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.
CBC: Good year for farmers making solar power
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“When I installed that, it probably never crossed my mind that it was any sort of risk-management tool. But certainly I have commented this summer that if it’s not going to rain, at least the sun is shining and it’s making electricity,” Donohue said. . .
Renewables International: German wind and PV lower European market power prices
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Bernard Chabot
In countries with a large penetration rate of zero fuel cost renewables (wind power in Denmark and Spain, wind and PV in Germany), the “merit-order effect” (avoiding the most costly means of power production to cover peak loads) is already well documented. In this article, French expert Bernard Chabot shows how the penetration rate of combined wind and PV production in Germany already lowers the European Electricity Index (ELIX) for electricity markets in Germany/Austria, France and Switzerland. . .
Renewables International: The “softening effect” of wind and solar on Grid Integration
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Bernard Chabot
French expert Bernard Chabot explains another benefit from a balanced mix of wind and solar: their combined daily maximum outputs are lower than the addition of their installed capacity, allowing for a lower maximum carrying capability for electrical systems designed for the large penetration of renewables. Specifically, Germany’s targets turnout to be in line with maximum power demand. . .
PV-Magazine: Worldwide tabulation of solar PV feed-in tariffs
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pv magazine has compiled detailed information on photovoltaic feed-in tariffs (FITs) in different countries and regions. This is constantly updated with the latest developments from around the world, with links to sources and more detailed information. . .
John Farrell: Why We Pay Double for Solar in America (But Won’t Forever)
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John Farrell
There’s an article in the most recent issue of PHOTON describing a German family that got a 4.6 kW PV array installed and interconnected to their roof 8 days after calling a solar installer for the first time. The homeowner had a proposal from the installer within 8 hours. The installer called the utility the morning of the installation to request an interconnect that afternoon. The installer called at 10am, the utility came and installed 2 new meters and approved the interconnect at 2:37pm– the same day. The online registration of the PV system with Federal Grid agency and approval of the feed-in tariff took 5 minutes. . .
Giles Parkinson: How big utilities propose to kill solar PV
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RenewEconomy has written before that the proliferation of solar PV in the mass market – reducing household energy costs and offering negative cost emissions abatement – has the potential to redefine the energy price debate, if the politicians could seize the moment. But they are under intense pressure from the industry, and all along the value chain from retailers to state government-owned distributors. . .
Renewables International: How wind and PV complement each other
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Bernard Chabot and Craig Morris
From January to June 2012, data published on the EEX web site show that, if well balanced, PV and wind production can complement each other along the seasons, leading to an easier to manage increasing contribution of variable but predictable renewable energy sources. A guest article by French expert Bernard Chabot. . .
Renewables International: PV system size still diverse in Germany
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Bernard Chabot
French consultant and sustainable energy expert Bernard Chabot updates Germany’s PV installation data in terms of system size vis-à-vis market share, compares it with the 2009-2011 distribution and draws some practical conclusions. . .
UK FIT installations increase 66 per cent in Q1
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here was 1.09GW of renewable power included under the UK’s feed-in tariff (FIT) solar scheme at the end of the first quarter, with an increase of 66 per cent from the previous quarter. . .
Craig Morris: Germany sets record for peak solar power production
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On Saturday, Germany set a new record for solar power production, briefly reaching around 22 GW. Today is a public holiday in Germany, so demand remained low over the long weekend – allowing solar power to offset quite an amount of baseload power. . .
