A group of experts is expected to finalise details this week of a road map to install 160 Gigawatts (GW) of battery storage worldwide in 2030, reports Jason Deign of Energy Storage Report. The plan, being developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), would see nearly four times as much battery storage being deployed in the next 15 years as all the solar power installed worldwide to date. … [Read more...]
âSupersonic electrons could produce future solar fuelâ
Researchers from institutions including Lund University have taken a step closer to producing solar fuel using artificial photosynthesis. In a new study, they have successfully tracked the electronsâ rapid transit through a light-converting molecule. … [Read more...]
Offshore wind in the Kattegat: a unique opportunity for Europe
New figures show that the Anholt offshore wind farm in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden had an impressively high capacity factor of 50% last year. This is all the more impressive since, as Mike Parr, Director of energy consultancy PWR points out, 2014 was a year with unusually low wind speeds. In an average year the capacity factor would have been more like 75%. This means, writes Parr, that if just 10% of the Kattegat region were … [Read more...]
DNV GL: 60% integration of renewables in European distribution grids feasible by 2030
The integration of approximately 60% of renewables into the European electricity system will be feasible by 2030, but will come with an extensive expansion of infrastructure, including transmission and distribution networks as well as conventional backup generation. The challenges of grid integration of renewables can be mitigated by a number of technical and regulatory measures. These are the findings of a DNV GL study for the European … [Read more...]
Deutsche Bank: solar at grid parity in most of world by 2017
Investment bank Deutsche Bank is predicting that solar systems will be at grid parity in up to 80 per cent of the global market within 2 years, and says the collapse in the oil price will do little to slow down the solar juggernaut. Giles Parkinson of the Australian-based website Reneweconomy.com reports. … [Read more...]
Why Google gave up on renewables (hint: because they donât know much about energy)
The two scientists responsible for Googleâs failed attempt to launch a renewable energy revolution have written an article explaining what, according to them, went wrong with their project. They have come to the conclusion that fighting climate change with todayâs renewable energy technologies wonât work â but they present no evidence for it, writes Energy Post editor Karel Beckman. … [Read more...]
SunPower: "solar the greatest market opportunity world has seenâ
The head of one of the worldâs leading solar PV manufacturers and developers, SunPowerâs Tom Werner, predicts that solar will be a $US5 trillion industry within 20 years, and represents one of the greatest ever opportunities in the history of markets. Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com reports on a recent investment briefing given by Werner. … [Read more...]
Where battery storage will take over from backup power plants
Although the growth in renewables has led to the shutdown of many gas- and coal-fired power plants, power producers believe their plants will still be needed to provide backup capacity. But grid storage batteries are becoming increasingly competitive with âpeaker plantsâ, says Paul Siblerud of US storage company ViZn Energy Systems in an interview with Roy L. Hales of The EcoReport, citing a new study by Energy Strategies Group. … [Read more...]
Worldâs first power-to-liquids production plant opened in Dresden
A Power-to-Liquids (PtL) demonstration rig which is the first of its kind in the world was officially inaugurated on 14 November by Dresden-based sunfire GmbH. The ceremony was attended by German Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka, Board Member Pieter Koolen of venture capitalist Bilfinger, Â as well as a number of other high-ranking representatives from the worlds of politics, industry and research. French energy companies … [Read more...]
Interview Joe Phillips, DNV GL: âFor offshore wind there is only one way forward: togetherâ
âOffshore wind offers great promise but the industry is at a very delicate stage now. We canât afford to make mistakes in construction that lead to cost overruns,â warns Joe Phillips, Head of Strategy & Policy for Renewables at DNV GL, one of the largest technical energy consultancies in the world. DNV GL has recently issued an âoffshore wind cost reduction manifestoâ that commits the company to help reduce costs in the sector by 25% and … [Read more...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: here are the gamechangers of the future
At a âbusiness boosterâ event in Barcelona, sixty European cleantech startups supported by KIC InnoEnergy, presented themselves to the world. They offered an impressive variety of new technologies and market innovations, ranging from new storage devices and solar chips to energy saving techniques, financing models and consumer engagement platforms. In this article we present to you some of the gamechangers of our future energy system â all made … [Read more...]
Donât get too excited, no one has cracked nuclear fusion yet
Aerospace giant Lockheed Martinâs recent announcement that it could make small-scale nuclear fusion power a reality in the next decade has understandably generated excitement in the media. Physicists, however, arenât getting their hopes up just yet, writes Matthew Hole, Australiaâs representative on the IAEA International Fusion Research Council of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Chair of the Australian ITER Forum. … [Read more...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: the pace is picking up
The pace of innovation in the European energy sector is stepping up. âEnergy is no longer seen as a commodity that simply needs to be there. It is perceived as a challenge for which solutions need to be foundâ, says Elena Bou, Innovation Director of KIC InnoEnergy, a top European company in the field of sustainable energy innovation, in an interview with Energy Post. According to Bou, successful innovation begins with âasking the right … [Read more...]
Energy storage: stormy growth but no one-size-fits-all solution
The debate over which energy storage technology will prove to be the best in the long-term is misguided, argues Chris Dalby of Oilprice.com. There will be no one-size-fits-all winner. He discusses some of the latest developments in energy storage, which show that different situations will lead to different solutions. … [Read more...]
IEA: Solar costs heading to 4c/kWh, rooftop solar âunbeatableâ
The traditionally conservative International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts the cost of solar energy will fall to around 4c/kWh in coming decades as the sun becomes the largest source of power generation across the world. The latest âSolar Roadmapâ published by the IEA on Monday shows that the speed with which solar is reaching âsocket parityâ has taken the world by surprise, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com.au. … [Read more...]
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