Solarletter #10_EN - Has photovoltaic energy finished taking off?
Also: Danish developer BeGreen enters the German market, Floating PV in Asia - Nothing to envy to ground mounted parks, and the United Arab Emirates inaugurates the world's largest photovoltaic plant
Please note that text below has been translated from the spanish version by using AI
Hello everyone and welcome back to Solarletter. My name is Imanol Matanza, and I aim to share with you the latest news, technological advancements, and trends in the field of photovoltaic energy. Through Solarletter, I hope to provide you with valuable information, market analysis, state-of-the-art updates, and practical tips that will help you stay informed about the latest developments in the photovoltaic industry.
I am always open to suggestions, questions, and comments, so please feel free to contact me. If you like it, don't hesitate to subscribe and share!
In this tenth edition, we are celebrating at Solarletter. While we may not have won a Champions League, we can proudly say that we now have more than 300 members in this community of photovoltaic enthusiasts.
From my desk, I want to express my gratitude to all of you for joining me on this small adventure and for sharing it with your colleagues or friends.
But enough of stories, let us dive into the latest news in the sector!
Has photovoltaic energy finished taking off?
The topic of renewables is on everyone's lips nowadays. We increasingly see more installations as we drive along highways, and they are not only more numerous but also larger (keep reading, and you will understand why I say that...). But I have a question, how far will it go? How many modules are left to install to achieve the energy transition?
To give you some context, here is an image shared by Eloy Sanz on his LinkedIn profile. Solar energy began to take off in Europe around 2010 (with a slight slowdown from 2013). Are we still on the takeoff runway, or are we already above the clouds?
A good approach is to compare solar with its travel companion, wind energy, which started its journey a decade earlier. In 2022, wind energy contributed approximately twice as much as solar, indicating that there there is still a considerable journey ahead…
Another perspective is to examine the "technologies of the past," namely fossil fuels (apologies to any readers from that sector). Despite the rise of renewable energy, fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil) still contributed to around 40% in 2022. Thus, there there is still a considerable journey ahead…
Moreover, the electrification of the system is gearing up for takeoff. To simplify matters, the electric sector constitutes one-third of energy usage, with the remaining two-thirds attributed to transportation, industry, and buildings.
In this context, electricity consumption is expected to surge significantly. By 2050, estimates suggest a range of 46,000 to 80,000 TWh (New Energy Outlook 2022), doubling or tripling the current demand. In essence, there is still a considerable journey ahead…
It seems we are nearing the end of 2023, a year that has likely broken all the records set in 2022. There is more generation, increased capacity, lower prices, even larger mega-projects, and so on...
European Electricity Review 2023 - Ember
The decrease in component prices, the professionalization of the sector, and the unfortunate events in Ukraine have made 2023 a magnificent year for our industry. Nevertheless, there is still a considerable journey ahead…
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Danish developer BeGreen enters the German market
With the aim of expanding, the Danish developer BeGreen has opened an office in Berlin, marking its entry into the challenging German market. To spearhead their efforts, they have appointed Lars Josten as the Managing Director of their subsidiary.
According to Lars, as mentioned in PV-Magazine, BeGreen currently boasts a pipeline of 6 GW of photovoltaic projects and has already constructed a total of 600 MWp in Denmark. They also have a presence in Sweden and Poland, where they are set to commence the construction of a 460 MWp mega-park in 2024.
As per data from Destatis (the Federal Statistical Office of Germany), as of June 20, 2023, Germany has a total installed capacity of 70.6 GW, making it the European country with the highest installed capacity. However, these numbers still fall significantly short of the figures presented by the Fraunhofer ISE institute in a paper dated September 9, 2023. In this paper, they illustrate the installed photovoltaic capacity required to achieve carbon neutrality according to various studies.
Not only that, but they also present another interesting graph depicting the installed capacity up to the present and the yearly capacity to be installed to reach 400 GWp by 2040.
Certainly, even considering the intense competition they will face in the German market, given the aforementioned factors, it seems like a good time to enter. As mentioned earlier, there is still a considerable journey ahead…
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Floating PV in Asia - Nothing to envy to ground mounted parks
And now, let us dive into a couple of floating mega-projects. In Solarletter #7, we discussed the largest floating installations in Europe and the world. Indonesia, a country filled with islands and challenging topography, has had to find a way to ride the photovoltaic wave. A testament to this is the inauguration of a 192 MWp floating installation west of the Java province by the Indonesian president.
According to Reuters, this installation is situated on the reservoir of a 1,008 MW hydroelectric plant. The project, valued at 1.7 trillion rupiahs (108.70 million dollars), was developed by PLN Nusantara Power, a unit of Indonesia's state utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), in collaboration with Masdar, the renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates, which is a unit of the Mubadala Investment Company.
Interestingly, they do not plan to stop there; they assert that the plant could expand to reach 500 MWp or even 1,000 MWp.
It seems we are dealing with gigawatts here, as in China, according to Taiyang News, the construction of the Shandong Dongying Kenli floating installation has just kicked off. This mammoth project is designed with a capacity of 1 GWp, an estimated cost of around 1.1 billion dollars, and it is expected to become the largest floating solar plant in the world. It is located in the Shandong province, situated in the Laizhou Bay, just 8 km off the coast.
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United Arab Emirates inaugurates the world's largest photovoltaic plant
An incredible piece of news is featured in the Periódico de la Energía by Ramon Roca. The Al Dhafra plant, boasting a capacity of 2 GWp, has just been inaugurated 45 km from Abu Dhabi. What makes it remarkable is not only that it was built in a single phase, covering an area of 20 km², but also that it employed approximately 4,500 workers at its peak.
Comprising nearly 4 million bifacial modules, it was completed just before the commencement of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, where coincidentally, the United Arab Emirates are the hosts. Hence, the Emirates become the country with the highest per capita solar energy consumption.
The plant is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) with a 40%, and Masdar, EDF Renewables, and Jinko Power with 20% each. The most noteworthy aspect of this project is the tariff at which they will sell electricity. Brace yourselves, as, after initially offering it at 1.35 $ cents/kWh, it was further improved to 1.32 $ cents/kWh after the financial closure. Truly remarkable.
I am sharing a graph here from Our World in Data depicting the installed capacity as of 2022 in European countries, providing a better understanding of its magnitude.
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Edition´s microtip
In today's tip, I want to stress the importance of adding "edge protection”. The edge protection is used to cover the sharp edges of the profiles of structures and cable trays, thus safeguarding the cables that pass through them.
Failure to use edge protection could result in the sharp (or even not-so-sharp) profiles tearing the cable insulation, potentially leading to a short circuit to ground. In the best-case scenario, this could occur if these elements are properly grounded. If not, it could pose a danger to individuals who come into contact with them.
Moreover, even if there is no contact at the time of installation and everything looks perfect, it is crucial to consider the thermal expansions the cable will undergo throughout its lifespan. This is especially important in photovoltaics with the continuous cooling at night and heating during operation.
So, you know, if you want to avoid leaving future surprises for Operations and Maintenance (O&M), it's better to invest a few minutes during construction.
That concludes the edition. I hope you enjoyed and it made your coffee break, public transportation ride, or nap more enjoyable. If you have any suggestions, recommendations, or comments, feel free to reply to this email.
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Sunny Regards!