Renewables

Decommissioning on horizon for UK’s early commercial windfarms. The winds of change continue to sweep across the renewable energy sector. Technology is moving forward rapidly with step-changes in the size, capacity and efficiency of wind turbines. Many of the UK’s first commercial windfarms are now approaching the end of their initial lease periods and the end of their 20 to 25 year operational lives. As a result, they will soon be unfit for purpose. Last month, the energy sector trade body RenewableUK issued a report warning that the UK could lose more than 8GW of onshore wind generation if older windfarms are not upgraded with larger and more efficient turbines in the next 20 years. The report anticipates that around 17.5% of the UK’s entire power output could be lost and that the low carbon electricity generation gap of up to 18% of current demand by 2030 which the UK faces could grow if existing windfarms are not repowered. With decommissioning obligations beginning to appear on the horizon for many of the UK’s early commercial windfarms, developers are increasingly looking at repowering options and in doing so must consider the terms of the land agreements in respect of their existing sites and what changes might be needed to accommodate a repowered project.

Energy Voice 20th May 2019 read more »

Renewable energy firm Anesco is working with EDF Energy and its tech partner, Upside Energy, to introduce an industry-first guaranteed floor price for revenue from the battery storage units operating at the first subsidy-free solar development in the UK. This three-page case study explores how EDF Energy worked with Anesco and Upside Energy to create and implement an “industry-first” floor price for the revenue generated from onsite battery storage units at the Clayhill solar-storage farm in Milton Keynes.

Edie 14th May 2019 read more »

A Scottish firm has emerged as one of the country’s most successful start-ups after it was paid a nine-figure sum by the Chinese government for solar projects in Inner Mongolia. Edinburgh-based Sinnalba Group posted a “stellar” turnover of £110m between its launch in August 2016 and December 2017. A pre-tax profit of £20.8m was declared. The firm was paid to deliver two 250 megawatt solar projects with an unnamed “state-owned enterprise” in Inner Mongolia, a province of China.

Times 19th May 2019 read more »

Over and again, legislators worldwide are confronting the same question: which technologies do we subsidise and support, when, by how much, and for how long. Get it right and those costs will reduce and should disappear once scale is reached. Solar and wind are on their way to proving that. What about biofuels? Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega and Carole Mathieu of the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI) look at the last 10 years. The EU leaders are Denmark (10% of the gas grid), Germany (over 100,000 direct jobs) and Italy (focussed on the transport sector). Growth has been impressive but will be difficult to sustain if subsidies are cut too soon, say the authors. Committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 and facing the depletion of its gas fields in the North Sea, Denmark has a clear interest in making biogas and biomethane central pillars of its future smart energy system. Likewise, Germany’s Energiewende and its focus on renewable-based electricity generation has led to a robust development of biogas plants with onsite electricity conversion and satellite Combined Heat & Power (CHP) units. This way, Germany became – by far – the largest biogas producing country in the EU, with about 105,000 direct jobs in its bioenergy sector. In Italy, the high availability of agricultural feedstock and the widespread use of gas in transport activities have also been strong arguments in favour of biogas production and the upgrade into biomethane, to facilitate the achievement of the renewables expansion target for the transport sector and reduce the country’s CO2 emissions.

Energy Post 13th May 2019 read more »

The UK Solar Trade Association announced twice this week that the country’s solar fleet broke the peak generation record set originally two years ago, highlighting the need for solar to be allowed to participate on a level playing field in the country’s energy mix. According to the Solar Trade Association (STA), the UK’s solar fleet broke its peak output record of 9.38 GW (gigawatts) — set originally back in May of 2017 — around noon on May 13, when it hit 9.47 GW. This was followed a day later by another announcement of another record, set almost exactly a day later when peak solar output reached 9.55 GW at around 12:30 pm.

Clean Technica 16th May 2019 read more »

Solar will soon be able to out-compete gas-fired plants around the world on a levelized cost basis. That doesn’t mean it will be any easier to make a living in the solar business. “By 2023, we think solar’s going to be cheaper than gas almost everywhere around the world,” Tom Heggarty, senior solar analyst for Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, said Tuesday at GTM Solar Summit in Phoenix. New combined-cycle gas plants remain competitive with new utility solar in many big markets today, from China to the U.K. to South Korea. But that will no longer be the case by the early 2020s, as equipment costs continue to fall and competitive auctions proliferate, Heggarty said.

Green Tech Media 14th May 2019 read more »

A CALL has been made for a fresh approach by the UK Government to encourage tidal energy projects such as MeyGen in the Pentland Firth. Otherwise they may not get beyond the prototype stage, according to Bill Mowat, Gills Harbour Ltd’s director for marine renewables. He backs the move by 90 MPs, including Jamie Stone, urging the UK energy minister Claire Perry to reform the way public money is allocated to such schemes. They would prefer tax incentives rather than consumer-funded subsidies to help the industry. Mr Mowat fears that without changes tidal stream energy could fail to get beyond the prototype stage, as happened in Caithness before with fast reactor technology at Dounreay. “I agree 100 per cent with the MPs that a fresh approach to encouraging tidal stream technologies is necessary and the forthcoming Energy White Paper is the right place to start,” he said.

John O Groat Journal 16th May 2019 read more »

SCOTTISH Natural Heritage (SNH) must “stand up and protect” the land from wind farm developers who “exploit” the planning system, an outdoors body claims. Mountaineering Scotland says SNH, a Scottish Government agency, should play a stronger role in determining whether or not turbines should be built in beauty spots. Currently, the organisation provides advice to planners asked to rubber stamp new developments or grant extensions to existing projects. But Mountaineering Scotland, which represents hillwalkers, says it should instead take up the mantle of the “guardians of natural heritage”. The call comes as the body advocates against two proposed projects in the hills south west of Highland village Garve. Consent was given for developments at Lochluichart in 2008 and Corriemoillie three years later. However, officials allowed far fewer turbines than the renewable energy operators sought, with ministers later expressing that the projects would give “the appearance of one larger scheme”. Now new blueprints have been submitted to add further devices in the same area. While both projects have gone for consent at the same time, neither plan refers to the other in landscape appraisals.

The National 18th May 2019 read more »

Oil giant Shell will have a number of “commercial offshore wind farms” that use floating technology by the early 2020s, according to the firm’s project manager.

Energy Voice 17th May 2019 read more »

Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said he had “concerns” about the lack of local jobs provided by certain offshore wind projects. Mr Wheelhouse said he and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had identified “specific” projects the government felt had not delivered in the areas in which they operate. He urged developers to work in partnership with the Scottish Government to create more local supply chain opportunities. He was speaking during the All-Energy conference in Glasgow. Mr Wheelhouse said: “We have concerns about how little content has come from some specific projects. Mr Wheelhouse and Mr Mackay met wind developers, trade unions and supply chain firms earlier this month. Following the summit Mr Mackay said the Scottish Government would investigate options for including the provision of more supply chain companies, after Scottish manufacturing firm Burntisland Fabrication (BiFab) was overlooked in favour of foreign firms for a number of high profile north-east offshore wind contracts. Mr Wheelhouse claimed local firms were seeing a “poor market share” from offshore wind projects, adding that the current situation “isn’t good enough”. He added last night: “Developers can help us help them by working with us to ensure the supply chain is as competitive as possible.

Energy Voice 17th May 2019 read more »