Oil industry on borrowed time as switch to gas and solar accelerates

[Behappyalways]

Oil industry on borrowed time as switch to gas and solar accelerates
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comme...rates.html

[greengiraffe]

China on track for 100GW of PV by 2018
SOLARBUZZ SEPTEMBER 01, 2014 4:15PM

Solarbuzz

The UK recently surpassed 5 GW in cumulative solar PV installations, making it just the sixth country to hit this level globally.

However, with strong growth forecasted in the worldwide PV industry over the five-year forecast period to 2018, 5 GW of installed capacity will become less meaningful as other countries begin to pass 10 GW, 50 GW, and even 100 GW of cumulative market size.

According to the latest NPD Solarbuzz demand forecasts, by the end of 2018 there will be at least nine countries that will have cumulative installed solar PV capacity levels above 5 GW. Under current growth estimates China will surpass 100 GW of installed solar PV capacity, accounting for over 20% of total global solar PV installations.

The largest percentage of installed capacity globally will be located in the 50-100 GW cumulative capacity range, made up by just Japan and the US.

This level of downstream consolidation indicates that the majority of solar PV demand is still being driven by only a handful of markets. However, at least 29 single-country markets are forecast to have at least 1 GW of installed PV capacity by 2018, and over 150 countries will have sub-1 GW markets .

This indicates that there is still considerable room for development for PV globally. The primary focus for the PV industry now should be on continued cost declines to make solar more competitive against conventional energy and other renewable energy sources.

Only by making PV more competitive on a cost per kilowatt hour basis can the industry grow the overall market size and create more opportunities for upstream component suppliers, downstream project developers, and end-customers.

[sgd]

I think they can only do it in china or any country with lax to no environment laws

Hazardous_Materials_Used_In_Silicon_PV_Cell_Production

[greengiraffe]

Solar plant to power 12% of Myanmar
JOHN conROY SEPTEMBER 02, 2014 11:15AM

A planned $US480m ($A520m) solar power plant in Myanmar's northwest, being backed by US investors, is set to provide up to 12 per cent of the country's power generation, Reuters reports.

According to the news service, the two 150 MW solar plants will be built by 2016, with US-based ACO Investment Group saying it had secured institutional investor interest to meet the $US150m equity component of the project, and was in talks with development finance institutions about debt to cover the balance.

US-made inverters and "some" US-made solar panels will be used for the project, Reuters said.

The project is set to create 400 construction and 100 permanent jobs, with a US trade representative saying it marked one of the biggest US investments in the country, the news service said, since 50-year-old sanctions were lifted in 2011.

[Fish Head]

I think they can only do it in china or any country with lax to no environment laws

Hazardous_Materials_Used_In_Silicon_PV_Cell_Production

It's talking about the manufacturing process of solar cells and other electronic devices. Singapore has the world largest solar cell plants and with many wafer fabrication plants.

Those industrial waste today can control quite well. In fact the chemical industry in Jurong island may release more waste gas to the environment.

[greengiraffe]

Only the hardworking Germans CAN...

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
Germany unveils Europe's biggest battery plant

"This is an interesting alternative to conventional power plants and the regional utilities have come up with an interesting project here," German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel told German TV at the plant's opening in Schwerin - PHOTO: REUTERS

[BERLIN] Germany switched on Europe's largest commercial battery plant on Tuesday, an installation powered by 25,600 lithium-ion batteries that will help stabilise the region's growing supply of renewable energy.
The 6-million-euro plant, the size of a school gymnasium, is designed to help even out short-term fluctuations that sometimes accompany power from renewable sources as Germany continues to raises its share of renewable energy from about 25 per cent currently to 40-45 per cent by 2025 and 55-60 per cent by 2035. "This is an interesting alternative to conventional power plants and the regional utilities have come up with an interesting project here," German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel told German TV at the plant's opening in Schwerin.
So far the lack of extensive storage capacity has been one of the biggest hurdles to Germany's expansion into renewable energy as power produced by wind and photovoltaic can generally not be easily stored in any sizable quantities.
With a storage capacity of 5 MWh, Schwerin's battery fills that gap.

[HitandRun]

Only the hardworking Germans CAN...

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
Germany unveils Europe's biggest battery plant

I cannot tell who is supplying the battery technology, which is really crucial in this green energy stuff.

€6 million for 5MWh = €1,200 per kWh
If battery costs amount to 50% of the project costs, still quite expensive at €600 per kWh. If the battery costs around €400 per kWh, it is an also-ran.

For the energy storage (battery) equation to make sense, some folks think they need to cost around USD100 per kWh. Tesla claims that it can achieve USD200 per kWh by 2020 or so.

Meanwhile, other companies are also trying to establish their credentials:

Toshiba

P.S. I'm still waiting for Toshiba for the lap top or mobile phone version. Imagine 5 mins to charge the battery and can charge 10,000 cycles.....

[greengiraffe]

US rooftop demand nears 1GW per annum
MICHAEL BARKER OCTOBER 22, 2014 12:30AM

Solarbuzz

The outlook for the residential segment in the US remains strong, with policymakers looking to reduce the regulatory burden for new installations and major downstream players focusing on continued installed system cost reduction.

NPD Solarbuzz anticipates that the residential segment will pass the 1 GW trailing 12-month (TTM) rate in early 2015; strong growth is forecast through 2016.

Figure: US Residential Demand (TTM)

US Solar Demand TTM

Source: NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly, September 2014.

Residential demand in the US continues to increase, as solar PV systems become more attractive across more states. Demand growth is being driven by falling installed system prices; as well as downstream business models, which are bringing more financing and ownership options to the end-market.

– Between the first quarter (Q1) of 2012 and the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2014, TTM residential PV demand more than doubled

– Solar leasing, solar PPAs, and other business models, along with increasing financing options, are making solar more accessible to previously underserved customer segments

– The residential segment is experiencing fewer negative effects from the 2014 preliminary trade decisions

– Recent investments in US-based manufacturing have largely been caused by companies anticipating strong growth in the US market, particularly in the higher-ASP residential sector

[greengiraffe]

Utility PV extends lead as Asia takes over
MICHAEL BARKER OCTOBER 22, 2014 12:30AM

Solarbuzz

As major Asia-Pacific countries (driven by China and Japan) have become the leading drivers of the global PV industry, it is clear that the ground-mount application segment is also outpacing roof-mount deployment.

​The graphs below show trailing-12 month (TTM) global demand, for roof-mount and ground-mount application types (left), and market shares of Europe and major APAC country regions. This comparison shows a correlation between the decline of the European markets and stagnation of global roof-mount installations.

​Figure: TTM baseline demand by application type and market share by major region

Solar Demand by Application Graphs

Adapted from NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly, September 2014

This has impacts for both upstream component suppliers and downstream project developers, and it illustrates that global demand shifts on a regional perspective can also have impacts on application types which, in turn, can cause changes in technology trends.

[sgd]

there's an oil glut in the world now that the americans are drilling out their own shale and this could put a wrench in the works for clean energy.