Grids & Integration

A new fund established by the African Development Bank could attract $650 million of private money into the sector, according to the lender.

The nation is set to have added 40 GW of solar in 2020 and that figure will rise again this year, to 45-50 GW, according to one of the year’s first industry predictions.

Despite much of the world being on lockdown for a big chunk of 2020, there are few who could say it has been an uneventful year. And while the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic will be what defines 2020 for many, in the solar industry there’s plenty more to shout about, from the rapid rollout of high-powered modules to a drastic increase in carbon-neutral pledges from companies and governments around the world. Across five installments, pv magazine takes a look back at the year in solar. First up were the U.S. election and carbon neutral pledges, followed by auctions and green bonds. For day three, you can read about big modules and renewable grid support.

You’ll need to pay close attention to find the few mentions of solar in the long-awaited White Paper issued by the government to outline how it plans to hit net zero by mid century.

Intra-state transmission infrastructure is the weakest link in the Indian grid. However, the introduction of competition from private players could help to drive down construction costs and promote timely completion of projects.

Electricity system operator National Grid is planning for a fully decarbonized power network in five years. Following a power outage last year, the operator has taken a pioneering role in finding solutions to the issues of running a grid using only power-electronics-interfaced resources. One key aspect of grid stability, inertia, can be detected using an ultracapacitor.

IHS Markit released a white paper in which the analyst outfit shared some predictions for the power electronics market. First and foremost, inverters will become smarter, and after some power outages in key markets, these devices are gearing up to take on more grid stabilizing tasks, which hitherto had been reserved for synchronous generators.

Like Airbnb, but monetizing spare energy: “The first big step toward opening the door to a massively transactive grid.”

A trial run of a network of 5G-linked substation computers could free up 1.4 GW of grid capacity if rolled out across the U.K., according to the regional utility.

Deepak Thakur, CEO of the hybrid and energy storage business at Indian solar developer Sterling and Wilson, has spoken to pv magazine about the global market, and said: “Efficient and economically viable energy storage, and optimal hybridization, are crucial for ensuring the expansion of renewable power generation both at the grid and micro-grid scale.”