The long read: Compressed air storage to be more than just hot air in Israel
Solar-linked projects will be developed by domestic firm Augwind and will feature underground storage tanks. One of the systems will be built by French energy giant EDF and will feature a 20 MWh compressed air storage system and 5 MW solar array.
Solar system prices to rise – then fall – in 2021, with another record year anticipated
IHS Markit is predicting the world will add 30% more solar capacity this year.
Wind-solar-storage hybrid offers cheaper electricity than new coal
A new report establishes the feasibility of wind-solar-storage hybrid projects over new coal plants in the Indian States with high renewable energy potential. Tamil Nadu was chosen for the techno-commercial assessment.
WoodMac predicts 30% drop in Asia-Pacific front-of-meter battery costs by 2025
A new Wood Mackenzie report suggests that costs for front-of-the-meter battery storage systems in the Asia-Pacific region could fall by 30% by 2025. The declining costs are already having a palpable impact, as 2021 has opened with a slew of large-scale battery project announcements.
World could add up to 194 GW of solar this year
Falling module prices will help PV post another record year after an estimated 132 GW was installed worldwide in 2020, according to an energy transition investment trends report published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
IFC says green recovery could drive $2.5tn renewables market this decade
The private-sector arm of the World Bank, which claims to leverage $3 of its own capital and $8 from third parties for every dollar invested in its blended finance funds, has attempted to quantify what devoting Covid recovery funds to green investment would mean for emerging economies.
Renewables cheaper than fossil fuel plants by 2030
A report by McKinsey & Company reinforces the widely-held view renewables will supplant fossil fuels in the energy system but also joins the chorus of voices warning the world is on track to fall well short of limiting global temperature rises this century to 1.5C.
Developers’ body seeks wind-solar hybrid relaxations in Maharashtra’s RE policy
The National Solar Energy Federation has asked the State to consider a 15-year electricity duty exemption, transmission charges on the entire capacity instead of per-kWh basis, and delinking of the secondary RE source capacity from the rated power capacity of the primary RE source to promote hybrid project deployment.
Green hydrogen cost could fall more than 50% by 2030
With this, green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable energy) would become cost-competitive with hydrogen from fossil fuels in certain industrial applications such as ammonia production for fertilizers.
The case for distributed solar with storage
Gopal Lal Somani, a former director at the Jaipur-based Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd (RRECL), says distributed solar systems with storage are the key to achieving India’s mission of supplying clean energy at an affordable cost to all. In this article, he dwells on the benefits and techno-commercial feasibility of these systems for the nation.
