Hele denne saken bør leses, da den er et eksempel på hvordan verden virkelig ikke trenger kullkraft. Men noen utdrag:

Solar is starting to replace the largest coal plant in the western U.S.

On Navajo land in Arizona, a coal plant and coal mine that have devastated the environment are being replaced by solar–with both enormous benefits and local drawbacks that can serve as a lesson for how the rest of the country will need to manage the transition to renewables.

...

The coal plant, called the Navajo Generating Station, was built in the 1970s to provide power to growing populations in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. A nearby coal mine supplies the power plant with coal. As recently as 2014, the coal plant wasn’t expected to close until 2044–a date negotiated with the EPA to reduce air pollution. But reduced demand for coal, driven both by economics and climate action, means that the plant is scheduled to close in 2019 instead. The coal mine, run by Peabody Energy, will be forced to follow.

In 2016, Los Angeles, which owned a 21% share in the plant, completed a sale of its share to reduce city emissions. In 2017, the remaining owners announced that they would close the plant because coal power is no longer economically competitive. The plant’s largest customer, the Central Arizona Project, calculated that if it had purchased electricity from other sources in 2016, it could have saved $38.5 million.

...

Though customers no longer want the coal, there’s some resistance to the early closure. Both the coal plant and the coal mine provide tribal revenue and jobs in an area where nearly half the population is unemployed.

...

Natural springs have run dry. Windmills that used to pull up water from an aquifer no longer can. Thousands of Navajo families still don’t have running water. Plants that were used in traditional food, medicine, and to dye rugs no longer grow in the area.

“Many of our wildlife–for example, deer, elk, antelope–these are all gone,” Deal says. “They have moved on to other areas simply because they cannot find these plants anymore. We also noticed that the bald eagles and other hawks have moved on.

...

The coal plant emits more greenhouse gas pollution than roughly 3 million cars, contributing to the changing climate that is, in turn, leading to both drought and heat waves in the area. The plant also emits thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution a year, which can cause lung disease, heart attacks, and strokes. Other pollutants from the plant, like lead, mercury, and manganese, can cause brain damage.

...

Renewable energy can also bring new economic opportunity. When the coal plant owners decided to close in 2019, part of the agreement included turning over a 500-megawatt transmission line to Navajo tribal government. “We can see that having the transmission line is the greatest economic opportunity that the Navajo nation has ever had,” Deal says.

“It’s a great asset for the tribe, because they could either sell the rights of that transmission and make money, or they could develop their own projects . . . and use the transmission right to be able to sell pretty much to anybody in the western United States,” says Ormond. In addition to abundant sunshine, the Navajo reservation also has the best wind resources in Arizona, at Gray Mountain.

The first Kayenta solar farm, which started operating in April 2017, has 120,000 panels mounted on trackers that follow the sun to generate as much power as possible. It generates 27.3 megawatts of electricity, which is sold to Salt River Project, which also runs the coal plant. The power is sent across the reservation and to cities in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and California. At the height of construction, the project employed 284 people, the majority of whom were Navajo. The solar installation skills that workers gained can be used in the next solar plant, which will generate another 27.3 megawatts of power.

...

https://www.fastcompany.com/40577931/solar-is-starting-to-replace-the-largest-coal-plant-in-the-western-u-s

China’s leading power producers can generate solar power at rates as low as CNY0.31/kWh, “even below the price of coal power”.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/05/31/ihs-markit-at-snec-grid-parity-within-reach-in-china/

California gets more power from solar than gas in May

During May solar provided 17% of generation on California’s grid, outpacing gas for the first time on a monthly basis.

JUNE 4, 2018
In many ways California has led the transition to renewable energy in the United States. As the state continues to build more and more solar and modernizes its approach to electricity planning, it has even begun to deny the continuation of contracts to existing gas plants in favor of clean energy alternatives.

California was one of only three states in 2017 to get more than 10% of its power from solar, but has not stopped there. According to an analysis of data from California’s grid operator compiled by frequent pv magazine collaborator and self-described data geek Joe Deely, in May California solar generation rose to a new record of 3.02 terawatt-hours (TWh), representing nearly 17% of in-state generation. With gas falling to only 2.67 TWh, or around 15%, this means that solar provided more electricity for Californians than gas – for the first time ever on a monthly basis.

As is usually the case, it is important to look beyond these two sources of generation to get a more clear picture of what is going on here. While hydro generation has fallen from its high of 18% last May, it still provided 12% of electricity generation during the month, which is higher than in the drought years of 2014 and 2015.

The world set a new record for renewable power in 2017, but emissions are still rising



https://qz.com/1295830/2017-set-a-new-record-for-renewable-power-but-emissions-are-still-rising/

India høyner sitt mål om 175 GW innen 2022. Nytt mål: 225 GW.

...

India will add 225 GW renewable energy by 2022: Power Minister

Buoyant with rapid growth of renewable energy in India, the government is aiming to add 225 Gw by 2022. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday on four years of achievements of the BJP government in the power and renewable sector, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh said India would achieve the earlier target of 175-Gw in the next two years.

“India’s current renewable-based power capacity stands at 70 Gw, and we will cross the 175-Gw target well before 2022. We have new schemes like offshore wind, floating solar, which will help us over-achieve the current target," said Singh.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-will-add-225-gw-renewable-energy-by-2022-power-minister-118060501021_1.html

En satans aksje er det og som bandet Grim Reaper sang på 80 tallet :

Can I make you an offer? You can't refuse
I kept my eyes on you 'cause I tell you that you lose
And you can come with me to a place you'll know so well
And I will take you to the very gates of Hell

See you in Hell my friend
See you in Hell my friend
See you in Hell my friend
I'll see you in Hell

Kongekveite vi har mye av samme musikksmak har jeg forstått. Din kommentar om Bon Scott og hell aint a bad Place to be stemmer jo fint her inne. Håper vi alle ikke ender opp som legenden fylt til randen av billig whiskey og kvalt i våre egne oppkast. skal ut på tur til helgen å da blir det bon Scott å mye mye annet snadder. Dab kan de stappe opp.

Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an known enemy

Take your time, hurry up
The choice is yours, don't be late
Take a rest as a friend
As an old

Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria

Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach
As I want you to be
As a trend, as a friend
As an old

Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria

And I swear that I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I…

A Year After Trump’s Paris Pullout, U.S. Companies Are Driving a Renewables Boom

WASHINGTON — When President Trump announced on June 1 last year that the United States would exit the Paris climate deal, many of America’s largest corporations said they would honor the agreement anyway, vowing to pursue cleaner energy and cut emissions on their own.

A year later, there’s one area where that pledge is highly visible: renewable energy. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies, from tech giants like Apple and Google to Walmart and General Motors, are voluntarily investing billions of dollars in new wind and solar projects to power their operations or offset their conventional energy use, becoming a major driver of renewable electricity growth in the United States.

“You’re definitely not seeing corporations slow down their appetite for renewables under Trump — if anything, demand continues to grow,” said Malcolm Woolf, senior vice president for policy at Advanced Energy Economy, a clean energy business group. “And it means that many utilities increasingly have to evolve to satisfy this demand.”

One big question, however, is whether these corporate renewable deals will remain a relatively niche market, adding some wind and solar at the margins but not really making a sizable dent in overall emissions, or whether these companies can use their clout to transform America’s grid and help usher in a new era of low-carbon power.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/climate/companies-renewable-energy.html

Omstillingen går rett og slett for sakte, og farten må økes, sier Equinors konsernsjef Eldar Sætre i forordet til rapporten.https://e24.no/energi/equinor/equinor-rapport-om-energiomstillingen-gaar-for-sakte/24355051

Why Did China Tap The Brakes On Its Solar Program?

...

To put China's growth in perspective, in 2017 alone China added 53 gigawatts (GW) of new solar PV capacity. That addition was greater than the total solar PV capacity of any country at the beginning of 2017.

Given China's growing need for clean power, China's decision to curb subsidies caught many -- including me -- by surprise. Why would China make such a decision?

The decision may be rooted in actions of the Trump Administration. Earlier this year, President Trump announced a 30% tariff on imported solar equipment that would last at least the next four years. The decision was a response to a couple of U.S. solar companies charging that China's solar subsidies were allowing Chinese solar companies to undercut U.S. solar manufacturers.

Because China is the world's leading consumer of solar power, I didn't expect this decision to have a huge impact on China's solar industry. But now that a larger trade war looms, China may have made a decision to signal to the U.S. that it will stop allowing Chinese solar panel makers to substantially undercut U.S. manufacturers.

The "winners" here may be a few U.S. solar companies, but the overall growth rate of the solar industry may suffer. In the long run, solar PV is still certain to outgrow every other energy category, but in the short term this decision is going to create a lot of uncertainty around the industry.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2018/06/05/why-did-china-tap-the-brakes-on-its-solar-program/#76b7cbd0686f

Forrige innlegg bør leses i sammenheng med denne.


JUNE 7, 2018 / 4:35 AM

China says it does not want U.S. trade frictions to escalate
Reuters Staff

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that the country does not want an escalation of trade frictions with the United States, and that some specific progress was made in the latest round of talks that concluded over the weekend.

China has said that it is willing to increase imports from America as part of negotiations to reduce the United States’ $375 billion goods trade deficit with the world’s second-largest economy and defuse broader commercial tensions.

Sources have told Reuters that President Donald Trump has discussed with trade advisors a Chinese government offer to import an extra $70 billion in U.S. agricultural and energy commodities, but it is unclear if such as deal would be enough to avert a trade war.

Trump has threatened tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese exports as part of a separate dispute over Chinese intellectual property (IP) protections.

The administration has said that a final list of goods for a first wave of duties will be issued next week, and that U.S. Treasury Department plans to limit Chinese investment in the United States were also under way.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said that talks on Sunday between U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing included in-depth discussions about agriculture and energy trade, but he did not confirm that China had made a $70 billion offer.

Gao told a weekly news briefing that the talks had made specific progress, and reiterated China’s willingness to import more from the United States, but he did not offer details.

“There were discussions regarding specific areas of cooperation, including in-depth talks on agriculture and energy. China is willing to increase imports from the U.S. (as part of negotiations),” Gao said.

China on Sunday warned that any agreements reached on trade and business between the two countries will be void if Washington implements tariffs and other trade measures.

Structural issues that for years have angered Washington, such as Chinese joint venture rules, market access restrictions, and policies that result in technology transfers, were not covered during Ross’ latest trip to Beijing, according to sources.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china/china-says-it-does-not-want-u-s-trade-frictions-to-escalate-idUSKCN1J3079

IKEA to use only renewable and recycled materials by 2030

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ikea-sustainability/ikea-to-use-only-renewable-and-recycled-materials-by-2030-idUSKCN1J31CD

Carbon 'bubble' could cost global economy trillions

A rapid reduction in demand for fossil fuels could see global economic losses of $1-4 trillion by 2035 according to a new report.

Energy efficiency and low carbon technology could cause the downturn, even if governments fail to take new steps to meet the Paris climate goals.

The resulting "carbon bubble" could cause losses larger than the 2008 financial crisis, the authors say.

The US and Canada would be the biggest losers, the study finds.

According to the International Energy Agency (IES), the world invested around $700bn in oil, gas and coal in 2016.

While there has been a growing movement for divesting from shares in fossil fuel companies in recent years, the sector still accounts for 6% of global stock markets and 12% in the UK.

Research has often focussed on how these investments would be affected if the world takes new action to limit the global rise in temperatures to well under 2C as agreed in Paris in 2015.

One recent study found that 20% of the world's power plant capacity could become "stranded assets" if the Paris goal was met.

But this new report looks at the impact of low carbon technology in renewable energy, the electrification of transport and greater efficiency in fuel use, on demand for fossil fuel irrespective of whether new climate policies are adopted or not.

They also include the impact of a rapid sell off, of oil and gas reserves by producing countries eager to get rid of the fuels before they become worthless.

The authors say that by 2035, $1 trillion dollars could be wiped off the global economy if no new actions to limit warming to less than 2 degrees are taken. This could rise to $4 trillion if new policies to restrict emissions further are set.

"You don't need to have anything for the stranding to happen, because what has already been done in the past is driving this phenomenon," Prof Jorge Viñuales, study co-author from Cambridge University, told BBC News.

"Many investors don't take the carbon bubble seriously, they say that climate policies won't be adopted, and if they are adopted they won't be tough and even if they are tough they won't be adopted anytime soon - what we are saying is, that doesn't matter."

The authors say that while there will be some significant losers, the overall impact on global GDP will likely be balanced with countries like Japan, China and the EU seeing employment grow along with their economies as their imports of fossil fuels will become much cheaper.

"It is potentially catastrophic for high cost producers," said Prof Jorge Viñuales.

"The US will suffer in all events, the same for Russia and Canada - they could improve their situation by moving away from investment in fossil fuels and trying to develop renewable energy."

Some scientists and investors believe that fossil fuels will continue to play a significant role and stranded assets can be avoided if technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be developed and deployed. Other experts say this is a risky assumption.

"Many models assume that CCS will become cost competitive at some point, meaning that fossil fuels could still make up a part of a low-carbon energy mix - however it's not clear that the technology will ever become cost-competitive without a significant increase in current levels of investment," said Sini Matikainen, policy analyst at the Grantham Research Institute, who wasn't involved in the study.

"The authors also use a 2 degree scenario, so under the lower, more ambitious 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement, the losses from stranded assets could potentially be even larger than this paper suggests."

Other observers point out that in some parts of the world, the move away from fossil fuels has happened already

"I think we are seeing this play out," said Shelagh Whitley from the Overseas Development Institute, who have been researching the link between stranded assets and coal fired power stations in India.

"We thought when we started this three years ago that this would play out over the next decade, it is already happening."

"In India, you have public banks saying they have to write down all sorts of assets on their books, there are all sorts of new policies coming into place, it is happening much more quickly than people imagined."

If action is taken soon, the carbon bubble can be deflated say the authors. A simple first step would be to require all corporations to disclose their exposure to stranded assets.

If the bubble isn't dealt with quickly, the disruption of fossil fuel production may lead to political upheaval, and the rise of populism. Something the authors fear may be happening already.

"We have not tested the link with populism in the study but my take is that this is why some administrations are relying on fossil fuel policies," said Prof Viñuales

"And they are winning and getting a strong electoral base because the people working in those sectors have suffered a lot already."

The study has been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44357243

Mange har sluttet å putte penger i forurensede selskaper og teknologi. Flere beveger seg vekk fra oljeinvesteringer. Her på berget vil investorene mest sannsynlig være de siste som ser utviklingen og beveger seg over til fornybar. Heldigvis har oljeselskapet Statoil forstått dette og endret profil til energiselskapet equinor. Fremover må investeringene til equinor i større grad ligge i fornybar.

Trump’s latest attempt to protect coal looks positively socialist

REPUBLICANS ACCUSED President Barack Obama of being a socialist. Yet President Trump is preparing what could be the most astonishing and counterproductive instance of central planning the nation has seen in decades.

Mr. Trump last Friday ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to recommend ways to prop up struggling coal and nuclear power plants. Mr. Perry’s previous attempt at doing so was practically laughed out of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which unanimously rejected the notion that the U.S. power grid is at risk as clunker coal plants lose out to cheaper natural gas and renewables. But now the Trump administration is preparing more drastic alternatives.

One option would require the purchase of electricity from coal and nuclear plants under a law meant to keep power flowing during emergencies, such as hurricanes. Another scheme would hijack the 1950 Defense Production Act, which allows presidential intervention to secure critical goods when national security is at stake.

...

If Mr. Trump proceeds and the courts somehow allow such a perversion of the law, it would be hard to stop the next Democratic president from, say, using emergency powers to force the purchase of renewables at the expense of coal, oil and natural gas.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-latest-attempt-to-protect-coal-looks-positively-socialist/2018/06/06/6734ec70-68eb-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/11/canada-pension-plan-investment-board-worlds-first-to-issue-green-bonds/

The latest hot trend? Replacing coal plants with solar. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/11/lowest-approved-solar-power-contract-in-the-united-states-2-49¢-kwh/

Spain set to cancel solar tax
With her first official announcement, Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera has made it clear that the inglorious solar tax on distributed generation will be eliminated, while confirming her support for more ambitious EU renewable energy targets
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/12/spain-set-to-cancel-solar-tax/

Solar Has Overtaken Gas and Wind as Biggest Source of New U.S. Power

Solar power in U.S. climbed 13% in first quarter, SEIA says
New installations in 2018 expected to be similar to last year

Despite tariffs that President Trump imposed on imported panels, the U.S. installed more solar energy than any other source of electricity in the first quarter.

Developers installed 2.5 gigawatts of solar in the first quarter, up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to a report Tuesday from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. That accounted for 55 percent of all new generation, with solar panels beating new wind and natural gas turbines for a second straight quarter.

The growth came even as tariffs on imported panels threatened to increase costs for developers. Giant fields of solar panels led the growth as community solar projects owned by homeowners and businesses took off. Total installations this year are expected to be 10.8 gigawatts, or about the same as last year, according to GTM. By 2023, annual installations should reach more than 14 gigawatts.

“Solar has become a common-sense option for much of the U.S., and is too strong to be set back for long, even in light of the tariffs,” SEIA Chief Executive Officer Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-12/solar-surpasses-gas-and-wind-as-biggest-source-of-new-u-s-power

Hmm....
“Solar has become a common-sense option for much of the U.S., and is too strong to be set back for long, even in light of the tariffs,” SEIA Chief Executive Officer Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement.

Kina vil spare landområder ved å bekle veiene med solceller. Dette testes nå ut på en del av en motorvei:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/business/energy-environment/china-solar-roads-renewables.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Markedet for monocrystalline silisium er forventet å øke 19,77% årlig på verdensbasis fra 2018 (1.479,80 MUSD i 2017) til 2023 (5.002,44 MUSD).

https://technologicalcritic.com/tech/global-monocrystalline-silicon-furnace-market-is-projected-to-exhibit-a-cagr-of-19-77-between-2018-and-2023/

Man kan få kjøpt overraskende mange rapporter på et google-søk. Svært ofte havner man hos en indisk autogenerert side hvor du skal få gleden av å kjøpe en rapport om nesten hva som helst.

Ingen av disse rapportene er spesielt seriøse. Det er som Nigeria-brev.

Solar installations in India rise by 34% in Q1

Solar installations in India increased by 34 per cent to 3,269 mw in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, according to Mercom Communications.

"Q1 2018 was the best quarter on record for solar installations in India, with 3,269 MW, a 34 per cent increase compared to 2,448 MW installed in Q4 2017. Installations were also up when compared to the 2,991 MW installed in Q1 of 2017," Mercom Communications India said in a statement.

https://m.economictimes.com/industry/energy/power/solar-installations-in-india-rise-by-34-in-q1/amp_articleshow/64556599.cms?__twitter_impression=true

June 14 (Renewables Now) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX:005930) is getting ready to install solar panels and geothermal power plants at certain company sites as it just announced a commitment to source renewables for 100% of its operations in the US, Europe and China by 2020.
The Korean company said in a statement that it expects to be powering all of its factories, office buildings and operational facilities in the US, Europe and China with renewables by the end of the decade. Moreover, it plans to expand this effort around the world in the medium to long-term.
As an initial step, Samsung Electronics intends to install solar panels on an area of 42,000 sq m (452,084 sq ft) at its headquarters in Suwon this year. It will continue with solar and geothermal installations in 2019 for its Pyeongtaek campus and in 2020 for the Hwaseong campus.
The company pointed out that those projects should increase its use of renewable energy globally to match the equivalent amount of energy produced by an average 3.1-GW solar power plant by 2020.
In 2019, Samsung Electronics will begin work with its top 100 partner companies to assist them in setting their own renewable energy targets. The company has now joined the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles and the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center, and said it expects to become part of the Carbon Disclosure Project Supply Chain Program next year.

How a Florida Utility Became the Global King of Green Power

NextEra became a renewable-energy Goliath using tax subsidies to help finance projects around the country and avoiding debt—staying quiet about it all

By Russell Gold
June 18, 2018 10:10 a.m. ET
83 COMMENTS

Who is the world’s largest operator of wind and solar farms? It’s also America’s most valuable power company. Still stumped? It’s by design.

“That is a marketing problem…that we foster intentionally,” Michael O’Sullivan, NextEra Energy Inc.’s head of renewable development, told University of Notre Dame students in 2015.

...

Fortsetter...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-a-florida-utility-became-the-global-king-of-green-power-1529331001

Global PV market to grow by another 621.7 GW by 2022, SolarPower Europe says

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/19/global-pv-market-to-grow-by-another-621-7-gw-by-2022-solarpower-europe-says/

Det er vel snart nesten bare det at solinnstråling varierer med vær og døgnrytme som begrenser interessen for PV-energi. Avgjørende for dens ubegrensede suksess er evnen til å lagre energi på en billig måte. Med stadig fallende batteripriser, bl a som følge av innføring av ny teknologi der også, vil kullkraft endelig endelig vippes av pinnen for godt. Det predikteres at i 2050 skal 50 % av elektrisistetsproduksjon skje vha sol- og vindenergi. Andre antyder 60 %. I tillegg vil mye av transportsektoren bli drevet av el.

https://www.pv-tech.org/news/falling-battery-costs-to-enable-wind-and-solar-generation-to-hit-50-globall

India’s utility solar capacity grows 72% in FY18: Report

BENGALURU: India's utility solar capacity grew by a whopping 72% in 2017-18 over the previous year, says solar consultancy Bridge To India in its latest annual report on the sector. It installed 9.1GW of utility solar against 5.5GW in 2016-17.
Total solar installation was 10.4GW, the rest comprising rooftop solar plants and off-grid solutions, taking the country’s cumulative solar capacity to 24.4GW.
Solar capacity addition in 2017-18 was higher than that of all other energy sources, both conventional and renewable, combined, the report notes. In comparison coal and wind only added 4.6GW and 1.7GW respectively.

Among the states, Karnataka added the most capacity at 4.1GW, which was 46% of total capacity installed in 2017-18. This also makes Karnataka the state with the largest commissioned solar capacity in the country, at 5.2GW. The report notes that the open access market in the state grew substantially because of favourable exemptions under its solar policy, but that these are being phased out from this year.
The second highest cumulative capacity was in Telangana (3.28GW), followed by Rajasthan (2.3GW), Andhra Pradesh (2.28GW) and Tamil Nadu (1.86GW).

Adani Green Energy, Renew Power and Acme Solar were the top three developers in 2017-18, installing a total capacity of 2.3GW between them, according to the study.
“Indian solar market has grown spectacularly over last four years. But we are still only at 24.4GW, way short of the 100GW target,” said Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director, Bridge to India.
The government had set the 100GW target in 2015, as part of an overall renewable energy target of 175GW for 2022. Recently, the new and renewable energy ministry announced it expects to surpass this target to reach 227GW, including 113.5GW of onshore solar and another 31GW of floating solar and wind.
The study, however, estimates that capacity addition will be lower in 2018-19 because of a slowdown in tender activity in late 2016 and early 2017. The majority of installations this year were driven by state government tenders. “While falling prices and government support have helped in boosting demand, supply side factors like land and transmission still remain a concern,” said Rustagi.
There is also the fear of safeguard duty being imposed on imported solar equipment, as the Directorate General of Trade Remedies examines a complaint from domestic manufacturers on the matter. In early January, a provisional safeguard duty of 70% for a period of 200 days had been suggested, but a final decision will be taken after a public hearing later this month.
As in previous years, rooftop solar installations have been lagging, says the report. Total rooftop capacity stood at 2.4GW as of March 2018, with around 1GW having been added in 2017-18, against a target of 40GW by 2022.
“Growth in rooftop solar slowed down marginally in the year due to GST and safeguard related uncertainty,” the study says.
“We have bid out 10,500 MW of solar projects this year, as against 5,000 MW in 2016-17,” said Anand Kumar had said to ET in March. “We have also brought solar tariffs down to affordable levels.”
Solar tariffs reached a record low of Rs 2.44 per unit at an auction held by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for 500 MW of projects at the Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan in May 2017, but have been rising slowly since then. Even so, solar tariffs compare favourably with the cost of thermal power.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/indias-utility-solar-capacity-grows-72-in-fy18-report/articleshow/64675139.cms

Husker ikke om denne har vært postet av meg eller andre:

EU raises renewable energy targets to 32% by 2030

The EU is raising its target for the amount of energy it consumes from renewable sources, in a deal lauded by the bloc’s climate chief as a hard-won victory for the switch to clean energy.

Energy ministers agreed a binding renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, up from the previous goal of 27%, but fell short of the hopes of some countries and green groups for a more ambitious share.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/14/eu-raises-renewable-energy-targets-to-32-by-2030

It all raises an important and tricky question: is this the end of the line for solar subsidies?

China provides an illustration of the likely answer, which is that FITS may be disappearing but other subsidy-lite alternatives are taking their place. Analysts say China’s decision to scrap FITs follows a rise to about $15bn last year in the deficit in the subsidy fund earmarked for developers; plugging the gap would have strained public finances. As a result of this shortfall, solar developers were not getting the subsidies they were owed. As one industry insider puts it, everyone loves subsidies—but only when they get paid.

Paolo Frankl of the International Energy Agency, a global forecaster, notes that China had recently begun to experiment, via a programme called “Top runner”, with an alternative to FITs that is gaining popularity internationally. This is a reverse auction in which solar developers that offer to build and run projects most cheaply win. The price they bid is what they will charge in long-term power-purchase agreements (PPAs) for the electricity they generate. Such reverse-auction PPAs have produced startlingly low bids in sunny places from Arizona and Nevada to Mexico, Abu Dhabi and India. In China recent PPAs sharply undercut the FITs, he says. One even beat coal-fired power. Hence China’s aim to encourage more of such auctions to make solar, on the face of it, subsidy-free. The benefits could be significant in China. Lower prices of panels as a result of a temporary glut will encourage more aggressive bids, saving the government money and making solar more competitive against coal.
China’s move—though it will stall new solar installations for a while—may nonetheless make the global industry healthier over time. The shift may hasten consolidation in the industry in China, bringing the four main manufacturing components, polysilicon, wafer, cell and panels, under one roof, as they are at Jinko.https://www.economist.com/business/2018/06/14/can-the-solar-industry-survive-without-subsidies

India eyeing a new monster 100GW solar-capacity goal

Earlier this week, India's energy minister R.K. Singh suggested that the country is considering issuing a tender for 100 gigawatts of solar energy. PV Tech confirmed the report, which added that the tender could be tied to solar panel-manufacturing buildout. In 2015, India set a goal to reach 100GW of solar capacity as part of its larger aim of 175GW of renewable energy in general by 2022. This latest 100GW tender would be for a 2030 or 2035 target.

The existing goal is ambitious, so a stretch goal further into the future is even more so. The country's current total solar capacity is just 24.4GW, according to The Economic Times. (For context, as of this month the US has about 55.9GW of installed solar capacity total.) But although the solar sector there is still small compared to the US, it's growing quickly. Utility-scale solar capacity grew by 72 percent in the previous year, The Economic Times noted.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/india-eyeing-a-new-monster-100gw-solar-capacity-goal/

2,000MW solar power by 2022

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/2000mw-solar-power-by-2022/articleshow/64723890.cms

Australia: 1/3 av elektrisiteten vil komme fra fornybart innen 2020
Mai var rekordmåned for PV: 131 MW fra rooftop er ny rekord. Det samme er 19.000 monterte takanlegg.

...

- "This represents almost a doubling in renewables share compared to 2015 when it met 17.3 per cent of annual electricity consumption," GEM director Tristan Edis said.

- "Even if contracting and construction commitments to solar farms and wind farms halted from today, ongoing installations of rooftop solar should see renewables share reaching 39 per cent by 2030," he said.

Record month for PV

GEM's forecast comes on top of another record month for small-scale rooftop photo-voltaic (PV) installation.

Almost 19,000 rooftop PV systems were installed across Australia in May.

Mr Edis said new units in May alone would add up to bill savings of about $233 million over 10 years.

The 131 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar PV registered in May was also new monthly record.

Large-scale renewable pipeline growing
Mr Edis said his forecast for renewables accounting for about 40 per cent of generation by 2030 substantially exceeded the emission reduction ambition within the NEG.

Modelling for the Energy Security Board estimated the emission target would be achieved with 36 per cent renewables' share.

However, even those figures may be conservative, with the pipeline of renewable projects waiting for approval capable of supplying 85 per cent of the NEM's demand by 2030.

"Since the political uncertainty over the Renewable Energy Target was resolved, project developers have been incredibly busy identifying and gaining development approval for new wind and solar farms around the country," Mr Edis said.

By 2050, renewables supply 87% of electricity in Europe, 55% in the U.S., 62% in China and 75% in India.

Europe
Europe shows that renewable energy can reach very high penetration at a low cost. By 2050, renewables make up 87% of the electricity mix, with wind and solar playing a dominant role.

Cheap renewables, flexible demand and batteries combine to shift the European power system away from fossil fuels and nuclear to one built around variable renewables and emissions-free energy.

Germany
Germany sees rapid change to 2025 with coal and gas generation falling 29%, nuclear phased-out and renewables topping 70% of generation.

Battery deployment helps renewables reach higher penetration but, in the absence of policy intervention, cheap lignite is likely to remain in place.

By 2050, Germany is running on 74% wind and solar, and 84% renewables, but it has the highest emissions in Europe.

U.K.
The U.K.'s plan to close its remaining coal-fired power stations by 2025 reduces the role of fossil fuels in generation to 12% by 2030.

At the same time, growth in high capacity factor offshore wind pushes renewables up to 73% of generation. By 2050, the U.K. has added 158GW of wind and solar, as well as 49GW of batteries and renewables provide 83% of generation.

U.S.
The U.S. electricity system continues to replace aging coal and nuclear with cheaper gas and renewable resources, assuming there is no lasting federal policy intervention to prevent their retirement.

Coal and nuclear are pushed out by age and economics, such that by 2050 both nuclear and coal have almost disappeared from the electricity mix. We do not anticipate a U.S. nuclear renaissance with the current technology.

Batteries grow in significance from around 2030, supporting renewables penetration, which reaches 55% in 2050. In that year, emissions are 58% lower than they are today.

China
China sees peak coal generation and peak emissions in 2030, as the world’s biggest electricity system reaches 39% renewables penetration with 23GW of batteries.

China will continue to be the largest market for wind and solar, which grow from 7% to 46% combined of total generation by 2050.

By that time China has 1.1TW of solar PV and 1TW of wind – equivalent to 21% of all the PV and a third of all the wind power installed globally.

India
India has the cheapest new wind and solar anywhere in the world. This poses a profound challenge to the orthodoxy there that coal is forever king.

While we expect coal-fired electricity to continue to grow in India in the short to medium term, by 2050 wind and solar dominate, supported by batteries and flexible gas. This pushes India’s emissions 22% below what they are today.

While we expect coal-fired electricity to continue to grow in India in the short to medium term, by 2050 wind and solar dominate, supported by batteries and flexible gas. This pushes India’s emissions 22% below what they are today.

Japan
Japan's electricity system remains relatively coal-heavy for much of the next 33 years, even as strong renewables growth and nuclear restarts squeeze gas out of the mix.

By 2050, renewables account for almost three quarters of electricity generation, with PV supplying 43%, up from 6% today.

Negative demand growth and strong consumer uptake of small-scale PV and batteries make Japan one of the more decentralized power systems in the world, with 34% of installed capacity behind-the-meter.

Australia
Australia's power system is on track to become one of the two most decentralized in the world, with consumer PV and behind-the-meter batteries making up 44% of all capacity.

This represents a dramatic turnaround from the largely coal-fired system of today.

This represents a dramatic turnaround from the largely coal-fired system of today.

Wind, PV and batteries form the backbone of this new system, where coal has all but disappeared.

South Korea
South Korea's generation mix shifts from 72% coal and nuclear in 2017 to 71% gas and renewables in 2050.

Utility-scale batteries and peaker gas plants become a crucial part of Korea’s future power system, supporting growing offshore wind and PV, as the country’s aging coal and nuclear plant retire.

Hele rapporten:
https://about.bnef.com/new-energy-outlook/

Solar PV and wind are now cheaper than new-build coal power plants, even without carbon capture and storage. Unsubsidised contracts for wind projects in Australia have recently been signed for less than $55 per MWh, and PV electricity is being produced from very large-scale plants at $30-50 per MWh around the world.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-27/new-coal-doesnt-stack-up-just-look-at-queensland/9913882

Jaja, Bare å selge.. ser ut for at sol neppe er fremtiden..s

Litt på siden, men: Oljegigant BP kjøper opp Storbritannias største ladenettverk for elektriske kjøretøy. Sier litt om hvordan oljeindustrien må tenke nytt.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/28/bp-to-buy-uks-largest-electric-vehicle-charging-business.html

The global Polysilicon market is valued at 2160 million US$ in 2017 and will reach 3410 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% during 2018-2025.

http://anni-qyresearch.blog.jp/archives/10444970.html