Author

James Ayre

's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.

PV Solar Projects

3 FPL Solar Projects Advancing

by James Ayre September 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

The largest utility company in the Sunshine State, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), has revealed that 3 of the solar photovoltaic (PV) projects that the company is currently having developed in the state are on track to be completed in 2016. Once completed, these 3 projects will effectively triple the firm’s current solar energy capacity.

It should also be noted that these projects will reportedly not increase customer costs to any degree.

Pamela Rauch, FPL’s vice president of development and external affairs, recently stated: “FPL has been working to advance solar affordably in Florida for more than a decade. Large-scale solar is by far the most economical way to advance solar energy for the benefit of all of our customers.”

The 3 solar PV facilities in question are the: the FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center in Charlotte County; the FPL Citrus Solar Energy Center in DeSoto County; and the FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center in Manatee County. Each of these facilities is expected to posses a nameplate electricity generation capacity of about 74 megawatts (MW)

Design and construction on the projects is being handled by the company Black & Veatch. Ground-breaking on the projects is expected to take place before the end of 2015.

A recent press release provides more:

The FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center will be developed on land donated by the Babcock Ranch development — helping to keep development costs low in the process. County tax incentives and a portion of franchise fees committed by the Babcock Ranch Independent Special District will also lower the cost of the project.

The FPL Citrus Solar Energy Center will be developed on 340 hectares of land that is located near the 25 MW FPL DeSoto Solar Energy Center, which was opened in October 2009. Meanwhile, the FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center will be constructed on a 308-hectare site that FPL owns near its natural gas-powered Manatee Power Plant.

Considering that this is Florida we’re talking about here — the “Sunshine State” — hopefully such developments become more common in the coming years.

Of course, it would also be nice if Florida supported rooftop solar. However, as you probably know, the state has been very unsupportive of rooftop solar, not providing incentives for homeowners like other states provide, and not even allowing for third-party solar ownership and sales (i.e., not allowing companies like SolarCity, Sunrun, Vivint Solar, and Sungevity to come in and offer solar leases and PPAs). But FPL’s perspective is clear: “Large-scale solar is by far the most economical way to advance solar energy for the benefit of all of our customers.” For FPL? Definitely.

Florida Power & Light Teaming With FIU To Create Solar Energy Facility

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Florida Officially Denies Climate Change, But Could Get More Solar

Could Third-Party Ownership of Solar Be Taking Root In The Southeast

September 30, 2015 0 comment

4 MW Solar + Storage Installed In US In 2014, Set To Skyrocket In 2015

by James Ayre September 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

While only 4 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) + energy storage capacity was deployed in the US in 2014, significant change is coming to the sector, according to GTM Research. Altogether, less than 0.1% of all solar PV installations in 2014 were accompanied by energy storage systems. Amazingly, this is actually a decrease in installation rates over earlier years.

As predicted by GTM Research, though, things are changing this year. According to the research firm, 22 MW of solar + storage will be deployed in total in the US by the end of 2015; by 2020, the firm’s prediction is that the total will be 769 MW.

The largest solar + storage market in the US is predicted to be California (with 422 MW of capacity) — unsurprising, as California is currently the largest solar + storage market in the US and also the largest solar market, by far.

With regard to monetary figures, the market is expected to surge to $246 million in 2015, then to $643 million in 2016, and then to $3.1 billion by 2020.

Here’s some more via GTM Research:

There are a number of drivers for the increased level of industry and customer interest. Several technologies, led by lithium-ion, continue along rapid commercialization paths, bringing down costs and providing one of the biggest drivers for the industry. Along with cost reductions, solar-plus-storage value streams continue to advance from traditional backup to multiple use cases. These benefits vary in three ways: frequency of use, discharge duration, and the key beneficiary.

Generally speaking, benefits that have more frequent use improve the overall economics of the system. These benefits are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although there are limitations based on technology, availability of charge, frequency and timing of multiple applications. Apart from the technical constraints, front-of-meter benefits have generally not been monetized, except in a few markets at pilot scale.

Market rules and policies are still evolving in reaction to the proliferation of distributed energy resources. But across the major state markets with attractive incentive landscapes, the value proposition of solar-plus-storage varies by customer segment. The use cases can range from homeowners optimizing rooftop solar compensation in response to net energy metering reforms and time-of-use retail rates to peak demand shaving for commercial customers.

With significant changes coming to the country’s electricity markets as a whole, the solar + storage sector remains one that’s really worth keeping a close eye on.

September 30, 2015 0 comment

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AES Distributed Energy Securitizing $100 Million Worth of Solar Assets

by James Ayre September 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

The Colorado-based solar energy project developer AES Distributed Energy has revealed that it will be securitizing a portfolio of solar energy assets for a total of $100 million, according to recent reports. The notes will be secured with the revenue from around 1,548 US solar energy installations.

The deal marks the sixth major solar securitization of its type in the US in recent years. The securitization will be composed of $92.5 million Class A notes and $7.5 million Class B notes, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency — with the larger tranche being rated at BBB, and the smaller tranche being rated at B.

The recent report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency (from where those figures were originally pulled) also made the note (referenced above) that the notes will be secured via revenue from 1,548 solar projects. These projects are reportedly spread across 6 different US states, and include commercial, residential, small-scale utility, and industrial-type solar power projects. All of the projects in question currently possess long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

This move by AES Distributed Energy follows a recent announcement from Sunrun (in July) that it would be doing a $111 million offering. The noted solar leasing company SolarCity has also to date completed 4 of these sorts of deals — with the first occurring back in 2013, and the most recent one occurring last month.

“There is a market for it, otherwise there wouldn’t be six securitizations,” stated the senior director at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, Cecil Smart, in an interview with Bloomberg. Smart added that the figures related to the new offer are pretty much what’s to be expected in a “market still finding its legs.”

The new securitization will be issued via the AES unit Aurora Master Funding.

September 30, 2015 0 comment

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REC Now #3 In US Residential Solar Market

by James Ayre September 6, 2015

written by James Ayre

The Norwegian company REC Group is now the third-biggest solar photovoltaic (PV) module supplier in the US residential market, according to recent reports.

This follows a 5-fold increase in market share over the last year — following the imposition in the US of duties on Chinese solar PV providers. The company is reportedly expecting that its market share will continue increasing notably over the rest of 2015.

The company — which utilizes vertically integrated PV manufacturing facilities in Singapore — currently possesses a ~14% market share (up from a 2.7% market-share in Q1 2014). The company is also the top solar PV supplier in the Californian market, which makes sense considering the direct shipping routes from Singapore.

“(The trade rulings) certainly did not have a negative impact on our business,” stated REC Senior VP and Managing Director Arndt Lutz in a recent interview. “It opened the door for some of our customers that we were working with.” (You might say it was about “picking winners and losers,” of which Chinese companies were the losers.)

While some of the top solar leasing/sales companies in the US (SolarCity, Sunrun) are customers of REC, the company’s customer base is apparently much more diverse.

“We know all the big solar residential installers and have worked with them,” stated Lutz.

The company’s relatively new TwinPeak offering shows that part of the recent success has been down to technological changes as well — as the offering was a winner of the recent Intersolar Award in the Photovoltaics category. It offers 15–20 watts of generation capacity more than most similarly priced multi-crystalline modules.

According to Lutz, the aim is for TwinPeak to comprise roughly half of the company’s offerings into the US residential market for the time being. As of the second quarter of 2015, around 50% of the company’s business is now in the US.

Regardless of REC’s ability to capitalize on the recent tariff imposition, the two top companies in the US residential market are still Chinese ones — Canadian Solar and Trina Solar.

September 6, 2015 0 comment

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SolarCity Silevo Solar Module Aim: 50¢/Watt, 24% Efficiency

by James Ayre August 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

SolarCity’s goals for the Silevo solar module manufacturing facility under development in Buffalo, New York, are certainly not unambitious ones — based on the company’s recent SEC filing detailing the achievements needed via its performance-based compensation plan to vest tranches of shares.

Amongst these achievements, is the meeting of production costs of just 50¢/watt for solar modules with a +20% conversion efficiency — so, as stated above, the company certainly isn’t aiming low.

Considering the scale of the facility, the target doesn’t sound that strange — the manufacturing facility will, after all, be one of the largest of its type in the world once completed. Altogether, SolarCity is aiming for an annual production output of 1 gigawatt of solar modules (1,000 megawatts).

If the 50¢/watt goal is met, the facility will then be in a highly competitive position with Chinese-produced solar modules — potentially making for some very interesting market happenings. When that will occur is currently unknown, though. The facility is expected to come online in 2016, but the ramp-up period is vague.

Worth a reminder here, as well, is that the solar modules produced by the facility are expected to be high enough in conversion efficiency (over 20% to 24%) that fewer modules will be needed for solar arrays or rooftop systems, thereby reducing space requirements, and presumably installation costs.

Electrek provides more:

20% efficiency would be great, but the company aims to eventually hit 24% with Silevo’s Triex technology. They think they could reduce the number of panels per installation by 25%. The breakthroughs would allow for 340 watt panels the size of current 250 watt high-efficiency panels.

These module cost improvements would help the co-founders achieve other milestones of their compensation plan, including the reduction of the total cost per watt, which was at $2.91 last quarter. According to the SEC filing, to vest the last tranche of their compensation plan, they would need to achieve a total cost of installation of $2.05 per watt. This could make residential solar energy more affordable than ever before.

Here are the achievements outlined in the recent SEC filing:

Cost of Production of $0.50/Watt of solar modules with at least 20% efficiency
1 million Customers
3 million Customers
2,000 Cumulative Megawatts Installed
6,000 Cumulative Megawatts Installed
PowerCo Available Cash of $170 million for Trailing Twelve Months
PowerCo Available Cash of $600 million for Trailing Twelve Months
Average Total Cost Per Watt of $2.75 as of the end of a fiscal quarter
Average Total Cost Per Watt of $2.35 as of the end of a fiscal quarter
Average Total Cost Per Watt of $2.05 as of the end of a fiscal quarter

August 30, 2015 0 comment

PV Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing

Largest Solar PV Manufacturing Facility In Brazil Now Up

by James Ayre August 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

The 180-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Valinhos, São Paulo — now the largest such facility in the whole of Brazil — was recently inaugurated in a service put on by Globo Brazil.

With the completion of the quite large PV manufacturing facility, the country’s domestic solar PV project market should get a boost. With more locally made solar PV panels available, development costs should go down.

The new manufacturing facility is expected to be able to produce roughly 2,000 solar PV panels a day once at full capacity. The new facility has directly resulted in the creation of roughly 240 new permanent jobs, and a fair number of indirectly created jobs are expected to result as well.

An attorney for Globo Brazil, Flávio Manuel Coelho, commented: “The Brazilian energy matrix, fuelled mainly by hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants, is disabled and has an extremely high cost. Inserting a solar source will allow Brazilians to have access to energy at lower costs and with increasing security.”

A point well taken. The country is in the midst of a great many cascading problems caused by the ongoing drought, including issues with hydroelectric generation levels.

In related news, the Brazilian Energy Research Agency recently announced that it has approved 649 new potential solar energy projects (altogether totaling 20.9 gigawatts of potential capacity) to compete in the country’s upcoming Second Energy Reserve Auction, which is currently set to be held on November 13, 2015.

August 30, 2015 0 comment

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New Bifacial Solar Module Coming From Silfab Solar

by James Ayre August 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

The Canadian company Silfab Solar is reportedly now aiming to add 50 new jobs in 2016, bringing the number of employees added in 2015–2016 up to 80, according to recent reports.

In addition to the decision to add a further 50 employees, the company also reportedly has revealed that it intends to begin offering a new bifacial module by the end of 2015. The recent news follows an announcement last week revealing that the company was adding 30 new full-time jobs and was increasing capacity up to 300 megawatts (MWp), up from 180 MWp.

The head of business development, sales, and marketing at Silfab, Geoffrey Atkins, commented recently in an interview that the 30 jobs added recently were for factory floor positions: “The 50 additional ‘expected’ new positions in 2016 would be a mix of added factory floor team members and admin. We are adding to our sales team, marketing team, HR and finance teams. As well we are creating new product engineers and QC team members.”

The decision to increase production capacity from 180 MW to 300 MW is the result of strong demand throughout the North American markets, and the increase is expected to be completed sometime in Quarter 3 of 2015.

The production equipment for the increase is coming from Europe, according to Atkins.

“The investment allows us to increase both volumes and flexibility with a brand new line designed to receive the latest cells and module designs, and with modifications to the existing line to do the same. The investment has been entirely self-funded by Silfab Solar and its commercial bank partners.”

With regard to the decision to release a new bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) module: “The bifacial module and product has received a lot of interest and we are targeting the product primarily for the CDN and US Northeast market due to the dramatic snow-shedding ability and reflective gain off the backside in snow conditions.”

Image Credit: Silfab Solar

August 30, 2015 0 comment

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California Sets Another Solar Power Record

by James Ayre August 29, 2015

written by James Ayre

The state of California has achieved a new electricity generation peak record for utility-scale solar energy, according to recent reports. The new record of 6.391 gigawatts (alternating current, not direct current) was achieved on August 20, 2015, according to California’s grid operator. This figure refers to both utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects.

While the 6.391 GW figure includes both utility-scale solar PV and CSP projects, it doesn’t include the output of distributed solar energy system output (so-called “behind-the-meter” electricity generation). GTM Research has previously estimated a figure of 3.2 GW of total distributed solar system capacity in California for Quarter 1, 2015 — so, assuming that’s correct, and that peak generation sometimes approaches peak capacity for distributed, then the total peak figure could actually be as much as 50% higher.

The recent peak figure follows earlier records of 6.299 GW and 6.16 GW; set on July 13 and June 7, respectively, as well as numerous new records set over the last month and a half. These new records follow a fairly rapid solar energy buildout in recent days, as part of the state’s renewable energy growth goals.

Note that these records just keep being set, and we reported on the August 2014 4.813 GW and October 2014 4.903 GW solar records. You can see how fast solar is growing in California!

As the goals of the incumbent governor (Governor Jerry Brown) call for the Pacific state to receive at least 50% of its electricity via renewable energy resources by the year 2030, the constant flow of new records are encouraging.

With regard to the recent record on August 20, the state’s grid operator noted that, while solar and wind energy generation shifted the peak in the net load by a few hours, this rise was relatively smooth, with wind energy output rising as solar energy generation faded.

Image Credit: California Flag via Flickr CC

August 29, 2015 0 comment

PV Solar Policy Solar Projects

11+ GW Of Solar Projects Approved To Compete In Brazil Solar Auction

by James Ayre August 29, 2015

written by James Ayre

The current renewable energy auction (First Energy Reserve Auction), which took place yesterday, August 28, 2015, was a crowded one. It included the competition of more than 11.26 gigawatts (GW) of potential capacity, via 341 different projects. This followed the approval of this large number of applicants by the Brazilian authorities.

As noted by the Brazilian government’s Energy Research Agency (EPE), 125 of these projects (for over 4 GW of combined potential capacity) relate to the state of Bahia, while 61 (2 GW) relate to projects in the state of Piaui. The states of São Paulo, Pernambuco, and Grande do Norte all saw significant numbers of project proposals submitted for competition as well (over 1 GW each).

The Energy Research Agency’s president, Mauricio Tolmasquim, commented on the large number of potential projects thusly: “The large number of qualified projects predicts strong competition in the auction, which will benefit the customer.”

“Benefit the customer” — well one can certainly hope. With that said, though, a simpler way for consumers to benefit is to be given incentives to install their own solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, when possible. While this is of course not a monetary option for everyone, if one really wants to see the benefits of solar energy technology personally, then there’s no other real option (imo). Though perhaps community solar energy setups are a close runner-up (and the only good option in some circumstances)?

The upcoming Second Reserve Energy Auction is also seeing a significant amount of interest (as this first one is), with the Energy Research Agency registering 649 different proposals for the November 13, 2015, auction. Altogether, these projects total more than 20.9 GW of potential renewable energy capacity. Proposals concerning projects in the state of Bahia account for 6 GW of this figure, across 192 potential solar energy project.

We’ll see what comes of this most recent auction.

Image Credit: Charlie Phillips via Flickr

August 29, 2015 0 comment

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UK Solar Electricity Sees 153% Growth In 1 Year

by James Ayre August 12, 2015

written by James Ayre

Solar energy generation surged by around 153% over the last year in the UK, based on the most recent figures from the analyst company EnAppSys — with average daily electricity generation being around 1.37 gigawatts (GW) during the second quarter of 2015.

The new report also notes that, while solar photovoltaic (PV) generation accounts for only 4% of the UK’s electricity supply (as of the second quarter of 2015), that growth in the industry was already causing “oversupply” to the grid — thus contributing to negative market prices during some periods.

The report follows this observation up with the statement that, owing to the intermittent nature of solar energy generation (as well as wind energy generation), coal and gas-fired power plants need to be better able to rapidly switch off when grid oversupply occurs.
The director of EnAppSys, Paul Verill, commented that gas + coal generators will have to become more flexible with the growth of solar PV generation.

Renewables are playing an increasingly important role in meeting Britain’s energy needs and as the contribution increases, it must be assumed that its impact on pricing and supply issues will continue to grow.

If the capacity and output of solar PV and other renewables continue to grow, conventional power generates such as CCGT and coal will have to be more flexible to avoid oversupplying the network and paying the penalty of negative power prices.

On that front, the second quarter of 2015 saw the UK receive roughly 20% of its electricity from renewable energy sources — as compared to 50% from gas + coal, 22% from nuclear energy facilities, and a further 8% from outside countries. Owing to seasonal variations (primarily with hydroelectric generation), the share held by renewables regularly goes a bit higher.

August 12, 2015 0 comment

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