by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 30, 2023 | Large Scale Utility Solar
Gower Power, the Wales based Community Benefit Society, have launched a community share offer for the 4.99MW Brynwilach Solar Farm in the hope of generating over £2.7million in community benefits.
The Solar farm has been operational since 2017 and is generating 4.8GW per year, outperforming its generational targets.
In the last five years, Gower Power have received in excess of £55,000 of surplus funds from Brynwilach Solar Farm.
Once under community ownership, the Solar farm will be able to increase its community offering as it is estimated to generate more than £2.7million in the community over the next 23years.
The minimum investment of £250 with a target of £385,000, the share offer is open until October 2023.
These funds are used to support local and environmental benefits; developing more renewable energy projects and establish nature orientated health and wellbeing interventions.
“Brynwhilach contributes to all Well-Being Goals for Wales; supporting us to become more equal, healthy, prosperous, cohesive, resilient and globally responsible, while continuing our cultural heritage of self-sufficiency and co-operative enterprise.” – Mary Sherwood, Grants and Development Manager, Gower Power
The Brynwilach Solar Farm operates on a mixture of Grade 3b and 5 agricultural land (moderate to very poor quality land).
“I am so pleased that Gower Power is representing Wales in this pioneering initiative that will hugely increase community owned solar across England and Wales. Community ownership means money spent on energy is kept within Wales rather than leaking away to distant companies – it’s a more sustainable economic model as well as a more sustainable way of sourcing energy. This Gower Power project is making a great contribution towards Wales meeting its Well-being Goals and its targets for Net Zero.” – Julie James, Minister for Climate Change for the Welsh Government
Gower Power is a part of the Community Energy Together (CET), a collaboration between five community energy groups in England and Wales.
The share offers to fund the transfer of seven Solar farms into community ownership.
Community Ownership Schemes like the Brynwilach Solar Farm allow for cheaper and more accessible renewable energy for local communities.
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Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
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by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 28, 2023 | Storage, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Gavin Harper, Met4Tech Research Fellow for University of Birmingham, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
Gavin joined Solar&StorageXtra to discuss the importance of recycling materials in renewable technologies to ensure an efficient transition to Net Zero.
Gavin explained a transition to net zero will only be achieved if we increase the lifespan of the materials used in renewable technologies.
Companies must identify the best practise to disassemble out of use technologies and use the materials in new supply chains. Keeping materials within a circular economy will help increase the efficiency of materials, increase businesses positive impact on the environment and provide a valuable resources for the next generation of batteries and Solar panels.
The same process must be included to unlock mass EV uptake. This is an enormous resource opportunity in keeping materials in end-of-life technologies in the system.
Ensuring this process will keep the renewable energy transition as renewable as possible.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 27, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Large Scale Utility Solar, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Ross Kent, Head of Sales for UK, Ireland & Scandinavia for Q Cells, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
Ross joined Solar&StorageXtra to discuss how QCells maintain a close relationship with their customers with growing competition in the Solar market.
Ross explained the main challenge that QCells are facing in the Solar market is the increase in competition with new manufacturers entering the market. With increasing competition, Ross made it clear that QCells must maintain a close relationship with their customers to remaining successful.
QCells are focusing on providing customers with added value outside of reduced price and availability. Ross explained these factors are contributing to all businesses in the Solar industry’s success, QCells must offer more than these two benefits. The additional services QCells offer include:
- Offering in house design and resourcing services for a customer’s projects.
- Providing local level availability.
- On demand service.
Offering additional services like these could allow QCells to stay ahead of new competition entering the Solar market.
“QCells wants… to have a close relationship with its customers. We’ve always had a local presence in the market, we want to be close the installer network and have conversations with them on a daily basis. That is what we are all about!” – Ross Kent, Head of Sales for UK, Ireland & Scandinavia for Q Cells
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 27, 2023 | Innovation
In 2022, Solar contributed to 4.4% of the UK’s electricity needs generating 8.67GWH of energy.
However, there has been a focus on how weather events, impacted by climate change, are affecting the technologies generation.
The findings have shown that increasing Solar’s durability should be of paramount importance.
In July 2023 a Chief Scientific Advisor for the Met Office, Stephen Belcher, chaired a discussion to investigate the impacts of weather conditions on UK Solar and Wind.
The findings were published on November the 21st, highlighting the vulnerabilities in the UK’s Solar market.
A key vulnerability is that UK’s Solar infrastructure is usually concentrated in smaller areas, which can increase the risk of localised infrastructure disruption.
For example, storm damage to cables will decrease the generation of the entire Solar capacity. To avoid this issue, the Solar asset must be spread out to avoid having a single point of concentration.
The research also found that current increase in temperature will affect Solar panels performance. It is important to know that high temperatures will only lower the efficiency of Solar PVs. The PV will not be damaged by reusing temperatures.
When air temperature reaches 23% the silicon in the PV will drop efficiency.
Alastair Buckley, Professor of Organic Electronics at the University of Sheffield, explained that increased temperatures will only ‘marginally affect the overall output of Solar power’ explaining its impact as a ‘secondary affect’.
Weather forecasting can help with managing the impacts affecting Solar generation but this can be hard to determine.
“With longer and sunnier days, solar power produces high yields of energy, some of which will be stored in batteries for later use. Summer in the UK can often bring unpredictable weather which is why solar generation works well in tandem with other renewable energy sources, such as wind. During sunny weather, it’s typically not windy, so when there’s not enough wind to turn the turbines solar, solar can help make up that difference – and vice-versa.” Chris Hewett, Chief Executive, Solar Energy UK
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 24, 2023 | Innovation
At Solar and Storage Live London 2024 (29-30 April), RePower Ukraine will be attending as an official media partner. The initiative focusses on securing electricity supply to Ukraine’s hospitals during the current invasion by Russian forces. Attending Solar and Storage Live will provide RePower Ukraine the opportunity to meet potential funding partners who could sponsor a generation project on a hospital and contribute to Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. The RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce it has enlisted the help of members of the UK PV industry to collaborate on PV and battery projects for hospital and frontline medical centres.
The RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce it has enlisted the help of members of the UK PV industry to collaborate on PV and battery projects for hospital and frontline medical centres.
Established in 2022 by a group of Ukrainian energy professionals the RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation aims to provide emergency energy assistance to critical facilities in Ukraine. The foundation has already implemented 2 projects in Kharkiv and Irpin with combined solar and battery storage systems providing critical loads back-up at both sites. Two more projects are currently in the pipeline with generous donations from UK suppliers and support from industry professionals. Repower Ukraine is supported by a network of volunteers across Europe and have recently been joined by Camille Dressler and Nick Arnold as Ambassadors for Scotland and the UK respectively.
The charity’s core mission is to bolster Ukraine’s energy resilience while fostering a sustainable and eco-friendly recovery. To realize this vision RePower Ukraine concentrates its efforts on four pivotal project pillars: construction of PV plants with storage systems for hospitals; providing energy backup equipment for frontline surgery teams and field hospitals; implementing educational initiatives in the renewable energy sector; installing solar-powered lighting solutions in de-occupied and war-affected regions.
Current projects include a proposed project for the Kyiv Regional Perinatal Center, a highly specialized medical and preventive institution that delivers babies and offers round-the-clock support to pregnant women. Due to the ongoing shelling affecting the energy networks the hospital requires a self-reliant energy source for its critical maternity, resuscitation, and nursing departments.
“The initiative’s primary goal is to facilitate the installation of a rooftop PV plant with a capacity of 21.6 kW and a battery with a capacity of 12.4 kWh. This autonomous energy system will generate enough power to meet approximately one-third of the hospital’s total electricity consumption, ensuring energy security and uninterrupted medical treatment in critical areas such as maternity, intensive care, and surgery units.” – stated Yaroslava Denisova, Director of the RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation, in Kyiv, October 2, 2023.
RePower Ukraine extends a warm invitation to individuals, organizations, and businesses to become valued partners in the mission to strengthen Ukraine’s healthcare system. Help could be provided via financial donations and the donation of energy equipment or with technical design and fund raising. You can contribute directly through one of our fundraising campaigns, by visiting the RePower Ukraine website or by working with our ambassadors.
Your support is crucial and you have the power to make a meaningful impact on saving lives.
For more information, please visit http://www.RePowerUkraine.org.
Contact: pr@repowerua.org / nick@repowerua.org
Iryna Zahorodnia
Communication Manager
RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/repowerua
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/repowerua
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RepowerUa
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 23, 2023 | Innovation, Storage, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Claire Miller, Independent Energy Advisor and Consultant and Former Director of Technology and Innovation at Octopus Electric Vehicles, ahead of Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry!
Claire joined Solar&StorageXtra to discuss the role of Vehicle-to-Grid in managing electricity demand, unlocking mass EV uptake and making sure the transition to net zero vehicles is accessible for everyone.
Two things Claire wanted to make clear was the delay in implementing new technologies and the accessibility of the transition to net zero vehicles.
Claire explained there are a lot of great technologies that can assist companies transition their fleets to net zero, however the piloting stage of these projects are taking too long. Companies must move away from slow project lifecycles and get the technologies implemented faster. Claire highlighted Volvo, DAF and Scania as companies who have already added net zero vehicles to their fleers.
Ensuring everyone can be a part of the transition to net zero vehicles is essential when reaching net zero. Claire explained there is an inequality at most companies around EV purchasing schemes, where certain employees can miss out on this. As well as this, current infrastructure doesn’t included accessibility at its core. Where disabled individuals are unable to use infrastructure as easily as able bodied individuals.
This must be amended to ensure a collective transition to net zero. There is a design standard, PAZ1899, that aims to ensure all infrastructure is built for everyone. Unfortunately, this is not law.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 22, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Large Scale Utility Solar, Storage
On the second day of Solar and Storage Live London (10:00AM – 30 April 2024), key members of the UK’s Solar Taskforce will unveil and discuss ‘The 2024 Solar Roadmap’.
The Solar Roadmap will be published in February 2024 and will highlight recommendations and targets that the industry and government will need to meet to increase the deployment of rooftop and ground-mounted Solar and reach 70GW of Solar generations by 2035.
Speaking on the Keynote panel in London are:
- Mark Wakeford, Chairman, EVO Energy
- Adam Howard, Banking & Investment Director, UK Infrastructure Bank
- Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive, Energy Networks Association
- Ben Fawcett, Head of Solar, EDF Renewables UK
- Alex DeSouza, General Counsel – EMEA/Head of Transactions, Lightsource BP
- Ian Rippin, Chief Executive, MCS
- Ross Grier, COO, NextEnergy Capital
All the speakers taking part will be highlighting what the government and industry will need to do to deliver Solar in the UK.
At Solar and Storage Live 2023, Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, discussed the creation of the UK’s Solar taskforce and its emphasis on genuine collaboration between industry and government.
Chris explained the creation of the Solar taskforce is to create a “genuinely joint” industry and government initiative to work together and achieve the 70GW target of Solar generation in the UK by 2035.
The initiative is co-chaired by Chris and Rt Hon Graham Stuart, The Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and has 8 different members from the Solar industry.
Announcing this collaboration at Birmingham is just the start of this industry and government collaboration.
At Solar and Storage London, the UK will have a clear and concise roadmap for how we can achieve the 70GW of Solar generation in the UK by 2035.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 21, 2023 | Large Scale Utility Solar
(Photo Credit: Olsen Terje)
National Grid have announced it has completed work on its Lister Drive 275kV substation in Liverpool.
The engineering work has connected Statkraft’s new Greener Grid Park to the electricity transmission network, enabling an emission free way to boost system stability.
The Lister Drive substation and the Greener Grid Park occupy an historic location for fossil fuel generation in Liverpool.
“It’s apt that Lister Drive should be a site for this new green technology providing essential stability services to the grid, given its historical significance for energy generation in Liverpool. It’s now playing a key role in helping Britain harness increasing volumes of renewable power into the future.” – Mark Brindley, Project Director (Northern region), National Grid
The development from National Grid (and ESO) continues on from their commitment in introducing new measures to reform grid connections in England and Wales.
A cleaner power generation system must be developed.
The physical engineering works are a big part of developing new and existing connections to the transmission network.
The work included:
- Ensuring the ‘specialised synchronous compensators and flywheel at Statkraft’s site are fully operational and are supplying stability services to help National Grid ESO to manage system frequency.
- Installing a new disconnecting circuit breaker to upgrade the protection and central software.
- Running a new 275kV cable between the sites to make the transition network connection.
Since 2018, National Grid have spent £5billion to upgrade, adapt and maintain the electricity transmission network.
By 2026 this target total targeted spend will be £9billion.
Read National Grid’s full article here.
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Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 20, 2023 | Innovation, Large Scale Utility Solar
National Grid have published a report highlighting the 7 key points about electricity grid connections and what they are doing to increase and improve grid connections.
- Grid connections drive the need for new substations, power lines and transformers to handle more energy.
Predicting future electricity demand on substations must be taken into account when the network is being designed.
- All grid connections can differ in size.
With different technologies wanting to connect to the grid to improve connectivity, the technology landscape is changing all the time. Those designing the network must be aware of this.
- Grid connections fall into two categories, Generation and Demand.
National Grid have already connected 90 power generations to the transmission network, including 30GW of zero carbon sources.
Demand connections are for Distribution Network Operator’s (DNOs) who connect grid supply points to enable a safe onward flow of electricity.
- Significant engineering work goes into grid connections.
Each connection requires a bespoke physical point to plug in to. Adding to transformers and other equipment to existing substations or buildings can add years onto new grid connections delivery time.
Plug-in-and-play technologies could help make grid connections faster and more flexible, subsequently decreasing the reliance on global supply chains due to long delivery times.
- Electricity connection pipelines are oversubscribed.
Rapid change in time and volume of products wanting a grid connection has led to an oversubscribed connection pipeline.
Over 300GW worth of projects have been contracted to connect in England and Wales, this is a 100GW increase since April, compared to the 65GW today.
Two thirds of projects will not be ready to connect to the grid but once they are in the pipeline, they will influence the networks design.
National Grid are monitoring the viability of projects in the pipeline to combat this.
- National Grid are taking action with industry to improve connection processes.
Alongside the Electricity System Operator (ESO), Transmission System Operators (TSO), DNO, Government and Regulators, National Grid have offered a two-step process to speed up grid connections.
This will provide space to introduce short term improvements outlined in the ESO’s 5 point plan and provide a queue management system for faster plug in to the grid.
In the short term, however, the Electricity Networks Association’s 2 step plan could unlock 40GW of capacity for local connections.
- National Grid have invested £16billion to manage the overhaul of grid connections (between 2021-2026) and support net zero goals.
This investment will enable the grid to connect and carry more electricity to communities around the country, whilst speeding up connections to a cleaner, more affordable energy system.
To view National Grid’s report, click here.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 17, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Innovation, Large Scale Utility Solar
Auction Round 5 saw 56 Solar projects secure nearly 2GW of available capacity to boost the technologies growth.
On the 16th of November, the UK government announced that the administrative strike price for the latest Contracts for Difference round will be £61/mwh.
This is a 30% increase from Solar’s strike price in Auction Round 5 (AR5) which was set at £47/mwh.
“The Conference for Difference system has been a major factor in the growth of UK’s solar power sector by providing investors with a secure and reliable income.” – Chris Hewett, Chief Executive, Solar Energy UK.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) explained that the increase in strike price is to “offer certainty to developers and keep the UK at the cutting edge of renewables.”
AR5 was incredibly successful for the solar industry.
A total of 56 solar projects secured almost 2GW (1.928MW) of the 3.7GW of capacity awarded to renewable projects.
The 30% increase in strike price has opened the door for future solar projects to become more sustainable and more economically viable.
This price being raised should assist the market in reaching the 70GW of renewable capacity target by 2035.
Solar remains the cheapest source of electricity, with more projects aiming to secure capacity when AR6 opens on the 27th of March 2024.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 16, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Sturge Mazzocchi, Head of Partnerships & Business Development for Solar Energy UK, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
In association with SSE Renewables, Solar Energy UK launched the recruitment zone; a purpose-built stage attracting new job candidates into the Solar and Storage industry. Sturge Mazzocchi was at the forefront of the Recruitment Zone at Solar and Storage Live this year where 100 job vacancies were available to candidates wanting to enter the industry or wanting a change of role within the renewable energy space.
Sturge explained the importance of initiatives like the Recruitment Zone are to keep up with the rising demand for Solar in the UK. With the demand for Solar generation increasing, the industry will also grow, leading to the need of a larger Solar and Storage workforce. The recruitment zone helped highlight the challenge of filling the new roles in Solar and offered these new roles directly to aspiring candidates.
“The reason why we have done it is because the Solar and battery industries are two that are booming, they are also stretching. They are reaching or exceeding the capacity of their workforce that is needed to meet the high growth demands of Solar. If we don’t put something like the recruitment zone on, what is there to accommodate the need for higher employment?” – Sturge Mazzocchi, Head of Partnerships & Business Development for Solar Energy UK
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 16, 2023 | Innovation, Large Scale Utility Solar
Ofgem intervene following breaches in consumer protection legislation
(images: Getty Images/Adobe)
The UK energy regulator, Ofgem has been forced to investigate the solar based Community Energy Scheme (CES) UK and the Community Energy Scheme Stoke (CESS) to identify whether they have contravened consumer protection legislation through its sales and customer service practices.
CES operate a community engagement scheme where it installs Solar PVs on homes in Stoke-on-Trent and sells the electricity back to its tenants.
Following this investigation, Ofgem have now presented a selection of measures that will help to prevent any additional concerns related to the scheme.
CES and CESS have agreed to implement Ofgem’s suggested measures.
The key concerns that Ofgem, CES and CESS have addressed include:
- CES and CESS have agreed to amend existing and new contracts to include a termination clause where customers can leave their scheme at any time.
- The scheme has also been changed to include clear information to consumers about applied and estimated charges.
- Ofgem recommended that consumers who have signed up to the energy scheme, prior to the 19th of September 2019, can leave for free within a 30-day period and can add a termination clause. Leaving within the 30-day period is a one-off offer by CES and CESS.
Ofgem hope that recommending these changes, and investigating other potential issues, will have a similar effect as an authority exercising its enforcement powers.
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Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 10, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Video
Sun.Store: Amazon for the Solar PV industry
It was a pleasure to interview Agata Krawiec-Rokita, CEO for Sun.Store, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
Agata joined Solar&StorageXtra to discuss Sun.Store’s partners, their experience at Solar and Storage Live, and their innovative platform that connects both buyside and sellside companies within the Solar industry.
What the Sun.Store CEO wanted to highlight was the platforms focus to connect both buyside and sellside companies in the PV industry. Sun.Store have unlocked an easy access site for all solar based companies to buy and sell products. Innovative platforms like Sun.Store’s can speed up the process of Solar’s deployment.
“We are a place where people can buy and sell solar equipment. Everyone who has a need to buy modules, inverters and batteries can type Sun.Store and go through all of the offers. At the same time, installers, distributors and wholesalers who want to get rid of their products they can sell it on the platform. It is like Amazon for the PV industry!” – Agata Krawiec-Rokita, CEO for Sun.Store
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 10, 2023 | Innovation, Storage
Solar power mini grids have presented rural Africa with an incredible opportunity to benefit from cheap and clean renewable energy.
Sabon Gida, a rural Nigerian village, once relied on diesel generators and lamps to power and light their community. Within a year, a solar powered mini grid has been linked to the north central Nasarawa State supplying clean energy constantly to half of the community and most businesses in the area.
Villages like Sabon Gida, at times, now have more light than Lagos because of the economic capital’s unstable grid connections.
Mini grids are not a new technology but the drop in the price of Solar has propelled a growth in clean energy in Africa. The region is poised to benefit the most from cheap Solar and mini-grid development.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) have found that Africa has the most potential when it comes to Solar generation but where the continent lacks is installed capacity.
Here is where the opportunity lays.
With increased deployment of mini grids, like in Sabon Gida, Africa as a nation could unlock fossil free electricity generation. Both the World Bank and the IEA identify mini grids as the most viable solution to cheap, fossil free and accessible electricity across Africa.
To meet current sustainable development objectives, and bring power to 300million people in Africa by 2030, 160,000 mini grids must be installed.
According to the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance programme, only 12,000 are set to be installed.
Africa’s current growth in micro-grid deployment is still an achievement.
In a report by the World Bank, mini grid deployment has increased from 500 installations in 2010 to 3000 in 2023 with an additional 9000 coming next year.
Across Africa, deployment of renewable projects have begun to take priority.
Nigeria’s ‘market driven’ approach have brought 100 mini grid projects online. Ethopia and Zambia have passed new regulations to attract private investment of Solar. Kenya have done the same for both public and private investment for 150 mini grids.
Solar power remains the cheapest source of utility scale power but it can come with its challenges when being deployed in Africa. These include:
- Securing appropriate investment.
- Solving equipment issues.
- Securing state financing.
- Clear policies that promote the use of mini grids.
Outside of those challenges, increased deployment of Solar mini grids remain a top priority in securing cheap, clean and accessible electricity across Africa.
“Solar mini grids are integral to Nigeria’s energy transition plan. The government views this model as the most effective means to rapidly increase electricity access. If you remove mini grids from the equation, you remain with the problem of extension of national grids not being available to so many communities. So mini grids are essential.” – Abba Aliya, Representative of Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 9, 2023 | Large Scale Utility Solar, Storage
SSE Renewables begin construction on the UK’s largest energy storage site
SSE Renewables have begun the construction of a 320mwh/640mwh battery energy storage system (BESS) site which could be the largest under construction BESS in the country.
The renewable energy arm of the UK based utility SSE have taken a Final investment Decision (FiD) for the Mark Fryston energy storage project to proceed with construction immediately.
The project will secure a 1.2GW pipeline of Solar Battery Projects for SSE Renewables with a further 1.3GW under development.
It is also located next to a substation operated by UK Transmission System Operator (TSO) National Grid.
The project, according to Energy-Storage.news, is the largest BESS in the UK to enter the construction stage. Larger projects, like the 800MWH system from Innova and the 2080MWH project from Carlton Power, have secured planning permission and are free to start building but neither have begun construction.
The batteries used at Monk Fryston will be capable of storing power to be released back onto the grid when consumers need it the most. Storage projects, like these, will help manage peak energy demands.
SSE Renewables can minimise the built infrastructure impact on surrounding environments by directly connecting the batteries to the existing transmission network. Not only will surrounding environments be unaffected but BESS projects will decrease the carbon output of the electricity grid.
“This is another positive step towards reaching our net zero targets, enabling us to provide stored energy to the grid and provide balancing energy supply to support intermittent renewable energy generation, and, in doing so, strengthening the UK’s energy security.” – Richard Cave-Bigley, Director of Solar and Battery, SSE Renewables.
The SSE Renewables Solar and Battery portfolio currently comprises of 4 projects in the UK delivering 550MW of electricity. These include a:
- 50MW BESS site – Salisbury
- 150MW BESS site – Ferrybridge
- 30MW solar farm – Littleton
- 320MW BESS site – Mark Fryston
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Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 8, 2023 | Large Scale Utility Solar, Storage
National Grid move forward 19 energy storage projects for grid connection
On November the 6th, National Grid Electricity Transmission announced plans to streamline 10GW of battery energy storage (BESS) capacity that is currently waiting for a grid connection.
19 battery energy storage system projects, equating to 10GW, will be offered dates to plug into the grid four years earlier than planned.
National Grid explained that forwarding these projects is a part of a new approach that will remove the need for non-essential engineering work prior to connecting energy storage systems to the grid.
“We’re committed to speeding up connections and creating a ‘fit for the future’ process for plugging projects into the grid.” – Alice Delahunty, President, National Grid Electricity Transmission
National Grid’s commitment to speeding up project’s connections places a focus on unlocking and increasing the amount of green energy capacity into the grid.
To keep the UK on track to secure a green and affordable net zero energy system, National Grid have collaborated with the UK Government and Ofgem to deliver the best practices to speed up grid connections.
National Grid will be consistently reviewing and identifying projects that can be brought forward based on new planning assumptions agreed by National Grid ESO.
The overall objective of forwarding these projects, not only to benefit those involved in the individual projects, but to speed up the integration of low carbon technology.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 7, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Large Scale Utility Solar, Storage
The Solar and Storage Live event series heads to London on the 29-30th April 2024!
View the Solar and Storage Live London Agenda!
Solar and Storage Live is heading to the ExCel London on the 29-30th of April 2024!
Following the success of our flagship Birmingham event in October, Solar and Storage Live is branching out to various locations across Europe with our next event being in London. Solar and Storage Live London will be followed by Zurich (17-18 September 2024), Birmingham (24-26 September) and Barcelona (November).
Solar and Storage Live London will bring over 150 exhibitors, 250 speakers and 8000 attendees to the ExCel in April. Our free to attend exhibition and conference brings together all of the key players in the Solar, Storage and renewable energy space. Key participants include Solar Energy UK, MCS, POWERful Women and, our title sponsor, GivEnergy!
Solar Energy UK’s Chief Executive, Chris Hewett, will be opening the keynote theatre on the 29th of April. The opening remarks will be followed by a keynote presentation from Gillian Martin, the Minister for Energy and Environment for The Scottish Government.
On the 30th, there will be a keynote panel dedicated to the UK’s Solar Taskforce and their report titled ‘The UK’s ‘Solar Roadmap’, the report will be published prior to Solar and Storage Live London. At our Birmingham show, the Rt Hon Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Chris Hewett discussed the creation of the UK’s Solar Taskforce and its main objective; to achieve the government and industry target of 70GwH of Solar capacity in the UK by 2035.
“The UK’s Solar Taskforce is a genuinely joint government-industry initiative co-chaired by myself and Graham Stuart. It has eight different members from the Solar Industry, also the UK Infrastructure Bank, the Energy Networks Association and MCS. The right people in the room. We’re going to release a report in the Spring 2024 and that will set the scene for what this government and future governments will do to deliver Solar.” – Chris Hewett, Chief Executive, Solar Energy UK
Addressing the future of Solar is incredibly important when ensuring the industry’s success. Recruitment, diversity, and inclusion will be fundamental pillars to this.
In Birmingham, Solar Energy UK launched The Recruitment Zone; a purpose-built stage attracting new job candidates into the Solar and Storage industry. The Recruitment Zone offered 100 job vacancies to candidates wanting to enter the industry or wanting a change of role within the renewable energy space.
Initiatives like the Recruitment Zone are to keep up with the rising demand for Solar in the UK. With the demand for Solar generation increasing, the industry will also grow, leading to the need of a larger Solar and Storage workforce. The Recruitment Zone helped highlight the challenge of filling the new roles in Solar and offered these new roles directly to aspiring candidates.
Due to its success, we are pleased to announce the Recruitment Zone will return at Solar and Storage Live London.
Solar and Storage Live are proud to continue our partnership with POWERful Women, the leading professional initiative dedicated on working towards a gender balanced, diverse and inclusive energy sector.
At the end of the opening day of Solar and Storage Live London, POWERful Women will be hosting their networking drinks where the industry can learn more about what POWERful Women do and how they can promote diversity and inclusion in the energy sector.
From all at Solar and Storage Live, we are looking forward to seeing you at Solar and Storage Live London on the 29-30th of April 2024.
To keep up to date with everything Solar and Storage Live, subscribe to Solar&StorageXtra for exclusive news and interviews!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 6, 2023 | Large Scale Utility Solar, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Imogen Fawcett, Senior Account Manager for Copper Consultancy/RSK Group, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
Imogen joined Solar&StorageXtra to highlight and debunk some of the most common myths within the Solar industry.
Firstly, Imogen highlighted the agricultural land debate around Solar PV farms. Some believe that the creation of Solar farms will hinder and negatively affect the agriculture industry as well as destroy the habitats of the wild creatures around the farm. This is simply not the case. When a Solar farm is in its development phase, a process is carried out to ensure agricultural practices and the wildlife around these sites are not affected.
Solar Energy UK published a report specifically addressing the agricultural land debate. The study found that 27.5% of people perceive the most important impact of Solar farms is on local wildlife, despite the fact there is clear evidence that ‘well designed, well managed solar can support wildlife habitats and can contribute to achieving national bio-diversity targets.’
The second myth Imogen wanted to debunk was about the location of Solar PV, addressing the location of ground mounted Solar PV farms more specifically. Solar PV farms cannot be built randomly, there are specific explanations why Solar PV projects go where they do.
Imogen explained that only 7% of the public can correctly identify the need of a grid connection when a Solar farm is being built. Education on the placement of Solar PV is one of the first steps in bringing the public on board with Solar PV generation.
“I am speaking on myth busting, the common myths we are facing in the Solar industry and how we can really address that through community engagement. Through community engagement we can bring the public along the ride and get Solar projects consented!” – Imogen Fawcett, Senior Account Manager for Copper Consultancy/RSK Group
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 3, 2023 | Market Reports
(Image Credit: Impact Gstaad)
The Swiss solar market is taking off. Demand for electricity generated by renewable sources is at an all-time high. Growing concerns around rising carbon emissions have caused the Swiss Government to launch multiple policies regarding the development and deployment of renewable projects in Switzerland.
With an annual GDP volume of over 120billion Swiss Francs, which is more than 20% of Switzerland’s GDP, Zurich accounts for the greatest economic performance and value added in Switzerland.
At its current rate, the Swiss Solar market is expected to register a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 5.1%. A range of policies and objectives have been put into place by the Swiss Government to ensure that this growth continues.
Swiss Government Policy for Solar Growth
In 2019, the Swiss Government announced that Switzerland would reach net-zero gas emissions by 2050. To do this, a planned climate policy has been put into place and will be assessed in 10year intervals. The main objectives of this policy are:
- To decrease carbon emissions by 75-85% by 2050.
- To decrease the emissions per capita to 1t of CO2 by 2050.
- To increase the power generated by renewable sources by 1Twh (from 3.7Twh in 2017 to 4.7Twh in 2020).
With such policies in place, the Swiss government have placed an emphasis on the most cost-effective technology in renewable generation. The declining cost of Solar PV and Solar installation started to drive up the market demand for Solar generation in Switzerland.
Solar PV modules are now 80% cheaper than what they were in 2009 and such a shift has enabled the Swiss Solar market to skyrocket.
What technologies are being deployed?
The current technologies the Swiss Solar market is focusing on deploying are Solar PV modules and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).
Both technologies are being deployed at residential, commercial and industrial (C&I) scale and at utility scale to maximise Solar generation on Switzerland.
Solar Market trends in Switzerland
Now that the solar technology has been deployed, Solar PV based panels represent the largest segment of the Swiss Solar energy market. This is due to the increased installation of modules at both commercial and residential scale.
Solar PV technology is predicted to dominate the Swiss Solar market in the coming years. A particular emphasis is being placed on thin-film PV modules. The technology is being considered a break-through technology by many because of its increased Solar power sector share.
The Worldwide price decline of Solar PV has been a major factor in the growth of the Swiss Solar market. The cost of electricity generated by Solar assets has decreased by 75% between 2015-2019 and have continued to decline with the technological developments, mass production and increased efficiency of Solar PVs.
In addition to this, the levelized cost of electricity produced from utility scale Solar PV plants is estimated to have fallen by 82%.
In 2021, the average price of Solar PV modules decreased by 68%. This decline has increased the number of solar capacity installations across Switzerland by 53.9%. Decreased price and increased solar capacity installation has led to the rising demand of Solar PVs in Switzerland.
The continuous rise in demand and deployment of Solar PVs in Switzerland provides an opportunity for more companies to enter the Swiss Solar market.
The Swiss Solar energy market is a partially consolidated market with a small number of major players supplying and deploying Solar PV projects in the country. The key players include, Swiss Solar AG, Anerdgy, APAK Energy, ARS Solaris Hachler, and Solaronix SA.
The partially consolidated Swiss Solar market, eventually, will need an increased amount of supply to keep up with government policies in place around reaching net zero targets and renewable energy generation.
New supply chains for the Swiss Solar market are essential to the future success of Solar’s development and deployment in Switzerland.
What is happening in Switzerland?
In May 2021, The Swiss Government allocated close to 470million Swiss Francs for Solar rebates in 2021. This figure represents 20% of the investment costs of Solar projects in Switzerland.
In February 2022, Alpiq announced plans to build the Gondostor bifacial power plant at an approximate cost of 42million Swiss Francs. The objective is for the plant to generate 23.3million Kwh of electricity per year.
In the same month, Megosol Energie AG also announced the launch of the 500w bifacial solar module with an estimated power conversion efficiency rate of 23.2%.
Conclusion
The Swiss Solar market is in an upward trajectory with Government objectives on target to being achieved in the short term. However, without new supply chains, Switzerland’s supply of Solar PV may not be able to keep up to demand in the long term. Increased supply will help continue the positive growth of renewable electricity generation in Switzerland for years to come.
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
by Regan Slaymaker | Nov 3, 2023 | Commercial & Industrial Solar, Innovation, Video
It was a pleasure to interview Georgina Worrall, Head of POWERful Women, at Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham this year!
Solar&StorageXtra is the new publishing part of the Solar and Storage Live event series where we will be interviewing our esteemed speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to get their live reactions to the event and the important discussions within the industry.
Georgina joined Solar&StorageXtra to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion practices when achieving Net Zero targets.
Georgina explained that in a report titled the ‘Race to Net Zero’, co-created by POWERful Women and National Grid, by 2050 the industry must need to create 400,000 more jobs to meet the capacity of the energy transition. Of these 400,000 jobs, 260,000 of these do not currently exist and the remaining 160,000 will be those leaving the industry.
When hiring, a new, inclusive and diverse workforce is of paramount importance to reaching Net Zero. The industry cannot be stuck in its ways, hiring the same people for the same roles. What the industry must do is increase the level of diversity and create a more inclusive workforce in the renewable energy space, only then will the capacity for the workforce be reached.
For more interviews from Solar&StorageXtra and to keep up to date with all NEW content, subscribe to the Solar&StorageXtra YouTube channel and Newsletter!
Our next event is Solar and Storage Live London, April 29-30 2024!
To enquire about interviews, submit news and press releases please contact our Editor, Regan Slaymaker, regan.slaymaker@terrapinn.com.
For sponsorship and exhibition enquires please contact Tom Moon, tom.moon@terrapinn.com.
