoltaics (SCAPV)

The system is based on the spectral separation of sunlight based on the difference in the spectral response of photovoltaics and photosynthesis. According to this principle, red and blue wavelengths are used for photosynthesis as they match the absorption peaks of plant chlorophyll, while all other wavelengths are used for concentrated power generation.

In the study “Large-scale and Cost-efficient Agrivoltaics System by Spectral Separation,” published in iScience, the scientists explained that the proposed system utilizes a dual-axis tracking technology with concentrator modules that optimize the cell components and the concentrating curve.

The 10 kW system occupies a surface of 400 m2 and consists of 128 concentrator modules, each integrating an ultra-white and toughened concentrating curved glass (CCG), a multilayer polymer film (MPF), which the researchers said is the key component for achieving spectral separation. Furthermore, 23%-efficient interdigitated-back contact (IBC) crystalline silicon solar cells with a concentration ratio of 6% were provided by Sunpower.

“These cells were cut into 1/3 strip PV cells (41 mm × 125 mm) and then connected in series using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) along with PV glass and a backboard, resulting in the formation of PV modules consisting of 24 such strip PV cells,” the scientists said, noting that solar cells with a higher concentration ratio would have resulted in higher system costs. Their selection process also took into account the spectral shift characteristics of the MPF, processing cost, module size, and holder height.

The concentrator photovoltaic panel consists of a back side receiving concentrated sunlight from the concave screen and a front side receiving direct sunlight. The tracking system uses two motors to control the angle of the spotting module for both azimuth and altitude angle tracking.

“The concentrator modules on the entire main beam square tube are driven via a drive shaft,” the researchers explained. “Integral brackets on the lower part of the concentrator module support the weight of the concentrator modules and wind/snow loads, and the weight is transferred to the primary beam through the north-south swing arm rotation shaft and the swing arm weldment.”

The SCAPV system was placed horizontally at a height of 2.5 m to allow small farm machinery to pass below it.

The system was tested in outdoor conditions in Anhui, China, and was found able to produce 107 MWh of electricity per hectare. Its overall system efficiency reached 11.6%, which the scientists said is the highest efficiency ever recorded for the spectral separation technology.

“Field planting experiments showed that five crops (ginger, peanut, sweet potato, bok choy and lettuce) had an average yield increase of 18.4% under SCAPV compared to open-air systems,” stated the research group. “The microclimate at the bottom of the SCAPV system, especially the soil moisture retention capacity in the daytime, was better than in the open air.”

The scientists believe that the costs of the system may decrease by 18.8% if around 1 GW of SCAPV capacity is deployed globally. They noted that the cost of the MPF currently accounts for around 50% of the system costs.

“Nevertheless, the laboratory's four-pronged plan – mass production of an autonomous film processing process, optimization of mechanical structures, development of lightweight modules, and the realization of scale effect – points towards heightened economic viability,” they concluded.

Solar photovoltaic, solar thermoelectric and wind energy production

In the week of October 9, solar energy production decreased compared to the previous week in the main European electricity markets. The largest drop, 23%, was registered in the Portuguese market. In the other markets, the drop in solar energy production ranged from 19% in Germany to 8.1% in Italy.

Despite the weekly drop in solar energy production related to the seasonal change, when comparing solar photovoltaic energy production in the first half of October 2023 with the same period in previous years, since 2019, the record was broken in all analyzed markets.

During the first half of October 2023, the highest photovoltaic energy production, 2036 GWh, was registered in the German market, an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2022 and 62% compared to 2019. In Mainland Spain, photovoltaic energy production for the first 15 days of October 2023 was 1613 GWh, an increase of 37% and 286% compared to the same period in 2022 and 2019, respectively. The lowest production, 160 GWh, was registered in Portugal, but still represented an increase of 33% compared to 2022 and 228% compared to 2019. For the week of October 16, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s solar energy production forecasts, solar energy production is expected to decrease in the analyzed markets.

In the case of wind energy production, the week of October 9 brought a week‑on‑week increase in most of the markets analyzed at AleaSoft Energy Forecasting. The largest increase, 51%, was registered in the French market. In this market, 261 GWh was generated with wind energy on Friday, October 13, which is the highest value registered since the beginning of August. In the other markets, the increase ranged from 8.6% in Germany to 43% in Italy. The exceptions were the markets on the Iberian Peninsula, where overall wind energy production fell by 12% compared to the previous week.

For the week of October 16, AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s wind energy production forecasts indicate that wind energy production will increase in all analyzed markets, except for Germany.

Electricity demand

During the week of October 9, electricity demand increased compared to the previous week in most of the main European markets. Increases ranged from 0.6% in the Belgian market to 6.2% in the German market. In the case of Germany, the rise was related to the recovery of the labor rate after the previous week’s celebration of Germany’s Unity Day on October 3. Something similar happened in Portugal, where Portugal's Republic Day was celebrated on October 5, which favored a 5.3% increase in demand in that market in the second week of October.

On the other hand, demand fell in only two of the main European electricity markets. In Spain, the drop was 7.6%, and it was related to the celebration of Spain's National Day on Thursday, October 12. Demand also fell in the French market, in this case by 0.6%.

During the same period, average temperatures fell in most of the analyzed markets, ranging from 2.0 C in Great Britain to 0.1 C in Germany and Italy. The exception was France, where average temperatures increased by 0.4 C compared to the first week of October.

For the week of October 16, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s demand forecasts, electricity demand is expected to increase in most of the main European markets, with the exception of Germany.

European electricity markets

During the week of October 9, prices in all European electricity markets analyzed at AleaSoft Energy Forecasting rose compared to the previous week. The largest percentage price rise, 70%, was reached in the Nord Pool market of the Nordic countries, while the smallest increase, 1.7%, was registered in the EPEX SPOT market of the Netherlands. In the other markets, prices increased between 5.0% in the EPEX SPOT market of Germany and 20% in the IPEX market of Italy.

In the second week of October, weekly averages were below €95/MWh in most of the analyzed European electricity markets. The exceptions were the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese markets. The Italian market reached the highest average, €145.30/MWh. In the case of the MIBEL market of Portugal and Spain, the averages were €125.39/MWh and €125.41/MWh, respectively. In contrast, the lowest average price, €9.25/MWh, was reached in the Nordic market. In the rest of the analyzed markets, prices ranged from €77.92/MWh in the German market to €90.55/MWh in the N2EX market of the United Kingdom.

Despite the increases in weekly average prices, in the second week of October, negative hourly prices were registered in the German, Belgian, British, Dutch and Nordic markets, influenced by high wind energy production values. The lowest hourly price, ‑€7.10/MWh, was reached in the Dutch market on Sunday, October 15, from 14:00 to 15:00.

But in the second week of October hourly prices above €200/MWh were also registered on several occasions in most of the analyzed European markets. This was also the case on Monday, October 16 in all analyzed markets, except for the Portuguese and Nordic markets. On that day, the highest hourly prices were registered from 19:00 to 20:00 CET. In the German, Belgian, French, Italian and Dutch markets, a price of €240.00/MWh was reached. In the case of the French and Italian markets, this price was the highest since August 24. On the other hand, in the case of the Spanish market, an hourly price of €220.00/MWh was reached on October 16 from 19:00 to 20:00 CET, which was the highest price since the end of January. On the same day and hour, the British market also reached the highest hourly price since January, at £241.19/MWh.

During the week of October 9, the rise in the average price of gas and CO₂ emission rights, the increase in demand in most markets and the general decline in solar energy production led to higher prices in the European electricity markets. In the case of the MIBEL market, wind energy production in the Iberian Peninsula and nuclear energy production in Spain decreased, contributing to the increase in prices.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s price forecasts indicate that in the third week of October prices in most of the main European electricity markets might continue to rise, influenced by declining solar energy production and increasing demand in most markets. In the case of the German market, the decline in wind energy production might also exert an upward influence on prices.

Brent, fuels and CO₂

Settlement prices of Brent oil futures for the Front‑Month in the ICE market remained above $85/bbl during the second week of October. The weekly minimum settlement price, $85.82/bbl, was registered on October 11. On the other hand, the weekly maximum settlement price, $90.89/bbl, was reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 7.5% higher than the previous Friday.

In the second week of October, concerns about the impact of the Middle East conflict on oil supply and OPEC’s global crude oil demand growth forecasts exerted their upward influence on Brent oil futures prices. However, data showed an increase in crude oil stocks of the United States that exerted some downward pressure. On the other hand, in the second half of the week, the United States started to impose sanctions on tanker owners carrying Russian oil at a price higher than the maximum price imposed by the G7, which might also have an impact on supply.

As for settlement prices of TTF gas futures in the ICE market for the Front‑Month, they increased during the second week of October. On Monday, October 9, the weekly minimum settlement price, €43.95/MWh, was reached. This price was already 12% higher than the previous Monday. The weekly maximum settlement price, 53.98 €/MWh, was reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 41% higher than the previous Friday and the highest since mid‑February.

In the second week of October, prices were influenced upward by supply concerns due to instability in the Middle East, labor disputes at Australian liquefied natural gas export facilities and a pipeline leak in the Baltic Sea. In addition, the forecast of cooler temperatures in Europe also contributed to price increases, as these would favor an increase in gas demand for heating.

Settlement prices of CO₂ emission rights futures in the EEX market for the reference contract of December 2023 remained above €80/t during the second week of October. The weekly minimum settlement price, €81.75/t, was registered on Monday, October 9, and it was 1.2% higher than the previous Monday. Subsequent price increases led to a weekly maximum settlement price of €85.95/t, reached on Friday, October 13. This price was 6.8% higher than the same day of the previous week and the highest since the end of August.

Source: Prepared by AleaSoft Energy Forecasting using data from ICE and EEX.

AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s analysis on the prospects for energy markets in Europe and the financing and valuation of renewable energy projects

From pv magazine India

SECI has started accepting bids to set up 1 GW of solar projects on a build-own-operate basis in India. The projects can be located anywhere in India, as long as they are connected to the interstate transmission system (ISTS).

SECI will sign 25-year power purchase agreements (PPA) with the developers selected through the tender. Power procured by SECI from the projects will be sold to different buying entities in India.

“Bidders who have already commissioned solar PV plants/storage plants or are in the process of constructing such plants and have untied capacity may also participate,” said the tender document. “In such case, they will be given the benefit of a longer period of PPA, commensurate to the duration between the actual date of commencement of supply of power and scheduled commencement of supply date.”

From pv magazine Spain

Spanish company nTeaser has launched a new online platform to help investors to buy wind and solar projects from renewable energy developers in Spain.

“We have already published co-developments for almost 2 GW of projects in Spain, which has generated a lot of interest from investors and has received a few good offers, and we will soon publish another 100 MW storage project from another developer, also in co-development,” nTeaser's founder, Carmen Izquierdo, told pv magazine. “We are in talks with other developers to upload their smaller, but more advanced battery projects.”

The solar projects to be included in the platform have capacities ranging from 5 MW to 10 MW. Izquierdo said that a developer with substantial experience in wind power is currently seeking a financial partner for the 2 GW storage project.

“We believe that the batteries are going to hit hard. Although there is still little visibility, the big ones are already positioning themselves well,” said Izquierdo.

Taipower, a state-run utility in Taiwan, has created a new bidding platform to sell renewable energy to small and medium-sized businesses.

“A single bidder may choose between six different packages according to their own needs,” Taipower said in a statement.

From pv magazine Australia

CleanCo, a Queensland government-owned energy company, wants to add 3 GW of clean energy capacity to support the Australian state’s renewable energy targets, which aim for 50% by 2030, rising to 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035.

CleanCo Chief Executive Officer Tom Metcalfe said the 3 GW total includes project development acquisitions, joint venture investments, and offtake agreements.

“We’re looking for renewable energy and firming projects that will help us reach our 2030 goals and contribute to Queensland’s clean energy future,” he said.

Submissions for the 3 GW close on Nov. 17.

The Queensland government’s renewable energy targets call for an additional 22 GW of new wind and solar projects by 2035, supported by at least 12 GW of storage, firming and dispatchable technologies including grid-scale batteries and pumped hydro storage.

In June, the state government announced it would spend AUD 500 million ($316.4 million) through CleanCo “to propel the development of large-scale solar and wind projects” in central Queensland.

In September, CleanCo released an expression of interest seeking up to 400 MW of renewable generation and storage projects to support the development of its Swanbank Clean Energy Hub near Ipswich, Queensland.

CleanCo has also been given funding to install a 250 MW/500 MWh big battery at the Swanbank energy precinct.

From pv magazine USA

The first of three Origis Energy projects that combine 550 MW of solar and 150 MW of energy storage have begun construction in Mississippi. The projects are expected to deliver electricity to customers in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) service territory.

Golden Triangle I is a 200 MWac project with 50 MW of battery storage, expected to be completed in summer 2024. Golden Triangle II, a 150 MWac project containing 50 MW of battery storage, is planned to be completed in spring 2024. These projects are located in Lowndes County, Mississippi.

The third phase is called Optimist, and this 200 MWac project with 50 MW battery storage is located in Clay County and has a projected completion date of mid-2025.

The utility-scale battery storage for each site is provided by Mitsubishi Power Americas.

About 1.5 million solar modules will be installed on the sites, which are expected to generate the equivalent electricity of the demand of 126,000 homes.

Oirigis Energy is the developer, construction firm, and operator of the solar and storage assets. The projects will deliver electricity to TVA via power purchase agreements.

“Projects like these, ensure we can continue to provide affordable, reliable, resilient and sustainable energy to fuel the region’s economic growth,” said Jeremy Fisher, senior vice president commercial energy solutions with TVA.

Over $106 million in near-term economic benefits are expected due to construction and job creation. Over the life of the project, an estimated $145 million in regional economic benefits are expected to be generated.

“Our office has worked continually with both TVA and Origis through all phases of this project. These investments provide a unique diversification to our tax base and upon completion provide additional tax revenue to the counties and the schools,” said Joe Max Higgins, chief executive officer, Golden Triangle Development Link.

 RES is providing construction services to Origis for the portfolio, employing about 300 people over the course of the three projects. Upon completion, Origis Energy will employ about 9 on-site jobs over the 35+ years expected life of the projects.

Anomalous high pressure has delivered clear skies and high irradiance across both Mexico and eastern Canada whilst cloud associated with rain and storms depressed irradiance on the west coast of the US and Canada. Areas across Mexico and southern Texas saw reduced cloud, leading to 120-130% of average September Irradiance, according to data collected by Solcast, a DNV company, via the Solcast API.

Storms and a ‘Bomb” cyclone caused by persistent low pressure over British Columbia delivered cloudier conditions, leading to irradiance as low as 70% of long term averages.

Persistent high pressure reduces large cloud formation and redirects low-pressure cloud fronts, leading to periods of clear skies. In September large high pressure systems remained for longer than normal over both eastern Canada and southwestern US and Mexico.

For solar producers, these large and persistent systems have been especially beneficial with Quebec, Ontario and southern Mexico all seeing areas with 140% of the long term September GHI average.

Months like these bode well for the future of large solar installations in the south, with ERCOT having produced 3,301 GWh of Solar in the month. Mexico is also looking to take advantage of their high solar potential, through large solar projects like the planned 1 GW Puerto Peñasco solar plant.

Conversely, low pressure over western Canada & Alaska pulled in cloud from the Northern Pacific, leading to a significant increase in rainfall. This plus a ‘bomb’ cyclone in late September led to reduced irradiance across all of the Pacific Coast, most noticeable in British Columbia, where some locations saw just 70% of average September Irradiance.

Rainfall across the month was 7 mm/day above the September average, and temperatures were 5 C below average. Interestingly, this pattern of high pressure keeping skies clear and creating unseasonably sunny September conditions was also seen across parts of Europe, which also saw similarly high irradiance levels.

Mexico and the southwestern US can expect these conditions to reverse through winter, as El Nino winters tend to see Mexico and the South West under-perform against non-El Nino winter averages.

Solcast produces these figures by tracking clouds and aerosols at 1-2km resolution globally, using satellite data and proprietary AI/ML algorithms. This data is used to drive irradiance models, enabling Solcast to calculate irradiance at high resolution, with typical bias of less than 2%, and also cloud-tracking forecasts. This data is used by more than 300 companies managing over 150GW of solar assets globally.