Solar PV in the world

[moinsdewatt]

The latest figures from solar PV in the world.

Worldwide growth of photovoltaics

February 15, 2019

Worldwide growth of photovoltaics has been close to exponential between 1992 and 2018. During this period of time, photovoltaics (PV), also known as solar PV, evolved from a niche market of small scale applications to a mainstream electricity source. When solar PV systems were first recognized as a promising renewable energy technology, subsidy programs, such as feed-in tariffs, were implemented by a number of governments in order to provide economic incentives for investments.

And lots of other information here
https://www.evwind.es/2019/02/15/worldw ... aics/66149

[moinsdewatt]

Tesla solar panels accused of setting fire to Walmart roofs
August 21, 201912 23:XNUMX PM
© Bloomberg

It is a fight of giants which takes place in front of the New York justice. Walmart, armed with a 114-page charge file, accuses Tesla of the fires in seven of its stores caused by the solar installation made by the subsidiary SolarCity.

Tesla TSLA-0,43% announced last week its intention to launch its solar panel activity in Europe next year. This Tuesday, the company of Elon Musk presented its American offer to lease panels to individuals "without long-term contract". This "Rent Solar" offer at $ 50 per month is available in 6 US states and could eventually be offered in Europe. Recall that until now, the panels were only available for sale, for more than 7.000 dollars. A real brake on development.

Tesla has therefore decided to work twice as hard to develop its activity, resulting from the takeover three years ago of SolarCity for 2,6 billion dollars; a company created by cousins ​​of the emblematic boss of the producer of electric cars.

Tesla vs. Walmart

And then the grain of sand in the gear. Tesla is currently being dragged through New York courts by retail giant Walmart WMT-1,55%.

Since 2010, the latter has indeed decided to equip 240 stores with solar panels, via the Tesla subsidiary. But seven of them were victims of a fire. The solar panels have indeed ignited causing, according to Walmart, hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and the obligation to disconnect the entire fleet of panels for safety reasons.

The complaint filed by Walmart is 114 pages long. Walmart inspectors pin several grievances:

> Serious generalized neglect;
> Non-compliance with prudential practices in the sector with regard to the installation, operation and maintenance of solar panels;
> Non-compliance or insufficiently with industrial standards.

Experts also argue that most of the panel defects were visible to the naked eye and easily identifiable with ad hoc equipment. They thus question Tesla's inspection procedures which, according to them, did not target all the sites.

The retail giant demands Tesla to break the contract, dismantle its solar park and compensate for the damage caused by the fires.

Walmart wants to be greener

These fires are also a tile for Walmart which had the ambition by 2020 to use renewable energy sources up to 35% of its needs.

According to the company's annual environmental and social report, the group already has 350 solar installations and has signed contracts for 120 additional installations by next year. Walmart did not, however, say whether its ambitions included Tesla signs.

Last October, Walmart also signed a contract with SunPower Corp to equip 19 stores and two distribution centers. He argues today that SolarCity is therefore not the only player.

Walmart has the ambition by 2020 to use renewable energy sources up to 35% of its needs.

"Solar is a critical part of Walmart's renewable energy portfolio," said Mark Venderhelm, vice president of energy at Walmart.
More thorns than roses

It is a new thorn in the side of Elon Musk, faced with a depressed share price, tensions with the SEC as for its communication policy, a waltz of its leaders and annual objectives of delivery of cars hardly accessible.

As for SolarCity, it had already been in the news last month. Elon Musk had then obtained from justice the classification of a complaint accusing him of having made short-term gains (short-swing profits) by buying the company.

https://www.lecho.be/entreprises/energi ... 55210.html

Usine Nouvelle also does an article, a little bit the same thing, but with an image of fire starting at Wall Mart



https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/t ... ux.N876085

[moinsdewatt]

Record solar PV production in Germany on Monday with 32.2 GW.

Germany's solar panels produced a record amount of electricity this week - a silver lining of the coronavirus pandemic, which has drastically reduced air pollution, according to a report.

Photovoltaic plants churned out 32,227 megawatts on Monday, beating the previous record on March 23, as clear conditions are forecast for the rest of the week, according to Time, which cited Germany's DWD weather service.

“There is hardly a cloud over Germany,” DWD rep Andreas Friedrich told the mag. “And a high-pressure system over Scandinavia will keep these conditions in place until at least Friday.”

But the good green news meant Germany's coal industry took a hit.

The sunny skies meant solar energy generated as much as about 40 percent of the country's power Monday, compared to the 22 percent produced by coal and nuclear, according to Agora Energiewende, a think tank funded by the European Climate Foundation.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/21/germany-p ... -lockdown/

In France on Monday it culminated with a modest 3.2 GW. (for 6-7 GW the week before).

[moinsdewatt]

China to build world's largest solar panel factory

Posted on 11/04/2020 Futurasciences

The Chinese company GCL System Integration Technology has just announced the construction of a gigantic manufacturing plant for solar panels, with a capacity of 60 gigawatts per year, double the current production capacity of China. The plant alone will be able to supply 51% of the world's solar panel needs, reports the Bloomberg agency. GCL System will thus become the world's leading manufacturer, ahead of its compatriot JinkoSolar, which “only” produces 16 GW of solar panels per year.

Will be invested 18 billion yuan, or 2,31 billion euros in the construction of this plant, with the aim of taking advantage of the solar boom in the world and flooding the market with low-cost panels. In the next 10 years, global photovoltaic (PV) capacity should increase by 166% to reach 1.583 GW in 2030, forecasts the analysis firm GlobalData.

China is by far the largest market in the world, with 174,8 GW of installed capacity in 2018, and supplies 60% to 70% of the world's solar panels. Neither the coronavirus nor the collapse in the price of oil seem to curb the ardor of Chinese manufacturers, even if GLC does not announce any opening date for its factory.

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/br ... onde-2308/

[moinsdewatt]

The IEA gives the data concerning the new solar PV installations in the world in 2019. Total of +115 GW of new installations.

Global PV capacity additions hit 115 GW in 2019, says IEA
In terms of new solar installations, China was the world's largest PV market for the third year in a row with 30.1 GW of fresh capacity in the 12 months to the end of December, followed by the United States with 13.3 GW and Japan with 7.7 GW .

MAY 1, 2020 SANDRA ENKHARDT



Last year, PV developers throughout the world installed 114.9 GW of new solar power, according to fresh statistics from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In its Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Market 2020 report, the IEA said that last year's total represented a 12% increase from 2018, with significant growth across all continents. Overall, a total of 629 GW of solar was installed throughout the world by the end of 2019.

In terms of new capacity, China was the largest PV market for the third year in a row in 2019 with 30.1 GW, followed by the United States with 13.3 GW and Japan with 7.7 GW.

The European Union - which is included in the top 10 as a single entity, making it the world's second-largest market in theory - registered an overall increase of around 16 GW. Spain and Germany added the largest amount of capacity on the continent last year, with 4.4 GW and 3.9 GW, respectively.

Asia accounted for around 57% of total new capacity additions last year. Countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia compensated for declining demand in China and India in 2019.

The IEA said that all of the PV systems installed throughout the world are currently able to cover about 3% of global electricity demand.

“In the coming years, photovoltaics will have the potential to develop into an important source of electricity in an extremely fast pace in several countries around the world,” the IEA said.

The IEA also identified a series of factors that could support the rapid growth of PV in the years to come, such as falling prices for storage, the rapid spread of electric vehicles, and improvements in the production of green hydrogen.

In its latest set of full-year statistics, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said that the world added 97.1 GW of new PV capacity in 2019. This means that the difference between its report and the IEA PVPS figures is around 17.8 GW.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/01/ ... -says-iea/

[Christophe]

Not bad these figures ... the PV begins to weigh!

1 kWp produces at least 1 MWh per year ...

The 200 Chinese GWp will therefore produce at least 200 TWh ... the equivalent of 25 nuclear reactors ... it's not nothing!

There remains the concern of storage!

[sicetaitsimple]

The 200 Chinese GWp will therefore produce at least 200 TWh ... the equivalent of 25 nuclear reactors ... it's not nothing!
There remains the concern of storage!

Yes, the installed capacity figures are impressive, but it represents between 3 and 4% of total production for China.

For storage, no worries, there is liquid nitrogen.

[ENERC]

There remains the concern of storage!

Before talking about storage, we need to talk about demand management. For example: heating the DHW during the day, charging your car, optimizing the heating cycles by heat pump (especially water-water) and air conditioning (cold storage).
Before rushing to the batteries, you must first shift consumption over time. Since the Linky does not know how to do this, it will be necessary to deploy intelligent modules on the electrical cabinets. They will be connected to receive the tariff information from the supplier, or from the PV inverter on the roof or in the garden.

[ENERC]

Yes, the installed capacity figures are impressive, but it represents between 3 and 4% of total production for China.

Sicetaitsimple is right: PV in the world is still a drop in the energy landscape.
It would take an X 10 worldwide for a few decades for this to really reduce the consumption of coal.

[Christophe]

A drop of water that takes 15% per year!

It would take an X 10 worldwide for a few decades for this to really reduce the consumption of coal.

??

Uh ... in China a single x 20 would be enough ...

And x 10 in 2 years is x 100 ... so 300%?