Combining big floating solar with hydropower
Scientists in Bangladesh have evaluated how a 50 MW floating PV plant could be integrated with the 230 MW Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station, located at the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River. They found that the two energy sources can be perfectly optimized and that PV can compensate for the reservoir’s shortage of water storage during the winter season while hydropower can compensate for the poor yields of the floating array during the monsoon season.
Synchronous condensers to lift constraints on renewables in South Australia
South Australia has shown how to rapidly transition to renewable energy generation, but cracks have appeared in its system. ElectraNet has deployed synchronous condensers to smooth out the gaps and keep the state grid running reliably.
Cutting Europe‘s energy costs through interconnection
A new study from Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson models energy grids powered by 100% wind, water and sunlight across Western Europe. The study finds that in such a scenario, increased interconnection between countries would lead to lower energy costs and better grid stability, as well as a hedge against sudden loss of supply due to extreme weather or other events.
Bidders plan to use ‘brown power’ to balance intermittency of solar in Singapore’s clean power tender
Solar developer NEFIN and electric company Tuas Power have tabled a joint bid to secure the rights to supply 100 MWh of ‘zero-carbon electricity’ from Malaysia to Singapore and said they initially intend to use “brown power” to secure supply during non-solar-generation hours.
UK power generation in 2020: Renewables up to 43%
Solar contributed 28% of the U.K.’s total renewable energy generation, which was dominated by wind power. The proportion of fossil fuels in the energy mix fell to a record low last year, at 37.7%.
Maxeon secures EU cash to make its ‘stick-on’ solar panels in France
The TotalEnergies-controlled solar manufacturer will secure an, as yet undetermined chunk of a new €118.6 million low-carbon innovation fund to start producing its frameless, glass-free solar roofing products at Porcelette, in northeastern France.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids commissions ultra-high-voltage DC link connecting Indian states
From pv magazine India. Hitachi ABB Power Grids in India today announced it has successfully commissioned one of India’s longest ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission links for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. The ±800 kV, 6GW link can meet the electricity needs of more than 80 million people. It stretches 1,800-kilometers to connect […]
Tesla Powerwalls in California join the movement to create virtual power plants
Made up of distributed residential energy storage, these “plants” stabilize the grid and often end the need for new fossil generation. Tesla customers in California are the latest to join the movement.
Hydrogen-fired gas turbines vs. lithium-ion storage
According to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hydrogen-fired gas plants will compete with lithium-ion storage for seasonal storage and their competitiveness will strictly depend on the heat rate of the gas power plants they may replace.
‘Lack of objections should mean permits are automatically granted for solar’
The question of overly complicated, time-consuming permitting processes again raised its head at a two-day online event held by the Global Solar Council to examine how to accelerate deployment of photovoltaics.
