Echelon’s Post

Grids for Europe Energy Transition Unprepared to Support Renewable Capacity Growth European Union countries systematically underestimate the speed at which renewable energy sources will be added to grids in their development plans – making the investment gap larger than previously thought, according to a study by think-tank Ember. While the EU is rapidly adding new solar panels and wind turbines, investments into high-voltage long-distance electricity lines and lower-voltage distribution networks are lagging behind. This gap is expected to reach EUR 583 billion by 2030, it was estimated last year, but it looks like it could be even bigger.   Grid bottlenecks, a risk for energy transition! With solar booming, and wind on the mend, Ember found that 19 grid plans underestimate expected solar panel additions by 205 GW – while wind power is underestimated by ten countries for a total of 17 GW. In the absence of sufficient power lines, solar panels are left to dry. “Making sure solar and wind can actually connect to the system is as critical as the panels and turbines themselves,” said Elisabeth Cremona. Grid bottlenecks can be a risk to the energy transition. Depending on the country, newly built solar panels often have to wait months to be connected to the grid – and to start returning money to investors. Adequate grid planning forecasts are essential to ensure that electricity from regions with high renewable energy potential can be transferred to demand centres.

 India’s Renewable Energy Revolution: A Bright Future Ahead 🌞 As of July 2024, India’s renewable energy sector is soaring to new heights, with solar capacity poised to surpass an impressive 84 GW. Let’s explore the key trends shaping this green energy transformation: Technological Advancements: Wind Power: From humble 250 kW turbines to today’s colossal 5.2 MW machines, wind energy technology has evolved significantly. These advancements enhance efficiency and output. Solar Power: Solar modules now yield 3-3.5% more energy at similar costs. Innovations like motionless trackers, agro-voltaics, AI, and drones are revolutionizing solar energy harnessing. Impact: These technological leaps are driving efficiency gains, making renewable energy more cost-effective and sustainable. Government Initiatives: The Indian government is committed to generating 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Budget 2024-25 allocates Rs 191 billion for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Green Bonds: India may develop a market for green bonds to fund renewable energy projects, creating a win-win for investors and the environment. Job Creation:  Achieving the 500 GW target could create 3.4 million jobs, boosting the skilled workforce. Rooftop Solar Revolution: The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana promotes rooftop solar installations for 10 million households. With increased budget allocation, households can save up to Rs 15,000 annually. Entrepreneurial Opportunities:  Rooftop installations also open doors for vendors and maintenance jobs. Hard-to-Abate Industries: Energy emission-based targets now apply to industries like iron, steel, cement, and petrochemicals. This drives cleaner practices across large, small, and micro-scale setups. India’s renewable energy journey is a beacon of hope for a greener, sustainable future.

🌞 Australia is leading the way in Renewable Energy Generation 🌞 This week, The Clean Energy Council reported that Australia made significant strides in renewable energy in 2023, adding a remarkable 5.9 GW of capacity to the grid. A standout in this achievement is rooftop solar, which contributed an impressive 3.1 GW. 🔌 However, this surge in solar capacity highlights a crucial challenge—the need for enhanced grid capacity. With millions of Australian households adopting rooftop solar, the current grid must evolve to handle this influx efficiently and sustainably. 🔧 Upgrading the grid infrastructure is not just necessary; ensuring that the energy generated on Australian rooftops can be effectively utilised across the nation is imperative. This involves not only expanding the grid's capacity but also integrating advanced technologies that can dynamically manage distributed solar generation. 💡 Embracing these changes will empower Australia to optimise its renewable resources, reduce carbon emissions, and lead by example in the global shift towards sustainable energy. Let's support initiatives that push for technological advancements, power electronics and grid enhancements. The future is bright, and with the right infrastructure, it's also sustainable! #RenewableEnergy #SolarPower #Sustainability #Innovation #AustraliaEnergy

Latvia’s renewable energy capacity grows: Rietumu Banka allocates 4 million euros for the largest solar power parks. The two solar parks have more than 14,000 solar panels installed with a total capacity of 9,279 MW, enabling the production of more than 9,500 MWh of green electricity per year. The total cost of implementing both power plants was more than 8 million euros. With the bank's loan, the company will release a part of the initially invested capital for the development of other solar park projects in Latvia. "Supporting environmentally friendly, sustainable, well-considered and financially successful business development projects is one of our priorities. "Volterra Energy Group" is among the largest green energy producers in Latvia focusing on solar, wind, small hydropower, energy storages and waste-to-energy technologies with the ever-increasing importance. Funding for even more parks of the company is currently being negotiated. We believe that such projects must be developed rapidly and will make a positive contribution to both environmental protection and Latvia's energy independence," says Jelena Buraja, Chairman of the Board at Rietumu Banka. Solar power production generates no carbon emissions and is the fastest power generation to build, which allows for a rapid increase in the total share of renewable energy in the country.

Ghana's 🇬🇭 floating solar farm located at BUI DAM, Banda. Ghana's floating solar farm located at the Bui Dam in Banda is a notable renewable energy project aimed at harnessing solar energy to generate electricity. Here's an overview of this project: 1. Location: Bui Dam: The Bui Dam is situated on the Black Volta River in the Banda District of the Bono Region in Ghana, West Africa. 2. Project Overview: Floating Solar Farm: The project involves the installation of solar panels on the surface of the reservoir created by the Bui Dam. Capacity: The solar farm is designed to generate a certain capacity of electricity, contributing to Ghana's renewable energy goals. Integration with Hydroelectric Power: The floating solar farm is often integrated with the existing hydroelectric power generation infrastructure at the Bui Dam to create a hybrid energy system. 3. Objectives: Renewable Energy Generation: The primary objective of the floating solar farm is to generate clean, renewable energy using solar photovoltaic technology. Diversification of Energy Sources: By integrating solar power with hydroelectricity, Ghana aims to diversify its energy sources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating environmental impacts. 4. Benefits: Clean Energy: The project contributes to Ghana's transition towards cleaner energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. Water Conservation: By utilizing the surface area of the reservoir for solar panels, the project minimizes land use and may help reduce water evaporation from the reservoir. Job Creation and Economic Development: The project may create employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth through investment in renewable energy infrastructure. 5. Challenges: Maintenance: Ensuring the proper maintenance of solar panels on water presents unique challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the long-term viability of the project. Environmental Impact: Careful consideration must be given to potential environmental impacts, such as changes in water temperature and ecosystem disruption, although floating solar farms generally have lower environmental impacts compared to traditional land-based installations. 6. Future Outlook: Expansion and Replication: If successful, the floating solar farm project at Bui Dam could serve as a model for similar installations in other reservoirs across Ghana and beyond. Technological Advancements: Continued advancements in solar technology and floating platform design may further improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of such projects in the future. The floating solar farm at Bui Dam represents a significant step towards sustainable energy development in Ghana, demonstrating the country's commitment to harnessing renewable resources for electricity generation, A call for other africa countries to take an advantage of the green energy revolution.

Australia will need new and better batteries to manage the renewable energy transition – and our local industries can meet the challenge.   Last week, an article from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) highlighted recent instances of renewable energy spillage during peak generation. ➡ Spillage occurs when too much energy is being generated for transmission lines to manage or when low prices induce suppliers to reduce output.   ➡ The inflexible nature of coal-fire power generation means its output can’t be modified to accommodate the renewable cycle, resulting in renewable energy being curtailed.   ➡ The AEMO forecasts 20% of renewable energy is expected to be spilled by 2050   Curtailment is to be expected due to the variable nature of renewable energy generation. Moreover, as coal-generation comes offline, space will be opened for renewables during peak generation periods. However, efficiently managing mismatches between energy supply and demand will remain a challenge. That’s where stationary storage batteries supply a solution due to their ability to time shift energy from peak generation to peak demand periods.   An expanding renewables sector is being accompanied by demand for energy storage solutions. This is an opportunity to grow our domestic manufacturing industries through incorporating local content into batteries.   Australia already has several companies who are partnering with local research expertise to develop technologies in battery component and cell manufacturing. Meanwhile, State and Federal governments are aiding the commercialisation and scaling of new technologies through their respective Battery Strategies.   With the right investment and collaboration, there is potential for Australia to expand its contributions across the battery value chain. The AMBC is working with government and industry to create a policy environment that will allow Australia’s Battery Industry to maximise its potential.   Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Department of Energy and Climate, Ed Husic MP, Mick de Brenni https://lnkd.in/gad3QVHF

Tripling the global deployment of renewable energy was a key outcome of the UAE Consensus at COP28. What progress has been made on this goal? International Energy Agency (IEA) released the new report, "Renewables 2024 - Analysis and forecast to 2030". It offers a comprehensive country-level analysis on tracking progress towards the global tripling target based on current policies and market developments. Highlights - Global renewable capacity is expected to grow by 2.7 times by 2030, surpassing countries’ current ambitions by nearly 25%, but it still falls short of tripling. - 5500 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable capacity becoming operational by 2030 - China is set to cement its position as the global renewables leader, accounting for 60% of the expansion in global capacity to 2030 - The European Union and the United States are both forecast to double the pace of renewable capacity growth between 2024 and 2030, while India sees the fastest rate of growth among large economies - Investment in grid infrastructure is lagging, with more advanced projects waiting to be connected - Solar PV manufacturers are scaling back investment plans due to a deepening supply glut and record-low prices - In contrast, the wind turbine manufacturing sector needs more investment to avoid supply chain bottlenecks by 2030 -Renewable electricity use in the transport, industry and buildings sectors accounts for more than three-quarters of the overall rise in forecasted global renewable energy demand - The share of renewable fuels in total energy demand remains below 6% in 2030 despite accelerating growth Full report attached.

Renewable energy investments dominated the landscape in the first half of the year with projects in the sector making up the majority of the P950 billion in projects approved by the Board of Investments. This can be attributed mainly to the clear policy direction that the Marcos administration has set: clean energy will account for 35 percent of the energy mix by 2030 and up to 50 percent by 2040, a far different picture from today where as much as 62 percent of the country’s power requirement is supplied by coal-fired power plants. (see more)

Spain plans to allocate 829MW of grid capacity to renewable and storage projects, according to Energy-Storage.news Replacing coal plants with renewable energy is necessary for environmental health. This shift requires significant investment and expertise. Spain’s initiatives offer opportunities for companies like SENS to contribute unique solutions. 1. Grid Capacity Allocation Strategic reallocation of grid capacity supports renewable energy growth. Spain’s plan involves reallocating capacity from old coal plants to new renewable projects. This reallocation will occur in Asturias and Galicia regions, supporting projects across multiple municipalities. - 362MW in the Narcea 400kV node - 59MW in the La Pereda 220kV node - 408MW in the Meirama 220kV node Such reallocations boost local economies and minimise environmental impacts. 2. Investment in Energy Storage Energy storage is crucial for maintaining a reliable energy supply. Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has earmarked €100 million for pioneering storage projects. These include reversible pumped hydroelectric plants located in Extremadura, Castilla y León, and Catalonia. - Projects aim to increase turbine power by up to 2 GW - Expected to enhance storage capacity to nearly 30 GWh Commercial operation start date by December 31, 2030 This investment is part of Spain's commitment to its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). 3. Opportunities for SENS Spain’s renewable energy projects align with SENS's expertise. SENS specialises in sustainable solutions like underground pumped hydro storage (UPHS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS). These skills are well-suited to aid Spain in meeting its renewable energy goals. Participating in Spain’s projects aligns with SENS’s mission - Showcases SENS’s expertise internationally - Contributes to a global shift towards CO2-neutral energy These projects offer SENS a platform to demonstrate its capabilities. For more details on Spain's grid capacity allocations, visit the original article: Energy-Storage.news (https://lnkd.in/dbTu5w7i) To read more on Spain's €100 million investment in energy storage, check out the original article: Enerdata (https://lnkd.in/dRFUKpqm). How do you think Spain’s initiatives will impact the European renewable energy sector?

Mandating the purchase of renewable energy has been a key policy tool aimed at increasing its uptake. The government announced the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008, following the country’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. A key component of this plan was to increase the share of renewable energy in total electricity consumption. The NAPCC set a target of 5 per cent to be reserved for the purchase of renewable energy in 2009-10, against the then existing level of around 3.5 per cent. This target was to increase by 1 per cent every year for the next 10 years. Going by this calculation, the NAPCC had envisaged that renewables would constitute 15 per cent of the Indian energy mix by 2020. Based on this, in turn, the National Solar Mission stated that the state electricity regulatory commissions would have to reserve a minimum percentage for the purchase of solar energy, which would go up to 0.25 per cent by the end of 2012-13, and further to 3 per cent by 2022. Subsequent phases of the mission document highlighted the need for mandatory renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) for utilities. Renewable Watch analyses the performance of RPOs over the years, reasons for low compliance and discusses the way forward of this policy...