Commercial & Industrial PV

The French retailer will use energy generated by the PV installations exclusively for self-consumption. The projects will be developed by French developer Urbasolar.

Clean energy is driving the country to its Paris commitments well ahead of schedule. The Australian National University published findings today that conclude Australia is on track to hit 50% renewable electricity in 2024 and 100% in 2032 – at a net cost “of approximately zero”. Despite the good news, the Clean Energy Council warned federal policy may see the opportunity squandered.

Although the prospects for large-scale British solar appear grim, the U.K. trade association for the industry says the compelling economic case offered by PV is ensuring activity continues despite a prolonged policy vacuum.

The system is said to have a maximum estimation error of less than 10% and to reduce the computational requirements for calculating the output of PV systems in complex environments. The approach is based on the correlation between a skyline profile and the annual irradiation received at a particular spot.

Extraordinary PV tenders by the federal government will provide for more growth. Market research company EuPD Research expects newly installed capacity of 4 GW in 2021. After that, however, the market could see a sharp reduction, after the 52 GW cap for solar subsidies is reached.

Approximately 261.7 MW of new PV systems were deployed in the country last year, according to provisional numbers from solar energy association UNEF. Once again, rooftop PV for self-consumption drove demand, although 26 MW of ground-mounted solar parks were connected in 2018.

The state government has unveiled its new solar energy policy. The ambition would encompass projects, programs and installations relating to solar PV and thermal energy, and is aimed at utilities as well as energy consumers.

The Department for Transport has announced funding for research projects which could help decarbonize Britain’s railways and generate power from roads and footpaths. Previously explored with limited success, it is hoped the research will push the frontiers of the field and give a fresh impetus to Britain’s ailing solar sector.

The region’s climate, developing economies and demographic growth are driving increased electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa. However, as a hub of conventional energy supply, the region has been slow to embrace PV. To capture more of the value chain and deliver the full potential of solar, there are increasing calls for distributed generation deployment to play a bigger role.

The Spanish government has proposed a Royal Decree with new self-consumption regulation which is expected to be approved in March or April. According to the new rules, power surpluses may be shared with other consumers or fed to the grid.