Tag:

Spain

410 GWh Solar Electricity Purchases By Endesa In Spain

by Guest Author March 21, 2016

Originally published on Sustainnovate.

The Spanish utility company Endesa purchased 410 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of solar electricity during a recent solar energy auction for Portugal and Spain, according to recent reports. The solar auction in question ended with a price of €39.6/MWh/megawatt-hour ($43.82).

The aforementioned 410 GWh of solar electricity equates to roughly 681 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity.

As of the middle of last year, the Spanish utility company has been “encouraging” that quarterly solar energy auctions be held by the independent Iberian Energy Derivatives Exchange (OMIP), for the Iberian peninsula. The quarterly auctions relate to roughly 500 GWh of generation, varying somewhat depending on the level of production at the various times of year.

An Endesa rep commented on the successful auction, stating that it had reaffirmed the “positive market acceptance” of the approach.

A separate release from the company stated: “Until the solar auctions began, the wholesale forward market had not offered the financial risk management tools in a transparent, reliable and competitive environment, required to meet the specific profile of solar production.”

“This auction has also enabled the creation of a specific index for solar products (SPEL Solar), the first in Europe which also serves as a reference to analyse the progress and behaviour of this technology in the financial markets.”

The next quarterly Iberian solar auction is slated for June 2016.

Notably, Endesa is a part of Enel Group, along with Enel Green Power, a 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist and one of the largest renewable energy project developers and operators in the world.

March 21, 2016 0 comment

Energy Storage Going Solar PV Rooftop Solar Solar Modules

Iberdrola Partners With Yingli On Turnkey Solar PV Solution In Spain

by Cynthia February 7, 2016

written by Cynthia

Yingli Green Energy (aka Yingli Solar) has signed an agreement with Iberdrola to add a fresh new product for the Spanish solar market. “Smart Solar Iberdrola,” the turnkey solar PV solution, offers a combination of solar panels (through Yingli) for energy generation and batteries for backup, allowing consumers in Spain to consume all of the electricity they generate.

A press release from Madrid, Spain, reports that Yingli’s extensive portfolio of solar panels is included in the new partnership offering, and Yingli is offering technical assistance and training for Iberdrola’s technicians and installers.

“We are very pleased to have the cooperation of Yingli Solar as we aim to provide a comprehensive solution that meets all the needs of a client who wants to become self-consumer electricity using PV. To do this, have one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels in the world is important,” said Raquel Blanco Director of Efficiency and Energy Services of Iberdrola.

“We are pleased to join IBERDROLA’S SMART SOLAR strategy, which is fully aligned with our downstream focus,” said Fernando Calisalvo Managing Director of Yingli Green Energy Spain. “We are committed to the promotion and development of clean energy affordable to everyone, through our expertise and high-quality products and services.”

The Yingli expansion and partnership in Madrid follows on the heels of another expansion in Thailand. CleanTechnica reported in January that Yingli Solar’s subsidiary Hainan Yingli New Energy Resource announced a joint venture with Demeter Power to set up a solar panel manufacturing facility in Thailand.

New Solar Policies In Spain Spark PV Industry IRE

by Glenn Meyers October 13, 2015

written by Glenn Meyers

Called a self-consumption decree in Spain, this new solar policy targeting solar PV electricity states that installations up to 100 kW provide electricity to the grid as a gift, receiving no compensation in return, and only a tax bill.

The only entities spared from this policy are smaller systems up to 10 kW, or plants located on islands off the Spanish coast.

According to Christian Roseland, writing for pvmagazine, the current center-right government in Spain is considered hostile to the solar industry in comparison to other European nations. But such a tax, while unpopular to solar energy proponents, has been viewed by proponents for some time as one step forward, Forbes has stated, for righting the nation’s solar fiscal woes:

“Spain is generating so much solar power, according to its government, that production capacity exceeds demand by more than 60%. That imbalance has created a problem for the government which now finds itself in debt to producers. And not by a little bit. The debt is said to have grown to nearly 26 billion euros ($34.73 billion US).”

These new fees will begin to be levied in six month’s time. Solar PV arrays under 10 kW and systems not on the Spanish mainland will be spared the generation charge, but will still be subject to a fixed charge per kW of capacity.

In opposition to the recommendation of the solar industry and the state council, these fees are levied not on the net balance, but on the total output of systems.

Additionally, PV systems up to 100 kW may not sell electricity, and will be required to donate this electricity to the grid free without compensation. Systems over 100 kW must registered in order to sell electricity on the spot market for the excess they produce.

According to Spanish news site Público, one of the few recommendations made by the State Council that was incorporated into the final text is that the use of batteries will not be banned. However, the use of batteries will not be allowed to lower the portion of the tax based on the capacity of solar PV systems.

Vocal opposition to the new solar policy has come from both the Association of Renewable Energy Producers (ANPIER) and the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF). ANPIER called the regulations a “perversion of Democracy”, while UNEF president Jorge Barredo added, the “unjustified sun tax” means independent solar system users will pay more charges for maintaining the grid than other users do, even though they use less of it.

This economic disincentive now taking place in Spain makes particularly bad news for a country that has been long regarded as a pioneering leader in the creation of a solar energy infrastructure.

Image: Solar panels in Granada, Spain via Shutterstock

October 13, 2015 0 comment

Market Research PV Solar Projects Solar Research

Global Utility-Scale Solar PV Capacity Reaches 45 GW, Wiki-Solar Reports

by Joshua S Hill July 14, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

New figures released Monday by Wiki-Solar have pegged global utility-scale solar PV capacity at 45 gigawatts at the halfway mark of 2015.

According to the self-proclaimed utility-solar authority, there were 8 gigawatts (GW) of new solar PV plants in the first half of 2015, which could set a new annual record if things continue along this track.

Unsurprisingly, the global spread of newly commissioned solar PV capacity is quite evenly distributed across the leading three regions — Asia, Europe, and North America. However, Wiki-Solar.org also notes that the remaining three regions it monitors — Australasia & Oceania, Africa, and South America — are beginning to feature within the global world totals.

New capacity of utility-scale solar projects by continent and year

Another completely unsurprising turn of events is China’s continued growth, now exceeding 10 GW in cumulative solar PV capacity. China may in fact have taken the top spot away from the US, said Wiki-Solar, adding that “the capacity shown … is probably understated, as new installations often take some months to be reported.”

Country	# of Plants	Capacity (MWac)
United States	604	10,454.5
China	344	10,038.2
United Kingdom	461	4,123.9
Germany	301	3,604.9
India	232	2,946.4
Spain	174	1,550.9

The UK did make a surprising move, however, jumping into the third spot over Germany, having installed 2 GW of new solar PV capacity in the first quarter of 2015.

Cumulative operating capacity across the 6 regions therefore looks like this:

Note: Wiki-Solar’s database covers over 4,500 utility-scale solar projects, of which about two-thirds are operational, and the remainder are under construction or development.

July 14, 2015 0 comment

Activism Energy Storage Going Solar Investment Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Perceptions & Polls Solar Policy Solar Research

Spain’s Citizen Petition: Don’t Tax the Sun! ¡NO al impuesto al SOL!

by Aisha Abdelhamid July 2, 2015

written by Aisha Abdelhamid

Originally published on Planetsave.com

In a great show of unified civil disapproval of Spain’s recently proposed “solar tax” law, over 188,000 citizens have signed an online petition against it in less than one week.

Penalizing grid-connected solar installations of up to 15kW using battery storage systems, Spain’s new solar tax would be from €8.9 (US$10) per kilowatt for residential consumers, and up to €36 (US$40.6) per kW for medium size businesses. The new tax would result in an increase to payback time for solar-plus-storage owners from about 16 years to 31 years.

Hefty penalties for infringements are set absurdly high, capping out at €60 million (US$67.7 million), which is twice as high as the fine for spilling nuclear waste in Spain.

July 2, 2015 1 comment

Energy Storage PV Rooftop Solar Solar Policy

In Spain, Solar Storage is Worse Than Nuclear Spillage

by Aisha Abdelhamid June 22, 2015

written by Aisha Abdelhamid

Originally published on Planetsave.com

Storing solar energy in a battery in Spain is more criminal than spilling radioactive waste. That’s the implied message written between the lines of a recently drafted law poised for fast-track approval by the government of Spain. Proposed fines for residential and SME use of solar energy self-consumption will be as high as €60 million (US$67.7 million).

Applying to grid-connected solar PV installations of up to 15 kW, Spain’s new “solar tax” will be €8.9 (US$10) per kW for residential consumers, and range up to €36 (US$40.6) per kW for medium size businesses. Off-grid solar installation owners, however, will be permitted to install solar storage units without fear of paying the new tax.

June 22, 2015 0 comment

Activism Investment Jobs PV Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Incentives Solar Policy

Spain Retroactive Feed-in Tariff Cut Challenges To Be Heard By Supreme Court

by James Ayre October 31, 2014

written by James Ayre

The Supreme Court in Spain — the Tribunal Supremo — has reportedly invited the Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF) to a meeting to discuss the organization’s recent legal challenge to the country’s decision to retroactively cut solar subsidies.

The move suggests that UNEF may soon be getting its day in court, and that the rather unpopular decision to retroactively cut FiT payments may go somewhere. Well, possibly anyways. It’s also possible that nothing will come of it.

UNEF’s energy policy director, Pedro Palencia, recently confirmed the reports, stating: “Overall, there have been more than 300 lawsuits to the Supreme Court. However, the court is considering to only allow a handful going forward, setting the case for the rest too. UNEF’s lawsuit is very important and may decide for the whole sector.”

As we’ve reported on previously, Spain recently passed a bill that will see retroactive limits placed on the financial returns that investors can collect on solar PV projects. It should go without saying that such legislation has the potential to completely crush the country’s solar industry, and almost certainly damage the wider investment market there as well.

Commenting further, Palencia noted the limits to UNEF’s legal abilities to reduce the application of laws: “This is only available for the defensor del pueblo or regional governments, and the court to judge cases is the Constitutional Court.”

So, in other words, this meeting with the Supreme Court is pretty much UNEFs only option for dealing with the recent legislation.

UNEF is currently being represented legally by the international law firm Watson, Farley & Williams.

Image Credit: Solar Tradex

October 31, 2014 0 comment

Market Research Policy Research PV Solar Incentives Solar Modules Solar Policy Solar PV Manufacturing Solar Research

IEA Solar Report Provides Wealth of Information (14 Charts)

by James Ayre October 16, 2014

written by James Ayre

The newest edition of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme report was recently released by the IEA — detailing a huge quantity of different aspects of the global solar PV market as well as country- and region-specific solar PV markets.

This 19th edition of the report provides a number of highly interesting/useful graphs, some of which are posted below. Providing visual representations for everything from the 20 largest single-country solar PV power capacity additions from the last five years, to the contribution of electricity from solar PV systems relative to overall country electricity demand, to which solar PV market incentives and enablers have most driven solar PV growth, etc.

Enjoy.

Germany’s steadily high installations for years keep it at the top in terms of cumulative solar PV capacity, but that may change in 2014 thanks to another year with a huge red bubble floating far above the rest.

Here’s a table if you’re into tables or lists.

And here’s a broader look at the 2013 breakdown. China and Japan together account for ~half of all solar PV power installation.

But Germany is still far ahead in terms of total cumulative solar PV capacity… We’ll see if it stays there after 2014. The US, sadly, sits at #5 despite being the 3rd-most-populated country in the world and the richest.

Notice Europe’s shrinking market share. However, that’s not just due to shrinking solar PV markets in Europe — it’s also due to strong growth in North America and Asia… especially Asia.

It’s fascinating here to look at how the electricity from solar PV is differently “consumed.” Also, congrats to Italy for leading the way on this chart — nice solar resources help, but that’s certainly not the only factor at play! The US and China actually perform pretty horribly from this angle. Europe dominates the top rankings.

We still have a long way to go.

That’s some strong growth.

Somewhat crazy how much three countries contribute to the 2013 total. The story will be similar in 2014.

Feed-in tariffs are still the premier market enabler for solar PV power. Note, also, that self-consumption and “pure competitive EV” is already making up 5% of the pie.

As far as renewables go, more mature wind still dominates.

China dominates solar cell production. Who knew?

While there is often talk of Chinese solar cell and solar module producers killing US and German companies, we can see here that US and German solar cell production never came close to Chinese production even as far back as 2010, or even Taiwanese production for that matter. But there’s no denying that the German market collapsed in 2010.

Chinese domination is even stronger in the module business.

Source: IEA, via Sustainnovate

October 16, 2014 0 comment

Market Research PV Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Policy Solar Research

Commercial Solar Grid Parity Now Reality In Italy, Germany, & Spain

by Zach March 23, 2014

written by Zach

The days when solar power was more expensive than other power sources are quickly passing us by. News out of Europe is that commercial solar power is now at grid parity in some major European countries.

A new study, the PV Grid Parity Monitor, conducted by consulting firm Eclareon, has found that commercial solar power hit grid parity in Italy, Germany, and Spain in 2013. Based on levelized cost of energy (LCOE) calculations, commercial solar now competes with retail electricity in these European countries.

“In countries such as Italy and Germany, both at grid parity and with proper regulation, PV systems for self-consumption represent a viable, cost-effective, and sustainable power generation alternative,” said David Pérez, partner at Eclareon in charge of the study.

As you can see in the chart above, of the 7 countries studied, 4 are yet to hit commercial solar grid parity. Of them, Mexico certainly looks the best-positioned to hit it next, and France seems to be next in line after that.

You can also see large variation in the solar policies of these countries. For example, Spain is infamous now for its retroactive solar feed-in tariff cuts. It has also made it illegal for people to consume electricity they generate from their own solar panels.

Italy and Germany, on the other hand, have largely cut solar feed-in tariffs as initially scheduled. Overall, their solar policies have been much more stable. They also have policies supporting the adoption of energy storage, which is a good supplement to rooftop solar, especially if costs can be brought down as they were with solar panels.

Of course, Brazil and Mexico are seen as having the most supportive policies for solar PV electricity self-consumption.

Notably, LCOE for commercial solar power has been coming down in all 7 countries a great deal, but, as might be expected, they’ve been coming down slowest in the countries already at grid parity, which have more mature solar PV markets and have less incentive to further cut prices:

For more details, check out the full PV Grid Parity Monitor.

This was the first commercial solar grid parity monitor from Eclareon. I’ll keep you up to date with changes in the coming ones.

March 23, 2014 1 comment

PV Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Incentives Solar Modules Solar Policy Solar Research

Australian Solar PV Is Cheaper

by Zach August 22, 2013

written by Zach

Cheaper Australian Rooftop Solar PV (via Clean Technica)

This post originally published on RenewEconomy One of the most comprehensive reports on the decline in solar PV prices has just been released by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. Its Tracking the Sun report details…

August 22, 2013 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts