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■ Invenergy acquires 64MW Uruguay solar plant from FRV

US-based renewable energy developer Invenergy has purchased the 64MW La Jacinta Solar Farm in Uruguay from Spanish firm Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV).

The plant has been in operation since October 2015, using 216,000 modules manufactured by China-based firm BYD. It supports eight fulltime jobs.

Matthew Olive, Invenergy’s vice president of development and origination international markets, said: “We’re very pleased to close on the La Jacinta Solar Farm as it advances and strengthens Invenergy’s commitment to Latin America, and particularly to Uruguay.

“We are excited to add to our presence in Uruguay, as we also expect to initiate commercial operations in the coming weeks of Invenergy’s nearby 70MW Campo Palomas Wind Farm.”

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-tech.org）

■ Early stage solar and wind grid integration ‘requires little extra effort’ - IEA

In a manual directly aimed at policy makers, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has sought to debunk various myths about integrating wind and solar to the grid, while also providing solutions to bona fide problems that can arise.

Describing wind and solar as variable renewable energy (VRE), the IEA said that integrating them in fact “requires little extra effort”, particularly at the initial deployment stages.

The ‘Getting Wind and Sun onto the Grid’ manual aims to show policy makers how to deal with the increasing penetration of VRE technology, as countries find the cheaper prices offered by these alternative sources increasingly attractive and more capacity comes online.

Importantly, the IEA seeks to sweep aside misconceptions about VRE grid integration, regarding whether wind and solar requires one-to-one back-up capacity or if they force greater costs onto conventional generators.

It stated: “Discussion of VRE integration is often still marred by misconceptions, myths, and in cases even misinformation.”

Speaking at the recent Solar Power Summit in Brussels, Ditlev Engel, chief executive, energy, at consultancy DNV GL said: "Some see wind and solar as disruptions to the power system and discussions about subsidies and low-lying costs and such. At DNV-GL we actually don't think this is the case due to the experience we have had over a number of years now.

"Utilities are actually working towards integrating renewable energy and distributed energy resources as part of their business models. We probably see the world with a lot of integration of systems, on technologies, and this is leading into what we describe as the 'new power reality', where solar continues to play an important role. The question is then what should be done more of, going forward?"

The IEA report identifies four phases in VRE integration. In the first phase, wind and solar have no noticeable impact on the system and the process only requires clear communication on connection timings and technical requirements.

In the second phase, when VRE penetration in an individual country reaches about 3-15%, the focus shifts to managing first instances of grid congestion, and to incorporate forecasts of VRE generation in the scheduling and dispatch of other generators. Countries at this stage include Chile, China, Brazil, India, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Belgium.

The report specifically focuses on these first two phases.

Its main recommendations at Phase One include ensuring there is a transparent technical assessment of grid connection capacity and checking whether grid enforcement is needed even at this early stage.

By the time countries reach Phase Two, they need to start developing grid codes that are applicable to VRE, start referring to international industry standards, and take lessons from other power systems that already have high VRE penetration. Operators will also need to start using forecasts of VRE output. These were a few among a large list of recommendations.

Only at the third phase does VRE penetration not only affect the overall system operation, but also other power plants. Here the power system’s ability to respond to uncertainty and variability in the supply, such as when clouds cover the sun, becomes important. Examples of countries considered to be in Phase Three of VRE deployment include Italy, the UK, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Germany. VRE penetration in these countries ranges from 15-25% in annual generation.

Phase 4 is when challenges to grid stability arise. Ireland and Denmark are deemed to be in this phase with VRE taking 25-50% annual share of generation.

The IEA said that all these countries had achieved high VRE penetration without compromising the reliability of electricity supply.

Although the agency also sought to downplay widespread beliefs that VRE cannot be integrated without electricity storage, it still made clear that storage will have a key role to play in later stages.

Ditlev Engel said: "The combination of solar and storage is indeed very powerful, and the growth in solar will pull storage into much wider acclaim. It can help network operators adjust the electricity system and prepare for a broader share of renewables. However, a solid business case for the implementation of such community storage systems isn't there yet."

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-tech.org）

■ Hanwha Q CELLS agrees to 25MW repowering supply contract with ADLER Solar

Hanwha Q CELLS and ADLER Solar have agreed to a supply contract that will see Hanwha provide 25MW of its high efficiency Q.PLUS solar modules with integrated Q.ANTUM technology — along with an option to upgrade to an additional 5MW.

This new contract will help repower older PV systems, a move that is profitable for both banks and PV system operators alike — as a number of projects are falling short of their economic output due to a decrease in performance.

Repowering efforts help restore the original power output of both ground-mounted and rooftop projects, pay for profit loss and maximise feed-in tariffs.

Michael Reck, head of repowering at ADLER Solar, said: "The repowering method is an extremely attractive solution for PV system operators, banks or investors alike, whose solar system show a progressive degradation. Repowering clients expect continuous high quality standards: Starting with the concept, through the components used, all the way to the implementation of the appropriate measures. Quality and high performance are top priorities of ADLER Solar for each repowering project and this is why we are thrilled to have found a competent module partner in Hanwha Q CELLS, internationally recognized for the extraordinary performance and reliability of their solar modules."

Marko Schweitzer, key account manager at Hanwha Q CELLS, added: "The large number of solar systems for which repowering measures pay off are impressive evidence that it is worthwhile to invest in quality modules when it comes to photovoltaic systems. ADLER Solar's decision as the most experienced full service provider of photovoltaic systems to install Q CELLS."

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-tech.org）

■ ENGIE issues US$1.6 billion green bond

French energy company ENGIE announced Wednesday that it has issued its second green bond, worth approximately US$1.6 billion. The company announced that it will use the bond to grow its development strategies in renewable energies and energy efficiencies.

This bond is split between two tranches — a seven-year tranche of approximately US$753 million with a 0.875% annual coupon, along with an 11-year tranche of US$861 million with a 1.5% annual coupon.

Proceeds from the bond will be used to finance renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms, hydroelectric plants, energy efficiency projects and natural resources preservation projects.

In order to be eligible, these financed projects must adhere to eight environmental and social standards: fight against climate change and the conservation of the natural resources, environmental management, biodiversity, dialogue with stakeholders, business ethics, human rights, responsible procurement and health and safety.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-tech.org）

■ Sweden drops building permits for PV

Homeowners will no longer be required to obtain a permit to install PV modules, the Swedish government said this week.

The regulatory change will drive renewables development, said Peter Eriksson, minister for housing and digital development under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, in an online statement.

Building requirements for PV systems vary throughout the country, as they have thus far been determined by municipal authorities.

The exemption for solar is part of a broader package of newly simplified building regulations set out by the national government.

In November, the Swedish authorities revealed plans to effectively eliminate taxes on solar installations above 255 kW in size, as part of the country’s push to become 100% renewable by 2040.

However, Sweden’s cumulative PV installations remain negligible, at roughly 110 MW by the end of 2015, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Future growth will likely be dominated by small PV systems rather than large projects, as demand will be primarily driven by self consumption, according to the Swedish Solar Energy Association.

The government has already started to lay the groundwork for greater self consumption of PV-generated electricity.

Last November, it unveiled plans to offer a subsidy that will cover 60% of the cost of installing residential storage systems, up to a maximum of 50,000 kronor ($5,670).

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Philippines government backs construction of 150 MW solar farm

The Department of Energy for the Philippines has issued support for proposed Concepcion Solar Farm for the province of Tarlac as part of government’s push to energize all households by 2022.

The Philippine’s Department of Energy (DOE) has given its full-pledged support for a proposed 150 MW solar PV farm in the nation’s Tarlac province.

The proposed Concepcion Solar Farm would be able to meet the entire power needs of the province, and go some way towards enabling the government to meet its 2022 objective of energizing all households in the nation.

Part of that goal is for renewables to meet 25% of demand. “We are finding a balance for the demand and supply,” said DOE energy secretary Alfonso Cusi. “As of now, the country’s power demand is something like 13,000 MW. However, our supply is barely 14,000 MW. This is why we need more.”

The minister added that the government would also support the introduction of a storage system at the PV plant’s site in order to offer better frequency regulation and energy reserve in the province.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ UK: Lightsource connects 50 MW of new solar capacity ahead of ROC deadline

The leading British solar energy developer has connected 14 new solar parks in England, Scotland and Wales well ahead of the March 31 deadline for 1.2 ROC eligibility.

Lightsource Renewable Energy, a leading developer of solar plants in Europe and beyond, has connected 14 solar plants totaling more than 50 MW of capacity at various sites across the U.K. well ahead of the March 31 deadline for Renewable Obligations Certificates (ROCs) at 1.2/MWh.

The completion of this flurry of projects sees Lightsource increase its portfolio of connected solar projects to more than 200, and includes four solar farms in Wales and one in Scotland.

Lightsource collaborated with EPCs Biosolar, Egnatia and Grupotec to ensure that each of the 14 projects were delivered ahead of time and thus eligible to receive the 1.2 ROC subsidy from the U.K. government.

As far as projects developed by Lightsource go, these 14 were the final ones to be delivered under the 1.2 ROC scheme. However, in keeping with the firm’s recent business evolution, Lightsource is actively seeking to acquire new 1.2 ROC sites to add to its portfolio, the company confirmed.

“Our in-house development team has shown once again that anything is possible with the successful delivery of another round of challenging projects,” said Lightsource COO Kareen Boutonnat. “We have developed strong partnerships with trusted EPC contractors that understand our processes and consistently deliver in line with our own high standards.”

Lightsource confirmed that it is still hopeful of connecting additional 1.4 ROC projects this month, and is also working on building further large-scale solar farms in North Ireland, to be commissioned in 2018.

The U.K. solar market has been on the go-slow since policy changes effected by the Tory government have taken hold. These have included a drastic slashing of the FIT and a phasing down of the ROC scheme years ahead of schedule.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ The pv magazine weekly news digest

Gigawatts a-go-go this week as Turkey, Algeria and Vietnam all toy with those magical GWs, while in more mature markets German storage figures provided reasons for optimism and Blattner Energy took the top spot for U.S. EPCs.

Gee-Whiz, the solar industry never stops. Going With the GW-flow in this Great Week for PV were the markets of Turkey, Algeria and Vietnam. From tenders to shovels in the ground, these three GroWing markets could have Gone With the wind, but instead are Going Wild for solar. That’s enough GW from us… over to the professionals.

Turkey says yes we Kon

The hotly anticipated 1 GW Konya solar PV plant in Turkey attracted four bidders this week, comprising a consortia of local players, partnerships and global companies.

According to information provided by Turkish Solar Energy Society Solarbaba, there were four application submissions by the following players:

1.Limak Yatirim, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and Hareon

2.Acwa Power, Chint and Kibar Holding

3.?al?k Enerji and SolarGiga

4.Kalyon Enerji and Hanwha QCells

Of these joint ventures, Limak Yatirim, Kibar Holding, ?alik Enerji and Kalyon Enerji are local Turkish companies. Most of the rest are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Chinese, with the exceptions of Saudi Arabia’s leading EPC firm Acwa power and Korea’s Hanwha QCells.

Based on the Konya tender rules, local manufacturing of PV modules, cells, wafers and ingots is mandatory. Local manufacturing for the inverters is also mandatory, but there is no clear definition about what comprises a ‘local’ inverter, so perhaps local assembly alone will be sufficient to qualify for the tender.

A crucial question remains: why would a foreign investor want to build a local manufacturing unit to comply with the tender rules, to be awarded the 1 GW project if the investment is pricey and there is not a strong domestic solar market?

Algeria says love me tender

The north African nation of Algeria is blessed with an abundance of sunshine and vast tracts of land (Friday fun fact: Algeria is the world’s tenth-largest country), but thus far relatively little in the way of a consistent renewable energy policy.

Hence, the news this week that the government is set to launch a tender for the construction of large-scale PV projects totalling 4 GW was met with cautious optimism. The tender will be held in three 1,350 MW phases and will select projects with an average capacity of 100 MW.

The tender will enable the construction of several large-scale PV plants in the region of Hautes Plaines (High Plains), which is located in the northern part of the country, and also in southern Algeria.

The projects will be owned and developed by special purpose companies, which will be responsible for financing, EPC works, grid-connection and the sale of power. These vehicles will be owned 51% by a domestic investor and 49% by an international partner. Algerian government-owned oil company Sonatrach will hold a 40% stake in all of these companies, while Sonelgaz and other public or private Algerian companies will hold the remaining 11%. For Algerian private investors the participation in the capital of each company will not exceed 6%. Financing for each project must be provided 30% with own funds and 70% with bank loans.

The Ministry of Energy will soon designate the local private and public companies that will have to cooperate with Sonelgaz and Algerian electronic components producer Entreprise Nationale des Industries Electroniques (ENIE) for the projects.

Vietnam ups the ante

Reports from Vietnam suggest that close to 3 GW of solar PV capacity could be constructed in the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak over the next few years, most notably in the form of a 2 GW solar PV plant to be developed by Vietnamese power firm Xuan Thien Daklak.

The proposed 2 GW plant would be located in the province’s Central Highlands, says Reuters, and has already been granted a provincial government licence. Investment in the plant is likely to reach more than $2.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the local government also granted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to U.S. power developer AES Corporation for a proposed 300 to 500 MW solar farm, which will attract investment of $750 million.

Further government licences were granted to South Korean developer Solar Park Global, which is eyeing a $45 million PV project in Vietnam, and local developer Long Thanh Infrastructure Development and Investment Company, which has outlined plans to build a 250 MW solar installation in the country.

Germany’s storage success

According to provisional figures provided by German solar energy association Bundesverbands Solarwirtschaft (BSW-Solar), there are now approximately 52,000 operational storage systems serving PV installations in Germany. This number corresponds to a capacity of approximately 300 MWh, a BSW spokesperson told pv magazine.

Last year, the association said, about 20,000 new storage systems were installed in the country. This growth was mainly attributable to an increasing demand for self-consumption, as well as to decreasing prices.

BSW-Solar finds that prices for solar storage systems in Germany dropped by around 40% over the past three years. The association, however, has not provided specific numbers about current market prices.

Furthermore, BSW-Solar reports that one out of two individuals who plan to install a residential PV system also intends to install a battery technology. The association added it remains quite optimistic about the future of solar+storage in Germany, and that an increase in demand for this technology over the next two years is very likely.

The association forecasts that in 2018 the number of installed solar storage systems in Germany could surpass 100,000.

Blattner tops the U.S. EPC charts

In the U.S., IHS Markit has released its annual rankings of solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, finding that Blattner Energy came out of relative obscurity to take the top spot. The Minnesota-based contractor was followed closely by First Solar, which was the top solar EPC in 2015. Swinerton Renewable Energy came in third, as it did in 2015.

“2016 was Blattner’s breakout year in PV, capitalizing on strong relationships with leading developers and independent power producers like NextEra Energy,” IHS Markit North America Solar Analyst Camron Barati told pv magazine.

IHS Markit notes that Blattner did well in the Western United States, including California and New Mexico, and was also highly active in Georgia. The firm notes that the top four EPCs all installed over 1 GW each during the year.

Among the top five First Solar is the only solar-specific EPC, as all of the others are construction firms that have gotten into solar as one of several businesses. This may be part of a long-term trend.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ SMA announces “major hiring push” in California, U.S. Northeast

The inverter giant’s expansion plans are a response to what it says are favorable market conditions. In addition, the company is introducing new products to the U.S. market, including solutions for battery storage.

Much of the news regarding U.S. solar markets and solar employment this week was grim but it ended on a high note, courtesy of German inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology AG.

While Sungevity filed for bankruptcy after laying off an estimated 400 employees, and pv magazine additionally revealed that REC Solar and Spruce Finance had laid employees off in February (which had not been previously reported in the press), SMA announced that it will hire “many new employees” in the United States as part of a “major hiring push”, mentioning several roles being created to support the company’s sales group.

SMA America plans to hire workers in California and the U.S. Northeast, citing “favorable market conditions”.

“This is an important step at an imperative time in the U.S. solar market,” said SMA CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon. “Reinvesting in and strengthening the U.S. Sales Group will ensure that we operate strategically, effectively and in the best interest of our partners.”

The action comes as SMA is launching a number of new products in the U.S. market. The company has recently begun shipping its Power+ solution, which bundles module-level power electronics with its Sunny Boy U.S. inverter. Additionally, the company plans to launch its Sunny Boy Storage product to support distributed-battery systems later this year.

For larger systems, SMA plans to begin shipping its Sunny Tripower Core1 shortly, adding that it plans to roll out larger power classes of central inverters to support 1500 volt installations, as well as a power conversion system for grid-scale battery storage.

SMA cites system price declines as one factor for its push in the U.S. market, but also notes that larger market dynamics are changing.

“Homeowners, commercial entities and utility power providers have all recognized the financial and social value of solar power,” states Urbon. “They have also reached a tipping point in recognizing the critical importance of the inverter, which is driving a flight to quality in their purchasing decisions.”

Additionally, the company has appointed Charles Ellis VP of distributed sales and Andrew Mears VP of strategic sales. Ellis has been with SMA for more than a year, and Mears is returning to SMA, where he worked from 2009 to 2013.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ “Skinny Budget” nukes U.S. renewable energy research

President Trump’s Department of Energy hit list includes advanced energy research, loan guarantees and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The solar industry might have recognized the dangers inherent in President Donald J. Trump’s new Department of Energy (DOE) budget when the first four bullet points talked solely about nuclear energy.

In fact, the first time renewable energy is mentioned is in bullet point five, and it’s paired with the word “elimination” – not exactly an encouraging sign from an administration that has pledged fealty to fossil fuels and spoken disparagingly of renewable-energy sources for more than a year.

It does not get better.

Trump’s proposed budget slashes DOE’s funding 5.6% to a proposed $28 billion (down from $29.7 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, which ends on September 30). While a 5.6% cut doesn’t seem particularly draconian, the numbers jumps to 17.9% once the discussion moves to renewable and other energy programs than nuclear security. The lower number is only possible because of an enormous new investment in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

The proposed budget targets three areas where the federal government supports solar and other clean energy technologies:

- the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), nurtures innovative energy technologies that are too early in the development process to garner private-sector investment;

- the Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program, which allows companies and projects to take technology risks without the danger of losing their entire investment; and

- the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which funds research into clean-energy technologies.

Under the proposed plan, ARPA-E and the loan-guarantee program will be eliminated completely, while EERE will only be allowed to focus on “early-state applied energy research and development activities where the Federal role is stronger.” No further explanation is offered about what that phrase means, so it’s not at all clear what EERE will be allowed to do. But given the funding cuts, it’s safe to assume the answer will look more like “not much” than “spur solar development.”

Further, it appears from the budget draft that EERE will compete three other programs – the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Office of Electricity Deliver and Energy Reliability and the Fossil Energy Research and Development – for the same money. Given DOE Secretary Rick Perry’s closeness with the fossil-fuel industries and the president’s recent anti-renewable rhetoric, it’s hard to see it competing favorably with at least the final one.

However, renewable energy will not bear all of the cuts. The Title 17 loan guarantee program was open to “advanced nuclear” and “advanced fossil fuel” technologies as well as renewable energy, and had recently announced a conditional commitment to a petroleum coke to methanol facility in Louisiana.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, which began Oct. 1, 2016, and will end on Sept. 30, the DOE’s budget stood at $29.7 billion. The cuts will, according to Trump’s “Skinny Budget” released yesterday, save U.S. taxpayers $2 billion.

(A “Skinny Budget” is essentially a laundry list of requested budget items that first-term administrations submit early in their terms. The full budget, replete with the devil’s details, will be released later this spring.)

If passed as proposed, the solar industry will not be affected immediately. As the fastest-growing energy industry in the United States, employing more than 200,000 workers, it has established itself strongly enough in the energy infrastructure that even these draconian cuts are likely to have little if any impact on solar markets over the short-to mid-term.

The fear, however, is that without the three bodies facing sharp cuts, future innovations in the solar and battery technologies, including increased efficiencies, less expensive materials, and advanced in grid integration of high levels of renewable energy – could be slowed.

The one portion of the Department of Energy’s budget that will increase – by 11.3% – is the NNSA, which will oversee the revitalization of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Turkey to announce new tender for 1 GW of solar this summer

Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Berat Albayrak, announced that Turkey will hold a new tender for 1 GW of solar PV and 1 GW of wind power systems this summer.

Turkish energy minister Berat Albayrak, who is also the son-in-law of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said last week that in mid-summer, the Ministry is set to launch a solar and wind tender for 1 GW of new capacity each.

The announcement was made last week at the CERAWeek 2017 event held by IHS Markit, in Houston, USA.

Albayrak’s presentation at the IHS Markit consultancy’s event in Houston, Texas gave an update on Turkey’s energy situation. Both positive and worrying signals emerged from the minister’s presentation.

Turkey’s solar PV

Regarding solar PV, the announcement of a new PV tender in mid-summer is a positive development.

pv magazine asked Turkey’s Solar Energy Society, Solarbaba whether they know about the new tender, but a Solarbaba spokesperson said he has not heard of a new 1 GW tender, neither had any of Solarbaba’s members.

Apart from the new tender, Turkey’s energy minister also told the CERAWeek event that for the next 10 years, Turkey aims for at least 10 GW of installed capacity each for solar PV and wind power technologies.

The latter gives some clues about Turkey’s energy plans. The AKP-led government has said before that 90% of the country’s electricity in 2023 will be equally provided by gas, coal and renewable energy plants (30 percent each), while nuclear power will provide the remaining 10 percent. Currently, natural gas provides more than half of Turkey’s electricity.

Furthermore, while Turkey’s overall installed power capacity today stands at around 80 GW, the government has said that it aims 180 GW of installed capacity by 2023.

Turkey’s solar PV target is 5 GW installed by 2023. To date it has installed about 1 GW of solar PV capacity.

Therefore, even considering Albayrak’s new goal of 10 GW of solar PV in the next 10 years, Turkey’s solar PV aspirations are low.

The minister referred to the 1 GW PV plant in Konya, which he said “will have a 15-year purchase guarantee without any currency risk.”

Nuclear persistence

Many analysts have criticized Turkey’s energy policy for its persistence in coal, for which dozens of tenders are planned.

It is equally worrying that the country has embraced nuclear technology.

Albayrak told the conference in Houston that nuclear power will be key in the country’s energy mix, and that by 2023 the country will have its first operational nuclear reactor. A second reactor at a second plant will be launched around 2025, he added. Apparently, these are the nuclear plants in at Akkuyu on the Mediterranean coast and Sinop, on the Black Sea.

“Nuclear should be at least 10% of total electricity generation capacity,” the energy minister said.

It is striking that the international community has accepted Turkey’s nuclear power plans with little resistance. This is a country with huge terrorist problems, which furthermore often experiences large earthquakes. Nuclear plants in Turkey have the potential to be disastrous for its people and the whole region.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Elon Musk has turned Australia’s energy debate on its head

It took a couple of tweets, and at least one one-hour long phone call, but it seems pretty clear that Tesla founder, CEO and billionaire Elon Musk has helped turn the debate around energy policy in Australia on its head.

We can’t be sure what was said in the phone call between Musk and Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull last Sunday, but Musk’s views on the future of energy are well known: He wants to kick fossil fuels out as quickly as he can. And he is not one to hold back.

So, it’s hard to imagine that Turnbull was putting the case for baseload power plants in that phone call with any conviction. Musk would have been hammering home – as the tweet below suggests – the value of storage and flexibility, essential for the new technologies that he knows will dominate the grid: wind and solar.

Five days later, and just a few weeks after trumpeting clean coal in a National Press Club address, Turnbull was announcing his plan for Snowy 2.0: a plan for 2 GW and 175 hours of new pumped hydro storage capacity that would support wind and solar and make the push for new gas plants and added baseload all but redundant.

The haste with which it was put together was betrayed by the fact that New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, the common shareholders in Snowy Hydro, didn’t know about it, and the company itself didn’t even mention pumped hydro in its Finkel submission.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance wrote that it was a sign of long-term strategic thinking and planning “that has been desperately lacking in Australia’s energy policy debate for 10 years.”

BNEF said the sheer size of the project would add tremendous flexibility to the electricity system and capability to smooth the intra-seasonal variability of renewables. It was cheaper than gas and even below its projections for lithium-ion storage in 2025.

But also noticeable was the change of language that went with it: In an interview with Australian broadcaster ABC on Thursday night, Turnbull chose to use the word “variable” rather than “intermittent” when talking of wind and solar, and highlighted the need for “flexibility” over baseload.

He was being careful about his language. For the first time in months, he was treating wind and solar – which are now clearly the cheapest form of new energy generation – with respect, and talking seriously about the readily available technologies needed to bring these technologies together.

In South Australia, the same energy discussion was being held. South Australia’s energy plan is not focused on baseload, but on flexibility and dispatchability, and on technologies that can provide a fast response to grid faults and weather events, and unlock the stranglehold of the incumbent oligopoly.

Its focus is also on storage. In this case, battery storage, because its needs are urgent. There will be at least 100 MW installed by next summer in a tender that has already started.

And as RenewEconomy revealed, there will be a further 50 MW of battery storage in a world-first pairing of gas and battery units. (That proposed peaking gas plant is more than it seems).

One energy insider who has had extensive conversations with Turnbull on energy in very recent times says the PM “gets it. He understands renewable energy.”

Turnbull’s task, now, is to try to infuse that enthusiasm – if it is actually real – through his party. The Coalition has been told in no uncertain terms – by the market, by analysts, by scientists and the general public – that the pursuit of “clean coal” is an absurdity, and not justified on economic, environmental or market grounds.

Chief coal spruiker Matt Canavan, the resources minister, only has to look at the jaw-dropping list of large-scale solar farms that are now being built in north Queensland. There simply isn’t an economic case for new baseload power in the region. Or anywhere in Australia for that matter.

Musk is a long way from being the first person to explain the future of energy markets to Turnbull or the Coalition. But it may be that Musk can be the acceptable messenger, who can cause them to listen, and bring a change in attitude.

He’s not Labor. He’s not a Green. He’s a billionaire who wants to send people to Mars, makes electric vehicles they all want to drive, sells solar panels and home battery storage systems they want to have, and is a ruthless and successful entrepreneur.

Of course, the political battles will continue, and so will the hypocrisy. The extraordinary public spat between South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg on Thursday (at the launch of another world-first trial of a virtual power plant) is a sign of the huge frustration over federal policy.

The Coalition’s exploitation of South Australia’s spate of blackouts has been a disgrace, as Weatherill rightly pointed out. This is not about technology, this has been about system management, the lack of leadership on energy policy, and a failed market.

Petty politics and hypocrisy abound.

Turnbull and Frydenberg lambasted Weatherill for pre-empting the Finkel review, and then went ahead and did exactly the same thing two days later. They have mocked the state’s reliance on the interconnector, and then howled when the state moved to lessen its dependence on a link that keeps failing.

And Turnbull’s taunt to Weatherill – my storage is bigger than yours – was pathetic. Turnbull’s plan may not ever see the light of day, and will address a medium to long-term problem. Weatherill’s will happen before the end of the year and will address a pressing need.

The events in the US, where the election of Trump has defenestrated environmental protections, climate change initiatives, and given carte blanche to the fossil fuel industry, underlines how a change of leader can turn things on its head.

Australia, and Turnbull, know well the risk. And it is the main reason that Australia still has no credible climate or energy policy.

But perhaps this last week, and this subtle change of language, are signs that we are starting to get on the right track. The Finkel review will be critical in that process, even if the Far Right are howling already. Perhaps, though, it will need more phone conversations. And a lot more tweets.

Article reproduced with permission from RenewEconomy.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Europe’s largest bifacial installation under construction in the Netherlands

PV equipment supplier Tempress has announced the beginning of construction on a 400 kW installation close to its headquarters in the Netherlands, which will be the largest in Europe to feature glass-glass bifacial modules.

Tempress has started construction on what will be the largest bifacial installation in Europe. The project is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2017.

The installation will utilize 1428 n-type PANDA bifacial modules produced by Chinese manufacturer Yingli Solar, which were launched at last year’s SNEC show in Shanghai. “We are glad to receive substantial orders for our PANDA Bifacial module”, says Dengyuang Song, Chief Technology Officer at Yingli. “Tempress are our strategic partners and this innovative product is a result of long term collaboration.”

Tempress says that, dependent on circumstance, these modules can yield up to 30% more energy than a standard PV module. Production at the plant is expected to exceed 400 MWh annually.

The plant is being developed in cooperation with Sparkling projects, with Schulz Systemtechnik carrying out the installation. The project received an SDE+ subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

“We are proud to be the first in Europe to install a bifacial plant of such a large size,” said Albert Hasper, General Manager at Tempress. “This plant will be used as a showcase to prove the benefits of using bifacial module technology.”

Bifacial module technology has made several steps forward in the past year, with the technology being adopted by several major manufacturers. Currently, the largest bifacial installation in the world is a 12.8 MW facility installed by Sunpreme in the U.S.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ South Africa’s PV capacity reaches 1.47 GW, new PV installations for 2016 total 509 MW

The South African solar market registered 509 MW of new PV installations in 2016. The country’s cumulative PV capacity reached 1.47 GW as of the end of December. Meanwhile, the price of solar power has dropped significantly over the past five years.

The South African market saw an increase in new grid-connected PV installations of approximately 509 MW in 2016, according to a report released by the country’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

In the previous year, the report reveals, newly installed PV capacity was only 5 MW, while in 2014 the country saw the addition of PV systems totaling 750 MW. At the end of 2013, cumulative installed PV capacity was 210 MW.

Meanwhile, the country’s PV capacity reached 1,474 MW at the end of December 2016, while wind power generation capacity topped 1,460 MW. CSP also achieved a significant share, with 200 MW of new installed power.

Wind, PV and CSP combined were able to produce about 7 TWh last year, thus covering 3% of South Africa’s electricity demand. PV alone, the CSIR notes, was able to cover 1.1% of demand last year.

The report also stresses that tariffs for PV and wind power are now 40% cheaper than new coal in South Africa. The price for solar power decreased from ZAR 3.65 ($0.27)/kWh in November 2011 to ZAR 0.62 ($0.047)/kWh in November 2015.

The very low amount of new PV capacity installed in 2015 was likely due to the fact that several PV projects developed under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) were delayed because of grid-connection issues.

“South Africa is in 2015 again experiencing serious energy constraints, which are an impediment to economic growth and a major inconvenience to everyone in the country,” president Jacob Zuma said at the time. As a result, the government provided local utility Eskom, which is the only entity in the country entitled to buy renewable energy power under the REIPPP program, with ZAR 23 billion ($1.75 billion) in funds to help the company stabilize its precarious finances.

In February 2017, the South African government said that it intends to continue the REIPPPP program. In its 2017 Budget Review, the country’s Ministry of Finance stated that Eskom “will sign outstanding power purchase agreements for renewable energy in line with procured rounds”. The local solar association SAPVIA had previously proposed the establishment of an effective, independent, state-owned transmission entity in order facilitate the rapid connection of new generation capacity to the grid.

In the long-term perspective, the authors of CSIR have criticized the new annual build-limits for solar PV and wind imposed by the South African government, in its long-awaited 2016 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Draft, the expansion plan for the South African power system until 2050, which was released in November.

“No such limits are applied for any other technology. No techno-economical reason or justification is provided for these limits,” the report says. The country’s electricity demand, after all, is forecast to double from 244 TWh in 2016 to 522 TWh in 2050.

Commenting on the 2016 IRP draft, SAPVIA said: “The allocation of 17,600 MW for Solar PV in the 2016 IRP update is a step in the right direction, but falls short of the immense potential South Africa has to offer in this sector. Independent modelling, based on up-to-date figures from South Africa’s REIPPPP bidding rounds confirm that renewables are the best policy choice in order to meet South Africa’s energy needs at the least cost, while still maintaining our carbon obligation.”

The association also criticized the annual ‘build constraint’ placed on renewables, claiming these are artificial and cost-ineffective and do not reflect the real potential that solar technology can play.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Four more Chinese solar manufacturers withdraw from minimum price agreement

Jetion Solar, Hareon Solar and GCL Technology requested to withdraw from the minimum price agreement in October. The three companies, as well as Talesun Solar, are now excluded by Brussels from the undertaking.

The European Commission (EC) confirmed on Thursday that the withdrawal of further four Chinese solar manufacturers from the minimum price undertaking is complete.

According to an official document released by the EC, these solar module producers are Jetion Solar, Hareon Solar, GCL Technology and Talesun Solar. The first three companies requested to be excluded from the undertaking in October, while Talesun Solar made the same move in January.

Following the withdrawal from the agreement, these manufacturers will have to pay antidumping duties of 53.4 % and anti-subsidy duties of 11.5% on their modules produced in China or assembled with cells manufactured in Chinese factories.

At the beginning of March, the EU extended the antidumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese solar products for 18 months. At the same time, the EC announced that it will open an interim review, which is expected to investigate the gradual mitigation of the antidumping and anti-subsidy measures over the next 18 months.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Solar demand is boosting silver prices, says Silver Institute

Two different reports highlight how PV demand is currently improving silver’s industrial offtake. The Silver Institute says that prices have increased 9% since the beginning of this year, while ETF Securities says that mining capital expenditure and investments are declining, and that this could further weigh on silver supply.

The Silver Institute and ETF Securities have provided updates on how silver demand in PV is currently on the rise and how silver prices are expected to grow this year.

The Washington-based Silver Institute reported a 9% price increase since the beginning of 2016, its first annual rise in five years. The PV industry, the association said, “helped” improve silver industrial offtake, due to its record performance last year.

“We expect that the factors which buoyed institutional silver investment over much of 2016, and have carried over into the early months of 2017, will remain relevant for the remainder of this year,” stated Michael DiRienzo, Executive Director of the Silver Institute.

The association also said that changing expectations for U.S. interest rates, and the proliferation of negative policy rates across other key reserve currencies has rekindled institutional investor interest in precious metals.

Meanwhile, UK-based asset management firm ETF Securities also reported that silver demand for solar panels is growing and record levels are expected in 2018.

The company, which cites data from CRU Consulting, said that global silver demand is expected to grow at annual average of 114 million ounces over the next five years, and that peak consumption of 148 million ounces will be reached in 2018.

ETF said the average silver price should range between $20 and $22 per ounce in 2017 and that this will be mainly attributable to a combination of higher inflation, a weakening US dollar and improving manufacturing growth.

“After reaching a decade high in December 2016, ETF Consulting stated, we expect COMEX silver inventory to fall 17% by the end of 2017 back to the levels seen at the beginning of 2016, as mining capital expenditure has continued to slide. Additionally, we factor an 18-month lag to this input, reflecting the time it takes investment to bite into supply. As mining capital expenditure and investment continues to decline this should further weigh on silver supply, which has been in deficit for the past 11 years.”

As such, future prices of silver are watched closely both by investors and the PV industry. However, there is a lack of consensus for future demand from the PV industry. In December, Reuters ran an article stating that silver demand from PV applications is expected to peak this year at 83 million ounces (2.4 million kilograms). Reuters cited its internal consultancy GFMS in stating that this is due largely to the declining amount of silver being used in each solar cell, and also cited the rise of copper metallization solutions.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ United PV forms investment tie-up

Wholly owned group subsidiary Zhaolian Lvyi has agreed to set up a partnership with China Zheyin Synergy Capital Management to invest in companies that are building solar, wind, hydropower and biomass projects.

They will also seek investments in energy-efficiency technologies and mobile power charging stations.

They will start with an initial investment of 601 million yuan ($86.9 million), with financial services provider China Zheyin to contribute just 1 million yuan of the total, according to a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Zhaolian Lvyi, a solar R&D firm and consultancy, will pay its 600 million yuan contribution in stages through December 2027, depending on capital requirements.

The two partners will soon set up an investment committee to discuss new opportunities, as well as approaches to post-investment management. They did not disclose additional details of the partnership.

United Photovoltaics has finalized a number of major solar investments since the beginning of the year.

In February, a group subsidiary moved forward on the development of a 50 MW array shaped like a panda, in northern China’s Shanxi province.

And in late January, United PV agreed to buy 82 MW of operational PV capacity at six undisclosed locations throughout the U.K.

It currently has a number of framework agreements in place to build massive amounts of solar capacity through the end of this decade, including a 3 GW development deal with one of its major shareholders, China Merchants Group.

Its total installed PV capacity reached 996 MW at the end of June 2016, up 56.4% from a year earlier.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）

■ Longi’s solar module embrace supercharges its 2016 profit and revenue

The Chinese solar company’s new module business underpins strong 12 months for the firm, with revenues rising 94% year-on-year and net profit soaring by 197% over the same period.

Longi Green Energy, a China-based producer of solar ingots, wafers and modules, has this week posted its 2016 financial results that reveal strong growth in revenue and net profit for the year.

Having sidled into the solar module business, the firm saw its revenues reach RMB 11.531 billion ($1.67 billion), which is a year-on-year increase of 93.89%. Module sales alone accounted for RMB 5.7 billion ($825 million) and thus the business sector was duly labeled the company’s “cash cow” for the year.

In February, Longi Solar was officially launched following the group’s acquisition of Lerri Solar. This move marked Longi’s push into the monocrystalline cell and module market.

Indeed, the company’s module business gross margin of 27.2% in 2016 far surpassed that recorded in the company cell and polycrystalline silcon sectors, and came near to Longi’s profitable wafer business, which registered a 28.16% margin.

Net profit rose 197% on 2015 to reach RMB 1.547 billion ($224 million) for 2016, with gross profit margin rising 7% to reach 27.48% for the year.

The firm added in its financial filing that it will continue to pursue sola cell and module capacity expansions in 2017, adding that development of its 500 MW solar cell and module fab in India is progressing well, as too is its 500 MW cell, module and wafer facility in Malaysia and the addition of 2 GW of cell and module lines at Longi’s Taizhou facility in China.

“By the end of 2016 our monocrystalline module production capacity had reached 5 GW; and the target for the end of this year is 6.5 GW,” said Longi Solar president Li Wenxue. “Longi anticipates to deliver 4.5 GW of solar cell and modules this year.”

Earlier this week Longi partnered with Tongwei on the development of a new polysilicon production plant in China’s Sichuan province.

( Mar 17,2017 / pv-magazine.com）