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.
Beating swords into plowshares or wind turbines & solar panels: We could have done it
By
Paul Gipe
Yes, the United States could be generating 100% of its electricity from renewable energy if we had used the money spent on our ill-advised wars in the Middle East to build wind and solar systems, as well as battery storage, here at home. That’s the startling conclusion of a simple calculation my colleague Robert Freehling and I made after the latest reports on the economic cost of our wars in the Middle East.
Taiwanese government proposes solar tariffs of US$0.13-0.19/kWh
By
Emiliano Bellini
The draft feed-in tariff scheme should be approved by the end of the month. Payments for residential solar systems are expected to fall only 0.34% but those for utility scale solar may be reduced by 2.2%. An increase is set to be granted to projects in remote areas and also to those which rely on high-efficiency modules.
Investors Still Waging War With Spain Over Retroactive Cuts
By
Jason Deign
Spain has offered an olive branch in its long-running legal battle with renewables developers. But the fight isn’t over yet.
Vietnam leading ASEAN’s solar PV market
By
Jason Thomas
Vietnamese state-owned utility company, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) stated that as many as 82 plants with a combined capacity of 4.45 GW were connected to the national grid as of 30 June, allowing them to qualify for the feed-in tariff (FIT) programme.
UK solar industry welcomes Labour’s ambitious and inclusive solar homes policy
By
Robin Whitlock
The Solar Trade Association (STA) has welcomed the Labour Party’s announcement this week that it will support over a million new domestic PV installations across the UK, through a mixture of fair export tariff payments, grant funding and by driving large economies of scale.
China Installs 5.2 Gigawatts Of Solar As Government Unveils 2019 Feed-in Tariffs
By
Joshua S Hill
hina’s National Energy Administration announced Monday that a total of 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of solar was installed during the first quarter while, at the same time, the Price Bureau of China’s National Development and Reform Commission finally published its solar Feed-in Tariff policy for 2019 on Tuesday.
Japan Sets FIT Tariff for Less-than-500kW Solar Plants for FY 2019
By
Kenji Kaneko
According to the plan, the FIT tariff for 10kW-500kW commercial solar power plants will be ¥14/kWh, which has been finalized in effect.
Why Minnesota’s Community Solar Program is the Best
By
John Farrell
Minnesota’s community solar program hit a record 460 megawatts of operational capacity in November 2018. The chart above shows the progress of projects through the program since August 2015, and the nearly two-year lag between the program launch in December 2014 and the successful ignition of multiple megawatts of capacity in January 2017.
Procurement Prices for Solar Electricity to Be Lowered Again in Japan
By
Kenji Kaneko
A meeting of the Calculation Committee for Procurement Price, Etc was organized Nov 8, 2018, for discussing the FIT-based purchasing prices for fiscal 2019. As for solar power generation, the purchasing price will be lowered by several yen, compared with the price for fiscal 2018.
Senegal launches breakthrough policy for Solar PV
By
Toby Couture
Senegal’s new policy offers a direct cash payment ranging from USD cents 8.6 to 12.9/kWh, making projects easier to finance. By offering to buy the surplus generation at specific rates, and differentiating these rates by technology and project size, Senegal’s new policy is now among the most sophisticated policies to support distributed generation anywhere in the world.
