Ground-mounted utility scale solar PV power systems continued to clearly dominate the solar space in 2019 – and this won’t change until 2024. The segment had a share of around 64% last year, which is anticipated to hike to 69% in 2021, and then remain flat at around 68% for the coming years. The slight ‘weakness‘ of utility-scale solar in 2019 is in direct relation to the market developments in China and India. Both world leading markets have been strongholds of ground-mounted PV power plants. While the termination of the feed-in tariffs for large-scale power plants in May 2018 in China resulted in immediate market contraction, it also directly had a positive impact on rooftop PV. This development continued in 2019 when solar demand in China fell even steeper. Still, close to 60% of the solar capacity added in China last year were utility-scale power plants. The other leading market that disappointed last year was India, where the bulk of the total installed capacity are ground-mounted power plants. Less PV demand in India meant less utility-scale power plants for the world. On the other hand, the United States, as the world’s No. 2 PV market, saw increasing demand in 2019, mostly driven by a year-end deadline for the 30% ITC, which primarily triggered investments in utility-scale PV capacities. However, deploying large volumes of utility-scale solar is much simpler to deploy than creating a distributed PV rooftop market, which requires a substantial period of time and a lot of effort to educate consumers, while setting up an effective platform with the right financing instruments and technical standards. That’s why emerging markets usually begin their solar chapter with tenders for utility-scale solar and frequently struggle to set up the distributed rooftop segment, even if politicians generally prefer PV on roofs which they consider the natural place for the technology as it avoids any potential conflicts on land use. A good example for such a development is India, which targets 100 GW of solar by 2022, with 40 GW coming from rooftop solar. But of the 35.7 GWAC total of solar power capacity installed by the end of 2019, only 4.4 GWAC were rooftop systems—the vast majority (88%) was utility-scale PV power plants. The Indian Government had approved 1.7 billion USD under its Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India (SRISTI) programme in 2018 to accelerate the installation of rooftop solar. Instead, an economic slowdown had pulled that rooftop solar down, resulting in the first decline for the small segment in five years in India. Two relatively recent solar feed-in tariff hot-spots and new GW-scale markets, Vietnam and Ukraine, have been also focusing on utility-scale solar, whereas the European country’s net metering programme has been nurturing a small rooftop market as well. However, even the most advanced solar rooftop market, Australia, with more than 2.3 million solar homes, has recently been leaning towards uti...

Source: https://www.energymagazine.com.au/rooftop-solar-australias-second-largest-generator/ The Australian Energy Council (AEC) has released its Quarterly Solar Report, revealing that rooftop solar is now the second largest generator by capacity in Australia – contributing over 14.7GW in capacity. The AEC’s Quarterly Solar Report shows while coal-fired generation has more capacity, rooftop solar is continuing to expand with 109,000 systems installed in the second quarter of 2021. AEC Chief Executive, Sarah McNamara, said, “While the 2020/21 financial year was difficult for most industries due to the impact of COVID-19, Australia’s rooftop solar PV industry does not appear to have been overly affected, based on this AEC analysis.” Solar uptake by state New South Wales cracked the nation’s top five with two postcodes during the 2021 financial year, with the biggest growth for NSW solar installations landing north west of the Sydney CBD Victorian postcodes 3029 (Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina) and 3064 (Donnybrook) have held the top ranks for the past two years; these suburbs had an equivalent number of solar systems installed with capacities of approximately 18.9MW Queensland claimed four spots during 2020 but southwest Brisbane’s 4300 is the only postcode in the top ten in 2021, ranking third with nearly 2,400 systems installed and 18.1MW connected to the grid Western Australia has three postcodes in the top ten, each installed around 1800 systems with a capacity of 12MW in FY21 “All jurisdictions, except the Northern Territory, hit records for the number of solar panels installed compared to the previous financial year,” Ms McNamara said. “During the 2020/21 financial year, around 373,000 solar systems were installed on Australian homes, up from 323,500 during 2019/20. Installed capacity also jumped from 2,500MW to more than 3,000MW.” Ms McNamara said that continued low technology costs, increased working from home arrangements and a shift in household spending to home improvements during the COVID-19 pandemic played a key role in the increase of rooftop solar PV systems.

Sources: https://www.pv-tech.org/bnef-net-zero-could-require-455gw-of-new-solar-capacity-each-year-by-2030-with-20tw-installed-by-2050/ At least 455GW of new solar PV capacity will need to be installed each year by the end of this decade for the world to reach net zero status by 2050, new analysis by BloombergNEF (BNEF) has found. The research and consultancy firm has published the 2021 edition of its New Energy Outlook, which maps the world’s transition to net zero status in three specific trajectories labelled ‘Green’, ‘Red’ and ‘Gray’. The Green scenario, wherein the majority of the heavy lifting with regards decarbonisation of the power sector is done by a mix of solar PV and wind, will require a trebling of annual solar installation rates by the end of the decade. Furthermore, the market potential for solar PV under BNEF’s Green scenario states that as much as 20TW of solar may be installed by 2050, equivalent to an average of 632GW of solar PV being installed each year over the next 30 years. Renewables installations of that ilk will require energy storage deployment to increase significantly too, with at least 245GWh of energy storage needed to be deployed each year by 2030 to facilitate the growth of renewable power. The need for such significant quantities of renewables power generation is due to its status as the “backbone” of the energy transition, the report reads, with solar PV and wind requiring an urgent acceleration for renewable power to contribute. The next nine years are critical to get global markets on track and the power sector must make significant progress this decade. More than 75% of total emissions reductions required this decade must come from the power sector, a fact which will require rapid deployment of solar PV and wind. Compared to 2019 levels, BNEF’s analysis shows power sector emissions must fall by 57% by 2030 and by 89% by 2040, to pave the way for greater electrification of sectors where emissions are harder to abate. The energy transition will, as BNEF’s analysis shows, require a significant increase in annual investment. Depending on the model, BNEF argues that between US$92 – 173 trillion of investment will be needed to achieve net zero. That would require at least a doubling of current investment trends, rising from an annual investment of US$1.7 trillion invested in 2020 to between US$3.1 – 5.8 trillion a year each year for the next three decades. But that investment will not be in vain, and would indeed pale compared to the costs of mitigating climate disasters associated with inaction. “The capital expenditures needed to achieve net zero will create enormous opportunities for investors, financial institutions and the private sector, while creating many new jobs in the green economy,” Jon Moore, chief executive at BNEF, said. BNEF’s Green scenario is not the only plausible route to net zero. Under its Red model, which prioritises emergent technologies such as green hydrogen and modular nuclear reactors,...

Sources：www.pv-tech.org European Union (EU) countries may need to ramp up renewables deployment in the next decade to meet new proposed targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the bloc. As part of its wide-reaching ‘Fit for 55’ climate plan unveiled today (14 July), the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has updated its Renewable Energy Directive to increase the overall binding target from 32% to a new level of 40% renewables in the bloc’s energy mix by 2030. The change aims to make the energy system cleaner and more efficient by fostering renewables-based electrification and, in sectors such as industry and transport, it will promote the uptake of renewable fuels, such as green hydrogen. To increase the attractiveness of renewables projects for private investors, the Commission proposes measures to make permitting more efficient and to promote direct contracts between producers and consumers. These measures form part of a dozen draft proposals aimed at driving down greenhouse gas emissions across the EU by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, putting it in on a path to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The ‘Fit for 55’ proposals remove barriers and add incentives so that Europe can move faster towards net zero, said European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. “To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, we need to turn the renewables evolution into a revolution and make sure no energy is wasted along the way,” she said. The increased renewables goal will disappoint SolarPower Europe, which is calling for the EU to target 45% clean energy by 2030. Nevertheless, analysis from the trade association predicts that the 40% ambition will require a total of 660GW of solar PV deployed in Europe by 2030, up from the approximately 137GW installed as of year-end 2020. A statement from the European Renewable Energies Federation said it regrets that a higher renewables target has not been proposed, while campaign group ClientEarth said the ‘Fit for 55’ package has shied away from action at the scale required. “The Commission’s proposed renewables target is a step in the right direction but is clearly insufficient to put Europe on track for climate neutrality by 2050,” said ClientEarth energy lawyer Guillermo Ramo. Other Commission proposals include an objective to reach at least a 49% renewable share in the energy used in buildings across the EU by 2030, while tighter vehicle emission limits would effectively end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035. Additionally, new emissions trading for transport and for fuels used in buildings would provide a price signal to reduce energy use and increase the share of renewable energy in electricity production. Despite the series of eye-catching announcements, the EU’s 55% target for net cuts to emissions by 2030 “falls well short” of what science requires to restrict global heating to 1.5°C, according to Greenpeace. “Celebrating these policies is like a high jumper claiming a meda...

Source: https://www.energymagazine.com.au/renewables-rise-again-in-2021-energy-statistics/ The Federal Government has released the 2021 Australian Energy Statistics, showing that renewables are increasing as a share of generation in 2020, but coal and gas continue to provide the majority of generation. The statistics for electricity generation shows that 24 percent of Australia’s electricity came from renewable energy in 2020, up from 21 percent in 2019. This increase is driven by a boom in solar installation. Solar is now the largest source of renewable energy at 9 percent of total generation, up from 7 percent in 2019, with one in four Australian homes having solar – the highest uptake in the world. The large uptake of solar helped contribute to the record 7GW of new renewable capacity installed last year, confirming Australia as a renewable energy world leader. But according to the Federal Government, the pace of growth in renewables highlights the important role that more traditional and reliable sources of energy play in the system. This underscores the need for continued essential generation from dispatchable sources to balance and complement the high levels of variable supply entering the energy system to deliver affordable, reliable power for consumers. Importantly, gas-fired generation grew in Queensland and the Northern Territory 2020, with overall generation remaining relatively stable in recent years. Coal also continued to be the backbone of our electricity supply, representing 54 percent of total generation in 2020 and playing an essential role as a stable, baseload source of affordable and reliable power. Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, said the Australian Government is ensuring Australia’s record level of renewable energy is complemented by dispatchable generation. “My focus is ensuring Australia’s energy system remains reliable and affordable for all Australians,” Mr Taylor said. “The Morrison Government is taking strong action to stabilise the grid and get the energy generation balance right to ensure Australians can access the reliable and affordable power they need, when they need it. “We are a renewable energy powerhouse, and this is something we should be proud of, but renewables need reliable generation to back them up and maintain pressure on prices when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. “Reliable sources of energy, like coal and gas, will continue to be needed to keep the lights on and deliver 24/7 power for households and businesses as more and more renewables enter the system.” Ensuring the design of the future National Electricity Market (NEM) is fit for purpose is key to the delivery of reliable, secure and affordable electricity to Australian households and businesses.   The Post-2025 Market Design, which is currently open for public response, is the most critical energy reform governments have been tasked to deliver by the National Cabinet. The Federal Governme...

Source: https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/solar-pv-deployment-in-europe-enters-new-era-of-growth.html Solar PV deployment in Europe is entering a new era of growth, largely fueled by a bright future for utility-scale systems. In 2019, new installations in the utility-scale sector (systems larger than 5 MW) more than tripled from 2018, to 12 GW. By 2025, IHS Markit forecasts annual installations of these large PV plants in Europe to reach 34 GW. This growth is driven by a combination of EU 2030 targets and the sheer economics of generating renewable power from solar PV. In terms of technology, these new-built PV projects are following a global trend of using 1500V inverters (or even higher voltage over the coming years) and a growing penetration of string inverters. The utilization of tracking structures is gaining interest also in less sunny European markets where fixed structure systems have been the norm. Across Europe, PV system designs incorporate larger modules with increased efficiency, and we see a growing share of bifacial modules in suitable locations. The profitability of individual PV projects will depend highly on technology decisions. It was totally 176GW of PV installed in Europe by 2020, and about 54% of new PV in Europe will be utility-scale through 2025. The EU countries target close to 200GW of the new PV through 2030.