News & Articles on Solar Energy
While I have primarily worked with wind energy, I have long been a proponent of renewable energy in the broadest sense. This includes solar energy. My work in Canada, especially Ontario, stressed inclusion of solar energy because it had been previously overlooked. At one time Ontario was one of the leading jurisdictions in North America developing solar photovoltaics due in part to the programs I and others pushed. The political winds changed and these policies were abandoned and with it Ontario’s progress toward a renewable energy future.
Renewables International: Germany hits 50 percent solar, Ireland 50 percent wind
By
Craig Morris
Interestingly, Ireland recently saw its share of wind power peak at 50 percent of power demand, an issue that went largely unreported (why is everyone so focused on Germany?).
Renewables International: Grid parity still doesn’t matter (but grid defection does)
By
Craig Morris
Germany is now focusing on the direct consumption of solar power, which remains prohibitively expensive. But a recent survey found that PV + storage could be competitive with power from the grid by 2020. The result could be a disastrous wave of grid defection.
Renewables International: Solar Roadways needs to be stopped
By
Craig Morris
Solar Roadways is one of the most successful crowd funding campaigns on the Indiegogo platform ever. But don’t believe the hype – this idea is going nowhere, and no one is going anywhere on “solar roadways.” But the bad-mouthing of the good stuff we have takes things too far and cannot stand.
Lenz: “Security Concerns” Keep White House Solar at Minimal Size
By
Karl-friedrich Lenz
In comparison, the German Chancellor’s office (Bundeskanzleramt) has a 150 kW installation. That’s at least by a factor 10 more than what Obama has installed.
The State Of The Chinese Solar Market and FITs
By
Trefis Team
Last year, China installed a total of about 12 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity, up from just about 3 GW in 2012, making it the worlds largest solar market by far. . . At present, the country offers a feed-in-tariff for both utility-scale power plants as well as distributed generation installations.
Gainesville Sun: As feed-in tariff takes a backseat, solar industry adjusts
By
Anthony Clark
Gainesville’s solar feed-in tariff spurred businesses and residents to install more than 18 megawatts of solar projects since 2009 — enough to supply electricity to more than 1,400 homes and provided a boom in business for installers.
SPP: UK to become number one European PV market in 2014
By
Finlay Colville
The small feed-in tariff (FiT) markets remain buoyant, with the residential and sub-50kW commercial rooftop markets successfully navigating FiT degression phases.
Amid dipping power reserves, Philippines mulls higher installation cap for solar projects
By
Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Interaksyon
The government may allow a bigger number of solar power facilities to enjoy tariff incentives on account of the large number of proponents of such renewable energy projects.
SolarServer: Japan installs 569 MW of solar PV in January 2014
By
Japan installed 86 MW of residential and 483 MW of “non-residential” solar photovoltaics (PV) under its feed-in tariff in January 2014, according to statistics released by the nation’s Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Renewables International: 3.3 GW of PV in 2013 in Germany
By
Craig Morris
Germany’s Network Agency has published PV installation figures for December 2013, showing that the country came in within its target corridor of 2.5-3.5 GW of newly installed solar capacity for the first time since the corridor was introduced. The solar sector nonetheless emphasizes the downside – the market shrank by more than 50 percent year-over-year.
