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Speakers include: Hans Jürgen Sauter, VP Middle East and Africa, Nextracker Inc. Dinesh Thakare, Head – Design & Engineering (RT), CleanMax Elena García Ortiz, Project Manager MEA, UL Solutions Finn Chow, Sales Manager APAC Marketing, Antaisolar Moderator: Ritesh Pothan, Director BD – APAC & AMEA, DroneBase
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A breakdown of the data revealed that the output of photovoltaic solar power soared 17.2 percent year on year, while that for thermal power rose 9.3 percent.
The output of wind power and hydropower climbed 7.4 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, on a yearly basis, while nuclear power generation fell 4.2 percent during the same period, according to the NBS.
In 2023, the power output of these firms came in at 8.9 trillion kilowatt-hours, up 5.2 percent over one year earlier.
Staff members inspect solar panels at a photovoltaic power station in Yongren County of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)
The power generation of China’s major electricity production enterprises went up 8 percent year on year in December 2023, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows.
The total power output of these firms stood at 829 billion kilowatt-hours last month, according to the NBS.
In another step by the Biden-Harris administration to support the growing momentum across America for a clean energy economy, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced the availability of its draft environmental review of wind energy areas offshore the U.S. Central Atlantic region.
BOEM’s Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) considers potential environmental consequences of site characterization activities (e.g., geophysical, geological, and archaeological surveys) and site assessment activities (e.g., installation of meteorological buoys) associated with issuing wind energy leases in the Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Draft EA also considers project easements and grants associated with each potential lease, including subsea cable corridors. The public comment period for the draft EA runs through Feb. 12, 2024.
“BOEM will continue to work closely with our government partners, key stakeholders, and the public as we consider proposed offshore wind activities in the Central Atlantic,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Our overarching goal is to ensure any development is done in a manner that avoids or reduces potential impacts to other ocean uses and the marine environment.”
On August 1, 2023, BOEM published a notice in the Federal Register announcing its intent to prepare an EA on potential impacts from offshore wind leasing in the Central Atlantic WEAs. As part of its scoping process, BOEM sought comments on the issues and alternatives that the EA should consider and received over 100 comments, which can be found at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. BOEM-2023-0034.
On Dec. 11, 2023, the Department of the Interior announced a proposed offshore wind lease sale in the Central Atlantic WEAs. The proposal includes two areas for auction: WEA A-2 offshore the States of Delaware and Maryland, and WEA C-1 offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia. Together, these areas have the potential to support enough offshore wind to power over 2.2 million homes with clean energy. BOEM partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based ocean planning model that assisted in the selection of the final WEAs.
The proposed sale does not include WEA B-1, located offshore Ocean City, Maryland, due to the need for further evaluation of potential conflicts with other existing ocean uses.
The Draft EA analyzes all three areas, including WEA B-1, as the analysis may be helpful to inform additional potential lease sales, which could occur in the Central
Atlantic region as soon as 2025. More information about this proposal and how to submit public comments on the proposed sale notice can be found on BOEM’s website.
2024 will be a year full of milestones in the WIN@sea project, in which Danish researchers are busy producing food under the surface of the sea in Scandinavia’s largest offshore wind farm, Vattenfall’s Danish Kriegers Flak.
Green energy will not be the only thing in the spotlight over the coming year in Kriegers Flak, the Vattenfall offshore windfarm located in the Baltic Sea, east of Denmark. Teams will also be harvesting seaweed, setting lines for growing mussels and making an in-depth assessment of cod stocks in the area in and around Scandinavia’s largest offshore wind farm.
This is happening as part of the WIN@sea project, in which a number of Danish universities and companies are exploring how best to produce fossil-free energy and food in one and the same location and at the same time improve the marine environment and area biodiversity
“It’s going to an exciting year for us. One of the big milestones will be our initial harvest of seaweed for food production from the offshore wind farm in late spring. We are working to produce both fossil-free energy and sustainable food from the sea in the same place whilst providing data for environmental monitoring at the. At the same time, we are documenting effects on the marine environment and biodiversity”, says WIN@sea Senior Researcher & Project Leader Annette Bruhn from the Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University.
Untapped potential in offshore wind farms
While production of seaweed and mussels shall take place in the areas between the wind turbines, there is also a particular focus on the areas surrounding the turbine foundations on the seabed. Rocks are placed on the seabed to protect the turbine foundations and act as artificial stone reefs. The researchers from WIN@sea will be investigate what effects the man-made reefs have on the area’s biodiversity, including the cod stocks. This way the artificial rock reefs enables the offshore wind farm to can be used for more than energy production.
“In Vattenfall we are working for fossil freedom, but not at the expense of biodiversity. That’s why we are working to find a way for our energy installations to be used for more than fossil-free energy generation alone. There is untapped potential in the areas between the offshore wind farms, and we are pleased to be learning so much about how we can activate these areas to help promote and preserve biodiversity”, says Bioscience Expert Tim Wilms from Vattenfall.
Once the first seaweed from Kriegers Flak is harvested in the spring, its quality as a foodstuff will undergo analysis. Afterwards, the seaweed will be used to make seaweed pasta and other foods at WIN@sea’s family cooking school. This year there are also plans to set out lines for growing mussels, and after the summer holidays, a number of recreational fishermen and researchers will venture out to the offshore wind farm, where they will count, measure and weigh part of the cod stocks in the area of the wind farm.
Danish cooperation garnering international attention
WIN@sea is a collaborative project between Aarhus University, the Danish Technological University, the University of Copenhagen, the seaweed and mussel producer Kerteminde Seafarm, the Kattegat Centre and the energy company Vattenfall. That’s why 47 international researchers from more than seven different countries convened in Vattenfall’s Klintholm facilities on 9 January. There, researchers kicked off an eventful year for WIN@sea, taking a closer look at the project and activities at Kriegers Flak.
Solaria has obtained the Administrative Construction Authorization for its second 595 MW Garoña flagship project. With this authorization, Solaria reiterates its goal of reaching 3 GW by the end of 2024.
The Garoña photovoltaic project is a clear example of energy transition, since Solaria will replace the Santa María de Garoña nuclear power plant that has completed its useful life with a green, non-polluting and, above all, much cheaper energy installation.
This photovoltaic solar park will produce electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of the entire province of Burgos, that is, to supply 300,000 homes.
Thanks to this project, around 2,400 jobs will be created during the construction of the park, always prioritizing local employment, in addition to the creation of indirect employment, and it will have a useful life of 30 years.
“Obtaining the Administrative Authorization for Construction is great news for us, for the province of Burgos and for society as a whole. This project is a clear example of energy transition and, in addition, will have a energizing effect on the economy of the Bureba region” Darío López, general director of Solaria.
Renewables energy major EDF Renewables has been working closely with offshore wind developer Deep Wind Offshore in Norway since 2021. The work includes delivering a competitive bid for the Utsira Nord tender. Now, the consortium has signed an agreement also targeting the auction round in 2025.
EDF Renewables brings well over a decade of experience in constructing and operating offshore wind farms to the Norwegian market. The Company has installed the first offshore wind farm in France, at Saint-Nazaire, and one of the first floating wind farms in the world, Provence Grand Large.
EDF Renewables is a 100% subsidiary of the state-owned EDF group, the largest low carbon electricity producer in the world.
Deep Wind Offshore builds on over 100 years of experience in renewable power generation, electricity transmission and maritime operations through their owners in Haugaland Kraft, Sunnhordland Kraftlag, and Knutsen Group. The Company is headquartered in Haugesund and is partly owned by local municipalities, which ensures that local people are at the center of their development ethos.
With this agreement, EDF Renewables and Deep Wind Offshore are getting ready to further support Norway to achieve its goal of doubling power production, including allocating 30 GW of offshore wind production by 2040.
Bruno Bensasson, CEO of EDF Renewables said: “EDF Renewables has been working closely with Deep Wind Offshore for more than two years, on developing the first offshore wind areas in Norway. Together, we have the reputation, experience, and inherent local knowledge to deliver offshore wind projects which create value for the local community.
Knut Vassbotn, CEO of Deep Wind Offshore said: “We are proud to have introduced EDF Renewables to the Norwegian offshore wind market and excited to extend our collaboration. Working together has proven the partnership to be value-adding, bringing together complementary expertise and knowledge. The consortium is fully committed to contributing to the Norwegian governments target for offshore wind. First through delivering a winning Utsira Nord bid, and then onwards to the auction round in 2025”.
Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Trade and Industrysaid: “I am pleased with this announcement. It is an example that shows how French and Norwegian companies can gain a lot by working together. EDF Renewables and Deep Wind Offshore have built on each other’s strengths and expertise since 2021, I wish them the best of luck with this next chapter”.
EDF Renewables is an international energy company which develops, builds, and operates renewable power generation plants.
As a major player in the energy transition worldwide, EDF Renewables deploys, within EDF, competitive, responsible, and value-creating projects.
In every country, our teams show their commitment to local stakeholders every day, adding their expertise and capacity for innovation to the fight against climate change.
At the end of 2022, EDF Renewables operates a net installed wind and solar capacity of 11.4 GW (18.5 GW gross) worldwide.
Mainly present in Europe and North America, EDF Renewables is pursuing its development by taking a position in promising emerging markets such as: Brazil, China, India, South Africa and in the Middle East. Historically active in onshore wind and photovoltaics, the Company is now strongly positioned on offshore wind and floating wind as well as in new technologies such as energy storage, floating solar and agrivoltaism.
Deep Wind Offshore is a developer and future owner of offshore wind projects worldwide. The Company is based in Haugesund, Norway, so far with offices in Sweden and South Korea, and is backed by strong industrial and financial owners in Knutsen Group, Haugaland Kraft, Sunnhordland Kraftlag, and Octopus Energy.
Deep Wind Offshore has a project pipeline of more than 10 GW, with 2 GW under exclusive development in South Korea.
About 85%–90% of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that can already be commercially recycled. This prize seeks to close the gap on the remaining 10%–15% of unrecyclable material, which is primarily carbon fiber and fiberglass (found in wind turbine blades, nacelle covers, and hub covers) and rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium (found in generators).
Among other benefits, establishing strong domestic recycling options for fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements will reduce the need to extract raw materials for wind turbine manufacturing. This can help further minimize the wind energy industry’s environmental impacts and enhance its resilience against price fluctuations and supply chain disruptions of these key materials.
In recognition of their innovative ideas to enhance wind material recycling technologies and processes, DOE selected 20 teams from 15 states as winners of the first phase of the prize, Initiate!. Each of the winning teams received $75,000 and an invitation to advance to the second phase of the prize, Accelerate!, where they will develop prototypes of their technologies. In Phase 2, up to six teams will be selected to each receive a cash prize of $500,000 and vouchers valued at $100,000 to work with DOE national laboratories.
The Phase 1 winning teams are:
A New Fiber Spinning for Composite Recycling (Athens, Georgia)
A Novel Method for Recycling Neodymium Magnet (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Blades for Large-Format Additive Manufacturing (Orono, Maine)
Chemolysis Recycling of all Turbine Blade Material (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Circular Mechanical Recycling of Wind Turbines (Charleston, South Carolina)
Composite Fiber Recovery and Resin Recycling (Amherst, Maine)
Continuous Chemical Recycling at Ambient Pressure (Pullman, Washington)
Domestic Rare Earth Recovery From Wind Turbines Using ADR (Boone, Iowa)
Flash Composite Recycling: Turbine Blades to Silicon Carbide (Houston, Texas)
Hybrid Composites From Wood and Wind Turbine Blade (Denton, Texas)
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (“CIP”) is launching Copenhagen Energy Islands (“CEI”), a new development company dedicated to developing energy islands globally with backing from Nordic, European, and North American investors,
Copenhagen Energy Islands will build on CIP’s long-standing experience and expertise within offshore wind to develop energy island projects globally, and is currently developing a portfolio of around 10 energy island projects around the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and in South-East Asia.
Energy islands are large-scale offshore energy hubs, which will enable the massive scaling required for the next generation of offshore wind deployment globally. They combine existing, proven technologies in a new and innovative way and at a significantly larger scale, allowing for a cost-efficient build-out and integration of offshore wind. Key value drivers include a substantial reduction in power transmission costs, large-scale offshore green hydrogen production and related synergies between power and hydrogen production.
Copenhagen Energy Islands is an independent company majority-owned by CIP and a group of investors. The founding group includes major Nordic, European and North American investors with a track record of investments in renewable energy infrastructure, including PensionDanmark, PFA, SEB, and Andel.
“Our vision is to provide concrete solutions to the global challenge of scaling up renewables. If we want to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, we will need to scale up the deployment of offshore wind and other renewables to an unprecedented level. Today, the challenge for offshore wind is less about building the incremental offshore wind farm, but more how to integrate large-scale offshore wind energy into the global energy systems. We see energy islands as a key tool in solving this challenge and realizing the ambitious offshore wind targets across the globe,” said Jakob Baruël Poulsen, Managing Partner and founder of CIP.
Copenhagen Energy Islands is headquartered in Copenhagen with a team of industry professionals with extensive experience within renewables, infrastructure, and finance.
For more information about Copenhagen Energy Islands, visit copenhagenenergyislands.com.
“We believe that energy islands will play a key role in accelerating the global transition towards future demands for renewable energy and carbon neutrality. PFA already has experience working closely together with CIP on early-stage energy island development and other renewable energy projects, and we expect that our investment in Copenhagen Energy Islands will create value for our customers and contribute to the green transition,” said Kasper Ahrndt Lorenzen, CIO at PFA.
Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.
CIP manages 12 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 28 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 160 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 500 employees and 12 offices
The Republic of Cyprus has secured €40 million from the Just Transition Fund for energy storage facilities, addressing the inflexibility of its electricity system in storing excess energy from renewables.
Energy Minister George Papanastasiou, in a letter to Parliament, emphasizes the promotion of central and hybrid storage facilities under the “photovoltaics for all” program.
Papanastasiou notes the Ministry’s pursuit of assigning central energy storage facilities to the Transmission System Operator (TSO), requiring derogations from EU directives.
The preparatory work for this request is completed and will be submitted to the European Commission soon.
Regarding hybrid storage systems, Papanastasiou anticipates the announcement of an aid plan, with public consultation comments under review.
The “photovoltaics for all” plan targets residential customers with specific consumption and system capacity criteria.
Papanastasiou assures widespread installation of residential photovoltaic systems across Cyprus, with exceptions in limited areas addressed by the Distribution System Operator (DSO).
TSO cuts of excess energy won’t affect residential customers with photovoltaic systems, except in emergencies.
The application process time for photovoltaic systems is reduced to 2.5 weeks as of July 2023.
Despite an expected increase in applications, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) anticipates a total response time not exceeding 25 working days, thanks to streamlined procedures and additional resources.
Avaada Group, India’s prominent integrated energy platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat. This strategic alliance aims to set up hybrid wind-solar projects with an aggregate 6000 MW (6 GW) capacity in the state with an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore, marking a pivotal moment in the journey towards greener future.
Avaada Group’s commitment to green initiatives in the state of Gujarat is underscored by substantial investments in the development of a robust Renewable Energy ecosystem. In line with its commitment, the milestone agreement was signed in the august presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, along with other dignitaries on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024 at Gandhinagar.
The hybrid projects, located in various districts of Gujarat, predominantly in the underdeveloped waste lands of Kutch, will supply power to various utilities of India including GUVNL, and for captive use of AVAADA’s Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Projects. These Projects will substantially reduce the carbon emission and dependability of conventional power sources and stand as a testament to our commitment to scalable and innovative solutions, aiming to revolutionize the energy landscape while addressing critical environmental and economic imperatives.
With an estimated annual generation of 17.5 billion units of green electricity, this will lead to a reduction of approximately 16.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, contributing significantly to India’s green energy supply and powering nearly 12.6 million households.
Moreover, it will generate ~1200 direct and indirect jobs, thereby contributing to local and regional economic development.
Speaking on the significant development, Mr. Vineet Mittal, Chairperson of Avaada Group, said, “Due to the pressing need to tackle climate change, governments, private sector as well as individuals globally are increasingly focusing on sustainable solutions to promote economic growth and well-being for everyone. Renewable energy along with green hydrogen and its derivatives have emerged as powerful substitutes for fossil fuels, driving rapid decarbonization across various industries and regions.
With its abundant natural resources including 300 sunshine days, availability of vast wasteland and long coastline, Gujarat has the potential to significantly contribute towards meeting the global demand for alternative solutions for fossil fuels.
At Avaada Group, our dedication to driving sustainable energy solutions takes another significant stride forward with the signing of this MoU. This strategic partnership signifies our unwavering commitment to foster a robust, clean energy ecosystem. Besides the signing of the new 6 GW capacity in the state, we already have projects of ~2 GW capacity that are operational or at various stages of implementation in the state of Gujarat.”
Avaada Group is a visionary energy conglomerate with a presence across the entire spectrum of the energy transition value chain, including the production of Solar Modules, Renewable Power Generation, and the development of large-scale projects for Green Hydrogen, Green Methanol, Green Ammonia, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Under the astute leadership of Mr. Vineet Mittal, the group has established itself as a significant player on the global energy stage. Avaada Energy, the group’s flagship arm for renewable power generation, is on track to reach an impressive 11 GW of installed capacity by 2026. With its robust execution capabilities and a solid track record, Avaada has earned the trust of international investors, as evidenced by the equity raise of US $1.3 Billion in early 2023, including a US $1 Billion investment commitment from Brookfield’s Energy Transition Fund and $300 million from GPSC, PTT Group of Thailand.
Three technical solutions integrate power generation and agriculture; Plant makes use of recultivated land at Garzweiler opencast mine. Research activities to start in spring; crops such as alfalfa, broad beans and raspberries to be planted. Forschungszentrum Jülich and Fraunhofer ISE contribute scientific expertise; state of NRW provides funding.
With crops below and solar power above, RWE’s agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) plant in Germany has now started supplying green electricity into the grid after a construction period of just five months. The new demonstration plant was built on about seven hectares of recultivated land at the edge of the Garzweiler opencast mine, in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the years ahead, important application research will be carried out at this site to show how solar power generation and agriculture can go hand in hand.
The first seedlings are to be planted in spring. The research activities, which are set to last at least five years, will also start then. The project’s goal is to develop suitable cultivation methods and value-adding operational concepts for Agri-PV systems. The Institute for Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems are providing scientific expertise for the project. The project is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the progres.nrw programme for climate protection and the energy transition.
Three technical solutions integrate power generation and agriculture
The demonstration plant has a peak capacity of 3.2 megawatts (approximately 2.5 MWac) and consists of three technical Agri-PV concepts, which allow for both agricultural and horticultural use of the land. In the first configuration, the solar modules are fixed and mounted vertically on the supporting structure. In the second concept, the modules are mounted on a movable axis which allows them to follow the course of the sun from east to west. This is designed to maximise the yield of the photovoltaic system. Alfalfa, broad beans* and forage grass are to be grown on these two areas during the first research year. In the following years, crops such as cereals, sugar beet, potatoes and other vegetables are to be cultivated. Between the module rows, there is enough space left for harvesting machines. In the third solution, the photovoltaic modules are elevated on a substructure similar to a pergola. Under these modules, plants such as raspberries are to be cultivated. Over the years, the interplay between plant growth and photovoltaic technology will be monitored under a variety of seasonal weather conditions.
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