Wind

A simulation of Poland’s two upcoming mixed wind/solar auctions held by the Polish wind energy association has shown that wind may prove more competitive than solar, especially in the auction for projects over 1 MW. The real auctions are expected to be launched between November and December.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’s pipeline of projects has ballooned to almost 80 GW. 12 GW of this is gas, while the rest is wind and solar power plants, as well as 522 MW of energy storage.

In a report on the outlook for the Danish energy market, the agency predicted solar will keep having a minimal share in the country’s energy mix as it grows from around 900 MW to just 1.4 GW by 2030.

The budget for the first auctions of this kind, for the period 2018-2019, is around €112 million. They are part of Denmark’s new energy strategy, dubbed “Energy for a green Denmark.”

The heatwave across Western Europe saw wind power 20% lower than usual while solar irradiance was 20% above average, according to Vaisala, a provider of measurement systems and equipment for meteorology. If this balancing effect is confirmed by further analysis, the technologies may ensure future energy supply by providing a diversified, ‘climate-resilient’ portfolio.

A BloombergNEF analysis states that global wind and solar PV installations have reached a trillion watts, for the first time. While this milestone took the industry 40 years, the second trillion watts are expected to be installed in five years, in 2023, with the help of storage. The investment costs required to install one trillion watts are also expected to half.

Vitol and Low Carbon have announced a €200 million fund, VLC Renewables, which will invest in renewable energy projects across Europe. Large off-shore wind will be the primary focus, with no solar plans as of yet.

Greenko Energies will set up India’s largest Integrated Renewable Energy Project (IREP) in Andhra Pradesh at an investment of INR 150 billion (US$2.2 billion). Recently approved by the Andhra Pradesh government, the project will comprise 1,000 MW of solar energy, 550 MW of wind energy and 1,200 MW of standalone pumped storage capacities. It is expected to provide employment to 15,000 people during construction and 3,000 people after construction.

The French energy giant has consolidated its new clean energy focus through the acquisition. The Langa group is expected to have operational PV assets of 165 MW in France by the end of the year.

India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has announced a Scheme for setting up of 2.500 GW Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS)-connected wind-solar hybrid projects.