France’s ‘virtual power line’ takes shape
Nidec has deployed a 12 MW/24MWh storage system for French grid operator RTE. The battery – part of a 72 MWh project to prevent grid congestion in peak demand periods – is in an area with abundant renewables, including wind.
France raises size limit for solar FITs from 100 kW to 500 kW
The French government has decided to reduce the planned degression rates for feed-in tariffs, in addition to raising the size limit for projects.
EDF buys 29% stake in French microgrid specialist Ecosun
Alsace start-up Ecosun is developing innovative microgrid solutions to provide electricity in isolated areas.
‘Nuclear power is now the most expensive form of generation, except for gas peaking plants’
The latest edition of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report indicates the stagnation of the sector continues. Just 2.4 GW of net new nuclear generation capacity came online last year, compared to 98 GW of solar. The world’s operational nuclear power capacity had declined by 2.1%, to 362 GW, at the end of June.
An optimistic – but realistic – perspective for sodium batteries
International researchers have analyzed the potential of sodium-based energy storage and found recent technical advances have arrived faster than those for the lithium-ion batteries which have been studied for three decades. Issues remain, however, before sodium constitutes a complementary option to lithium.
Airbus charts path to zero emission aviation by 2035
At a press conference today, executives at the European airplane manufacturer explained how it will be possible to have market-ready zero-emission planes within 15 years.
National lithium-ion battery supply chains ranked
Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance have quantified the influence of markets around the world. The ranking supplies a snapshot of 25 countries and also offers a five-year outlook.
French government considers cutting pre-2011 FITs
Financial newspaper Les Echos claims the government is mulling a renegotiation of historic feed-in contracts after the Court of Auditors in 2018 ruled the incentives too generous.
Photovoltaic shade for greenhouses
French start-up Solar Cloth has secured a patent for a PV shade screen for solar greenhouses.
Covid-19 weekly round-up: Australian states target green recovery as France devotes €30bn to energy transition
Clean energy power plants will figure prominently as Queensland and Victoria bid to reset their economies for a post-coronavirus world. France suffered a hit to its new solar deployment figures in the first half of a Covid-hit year but its neighbor appears to have no such concerns.
